Dalia is a delicious cereal made from coarsely ground oats, which is high in fiber, protein, and iron. The mashed wheat meal is very popular in India, which is enjoyed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are various ways to make this dish, and the most popular are vegetable dalia and sweet dalia. Cooking dalia can be done easily and is almost the same as when you cook rice. You can customize this dish with spices, fruits and vegetables that you like.
Ingredients
Vegetable Dalia
- cup (60 grams) coarsely ground oats
- 1 tbsp. (15 grams) ghee (ghee) oil
- tsp. (5 grams) cumin seeds
- tsp. (2 grams) grated ginger
- 1 green chili, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 small tomato, diced
- tsp. (1 gram) turmeric powder
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 small potato, diced
- cup (40 grams) green peas
- 2 cups (470 ml) water
- Salt to taste
Produces 2 servings
Sweet Dalia
- 1 tsp. (5 grams) ghee
- cup (30 grams) coarsely ground oats
- 1 cup (230 ml) water
- 1 cup (230 ml) milk
- 1 green cardamom, ground
- 1 tbsp. (15 grams) sugar
- 1 tbsp. (10 grams) raisins
- 1 tbsp. (10 grams) sliced almonds
- 1 tbsp. (10 grams) walnuts, chopped
Produces 2 servings
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making Vegetable Dalia
Step 1. Soak the mashed oats
Take a small bowl of mashed oats and pour water in it. Let the oats soak in the water for about 30 minutes. After soaking, put the mashed wheat in a fine sieve and rinse with clean water. Set the oats aside, and let dry.
Soaking makes the oats tender, which will reduce cooking time
Step 2. Fry the cumin
Put the ghee in a pressure cooker, then heat the pan over medium heat. When the ghee is melted and hot, add the cumin seeds. Cook the cumin in ghee for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant and crunchy.
- Some other aromatic ingredients that you can add to cumin include chili powder, mustard, and curry leaves.
- Ghee is basically melted butter. So, you can replace ghee with regular butter or cooking oil that you like.
Step 3. Add ginger, onion and chili
Continue to cook the mixture over medium heat until the onions are slightly soft, and the ginger smells good. Stir the mixture regularly so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
If you want a less spicy dish, replace the chili with sweeter peppers
Step 4. Add the remaining turmeric, tomatoes and vegetables
First add the turmeric and tomatoes, then cook with the aromatic ingredients for 1 minute. Next, add the potatoes, carrots, and peas and continue to cook the mixture for another minute.
You can add any vegetables you like to this dish, such as cauliflower, bell peppers, beans, or chopped broccoli
Step 5. Add the oats
Put the drained mashed wheat in the pressure cooker. Keep stirring and sautéing the oats with the aromatic ingredients and vegetables for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is warm and smells good.
By cooking wheat in a pressure cooker, the aroma of the wheat will be more pronounced, and allow the other ingredients to soak into it well
Step 6. Cook the dalia with water
Put the water and salt in a pressure cooker and stir the mixture. Close the pressure cooker. Turn the stove on to medium heat first, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the dalia until tender, which is about 12 minutes, or when the pressure cooker beeps 7-9 times.
If you don't have a pressure cooker, use a regular saucepan and cook the dalia on the stove. Cook the dalia for about 25 minutes (with the pot covered) until the water is absorbed and the wheat is tender
Step 7. Leave the pressure cooker for a few moments
When the dalia is done, turn off the stove and let the pressure in the pot dissipate. When the pressure drops, open the pressure cooker, stir the mixture, and serve the dalia immediately. Add pepper powder and salt to taste.
Method 2 of 3: Making Sweet Dalia
Step 1. Roast mashed wheat in ghee
Mix the oats and ghee in a medium-sized saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Toast the oats until dry, lightly browned, and flavorful.
- You can also dry-fry the oats in a saucepan, but you'll need to stir constantly so they don't burn.
- You can also cook sweet dalia using a pressure cooker.
Step 2. Add water
Stir in the wheat and water mixture, then cover the pot. Don't leave the pan, as the mixture can foam and boil quickly. Cook the oats for about 10-12 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the oats are soft and tender.
When the contents of the pot churn, open the lid and stir the mixture. Place the lid only halfway to prevent the mixture from churning again
Step 3. Add cardamom and milk
Add milk and spices, then stir in the wheat mixture. Keep the pot open and continue to cook the dalia over medium-low heat. Stir the mixture regularly until the dalia reaches the desired consistency.
If you want a runny dalia, cook the mixture just enough time to heat the milk (about 1-2 minutes). For a thick, porridge-like dalia, cook the mixture for about 5 minutes to allow the milk to better absorb into the oats
Step 4. Add sugar, walnuts and raisins
Stir all the dalia ingredients until well blended. Reheat the dalia for 1-2 minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve and the nuts/raisins to heat up. Taste the dalia before you serve it and add more sugar or milk to taste.
You can add various additional ingredients to sweet dalia, such as sliced dried fruit, chopped figs, chopped dates, and some spices such as cinnamon and saffron
Method 3 of 3: Serving Dalia
Step 1. Enjoy the dalia hot
Dalia is most delicious when eaten hot, whether you serve plain dalia, vegetable dalia, or sweet dalia. When eating leftover dalia, be sure to preheat it in a saucepan before eating it.
When making sweet dalia, heat the dalia after you add the milk as the milk can make the dish a little cold
Step 2. Add fresh herbs
You can garnish the dalia with your favorite herbs or aromatic ingredients. Chunks of fresh herbs are a very popular ingredient to add to dalia before serving. Wash, dry, and finely chop the fresh herbs before you sprinkle them over the dalia.
- Spices that are suitable for garnishing vegetable dalia include coriander and parsley.
- Popular herbs commonly used to garnish sweet dalia include mint, cilantro, and basil.
Step 3. Serve the dalia with yogurt
Sweet dalia and vegetable dalia can be served with yogurt, either separately or mixed before serving. For sweet dalia, try using vanilla or fruit-flavored yogurt. Serve the vegetable dalia with plain yogurt or raita (Indian yogurt).
