Wednesday 4 July 2012

Dalia

Bubun has taken to dalia & I'd to post this for him. A little ironic considering it is his birthday today and instead of murga which he so loved when he was small, I am doing a health food for him. This also has to be for Inayat who has taken his first step towards healthy living by buying his first packet of dalia. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Years ago when we were all school goers, Bubun & Babai were our neighbours. The younger of the two siblings, it was when Bubun was recuperating from a surgery that I had made the first dalia for him. That taste has apparently stuck, as it happens with most firsts of our life. He was discharged on 4th July & he came back to a very decorated house and we made the most of his birthday that year. Aah, to be alive and to be young!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        That operation bonded us so much that the two of us made a pact- whoever went for a party would bring back food for the other! And whenever we burped after a hearty meal, we would say, 'murgaa' with relish whether the bird was part of the platter or not. Life was one long party till one didn't realize when the shamiana had wrapped up and the guests all gone.
                                                                              Dalia/Porridge is a dish I'd first eaten at the college hostel. They made it in milk & it was sweet. Who taught me the namkeen version I just cannot recall but I seem to have thrived on dalia all my life. First to escape the avoidable mess food & later to fight flab. It used to be the regular broken- wheat-pieces dalia that I picked from stores. Made with daal, like khichdi, and eaten with a dollop of ghee, tasted yum. For the past three years, I've moved to multi-grained dalia(pic right) that has a host of ingredients packed in it. I pick it from the Patanjali Yogpeeth outlets that are now all over the world. 
                                                                                Ingredients:[serves 2]
1. 1/2 cup dalia 
2. Chopped vegetables- whatever you have
3. 2 cups water
4. 1/4 tsp turmeric - optional
5. Salt to taste
6. 1-2 tsp oil(only)
                                                                                                                                            Method:
1. Saute the chopped vegetables in minimal oil.
2. Add the dalia & fry for a minute or two.


3. Add water & salt and pressure cook on medium flame till 3-5 whistles.
                                                                                                                                                   Mutli-grained dalia, because of its various ingredients, takes time to cook. 






Serve hot. Add ghee for flavour. Or go the low-fat butter way. 

I'd recommend neither of the two. Eat it as it is. You've sauted the veggies in oil, remember!
                                                                                                   Happy Birthday, Bubun! US celebrates its birthday with you. Lucky they :) 






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