Dalia Pulao / Broken Wheat Pulao

I reserve the bone-y chicken pieces in a container in the freezer...and when there is enough....either I make chicken stock with them or just use their bits of flesh to make fried rice or noodles. Last time I took the opportunity to add them to the dalia.

Dalia Pulao is a quick and easy dish which is one of my favourite for the lunchbox. Healthier and more nutritious than the rice...dalia / broken wheat is a much better choice if you are trying to eat healthy.

Heat ghee / butter / oil and temper it with cinnamon stick, cloves, green cardamoms and bay leaves.

Add the sliced onions and saute until translucent. Next add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute.

Add the julienned carrots, chopped green chillies and green peas. Sprinkle some salt and cook them for 3-4 minutes so that although veggies become tender they still retain their crunch.

Add the precooked shredded chicken to the veggies and mix them together. Add garam masala powder and black pepper powder.

Finally add the cooked dalia / broken wheat. Mix and stir all of them until the dalia mixes properly with everything and all the moisture evaporates. Finish off with the fried cashew nuts, raisins, a little more garam masala powder and chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Dalia Pulao / Broken Wheat Pulao

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 and ½ cup broken wheat / dalia

1 small onion – thinly sliced

3 cloves of garlic – minced

½ inch ginger – minced / paste

½ cup cooked shredded chicken (optional)

A few cashew nuts

A few raisins

A few coriander leaves

1 small cinnamon stick

2 cloves

2 green cardamoms

2 bay leaves

2 green chillies – finely chopped

1 tsp homemade garam masala

A handful of green peas

1 carrot – julienne

2tbsp ghee / butter / oil

Salt

2 tsp ground black peppercorns

Method:

Wash and rinse the dalia and add 2and ½ cups of water. Add some salt and cook the dalia until tender. You can also pressure cook the dalia. Once done, keep aside.

In a pan heat a little of the ghee / butter / oil and lightly fry the cashew nuts until they turn golden. Take them out of the pan and add the raisins. Fry the raisins until they become puffed up and then take them out of the pan as well. Keep aside.

Heat ghee and temper the ghee with cinnamon stick, cloves, green cardamoms and bay leaves.

Saute for a minute or until the ghee gets aromatic and then add the sliced onions.

Sprinkle some salt over them and cook the onions until translucent.

Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a minute.

Add the julienne carrot, green chillies and green peas to them.

Sprinkle some salt to season the veggies and cook for 3-4 minutes or until they start to become tender. If required add a dash of water to continue the cooking. The veggies should not be overcooked; they should be tender with the required crunch in them.

If you are using chicken then add it now and mix well.

Add the garam masala powder and half of the ground black peppercorns.

Now add the cooked dalia.

Mix everything perfectly and season with some salt and rest of the pepper.

Mix and stir the dalia for 2-3 minutes on medium flame until the dalia becomes nicely incorporated with all the veggies, ghee and chicken pieces.

All the moisture should evaporate giving the dalia a nice fluffy texture.

Finally add the fried cashew nuts and raisins and sprinkle a little more garam masala powder. Give a final toss.

Sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves over them and serve hot.