Dalia upma

I cleaned out my pantry the other day and realized I had a packet of dalia (cracked wheat) lying forgotten. So I promptly set about making this tasty Dalia upma for breakfast on Sunday. Procedure is similar to regular rava (semolina) upma, but I made this in my pressure pan.

Here's how I make Dalia upma:

1 cup dalia

2 tbsp oil

Tempering - 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, pinch of hing (asafoetida), 1 green chilli chopped, few curry leaves

Veggies - 1/2 cup chopped onions, 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots

Salt and sugar to taste

Masala paste - 2 tbsp fresh shredded coconut, 1 tbsp dry roasted peanuts, 1/2 inch ginger, 1 or 2 red chillies - broken, 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds, 3-4 springs of cilantro

3 cups water

In the pressure pan, heat oil, then add the tempering ingredients - first the mustard seeds, when they stop spluttering add all the other ingredients one by one. Roast 2-3 mins and add the veggies - first the onions, fry on medium heat till translucent, then add the other veggies and fry 5 more mins. Add the dalia and roast on medium-low heat for 10 to 15 mins, stirring occasionally. In the meanwhile, boil the 3 cups of water and prepare the masala paste by grinding all the ingredients to a fine paste. You can either dry grind if you have a dry grinder or use a little water to make a smooth paste. After the dalia is well roasted, add salt and sugar to taste, mix well and add the hot water and masala paste. Stir well, check and adjust seasonings as needed. Cover the pressure pan and cook on high heat for 2 whistles. Open the lid when the pressure reduces.

Dalia upma is ready. Serve hot garnished with cilantro.