Dalia (broken grains) Bajare (millet) ka - Millet Porridge/Cereal

   


Bajra dalia is a very healthy breakfast for many reasons. It's high in fiber and vitamins and minerals. You can read it's many nutritional benefits here:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=53

Bajra dalia tastes plain yet very flavorful, ideal for a morning stomach.  As it is easy to digest it is usually recommended as a part of your diet during sickness.  Dalia can be eaten either with milk, yogurt or butter (or ghee). It tastes good with any leafy vegetable of one's choice (this may seem odd at first, but it's a very yummy combination, one that's commonly served in Rajasthan).  Let us make bajara dalia which is easy to grind and cook and is eaten during winter.

Dalia and whole Bajara 
ज्योंरी खावों बाजारी वोंरी बजाओं हाजरी

Ingedients
1 cup bajara or dalia

Ghee 2 table spoon

Salt 1tea spoon

One can buy Bajri/Bajra dalia in any grocery shop in Marwar. But if you live outside of Marwar then try to get whole Bajra from a grocery store.  In the U.S. you can buy the whole grains from a health food store like Whole Foods or even on Amazon.com!  

Clean it well and then grind it for 2 minutes in a standard grinder until you get the broken bajara grains.
In a pressure cooker put 1 table spoon ghee and add dalia and start roasting it. Within 3 or 4 minutes a good buttery, roasted aroma will announce that roasting is complete and the color will also change to a distinct golden brown.  At this point, add 5 cups of water and stir it. Intermittent stirring prevents any lump formation. When Dalia starts boiling and becomes a homogeneous mixture, cover it. Let it pressure cook for 5 minutes or say 5 or six whistles of the cooker. Switch off the flame and allow it to cook by the steam inside. Open the cooker after 5 minutes.  Dalia should be served hot with milk, fresh yogurt, butter/ghee or sabzi.



                                         Dalia Ready to serve
Tips:

Bajara dalia or flour tastes best when it is freshly ground.  It oxidizes rapidly losing flavor and "turning" bitter after about 10 days from grinding.  For this reason, it is better to grind bajra at home instead of buying ground bajra.

Potato Mash - My grandson's favorite snack

My 7 year old grandson has made an invaluable contribution to his grandmother's cooking blog: a recipe to his all time favorite snack or breakfast food, that he can make all by himself!

Ingredients required

2 potatoes
salt to taste
4 table spoons tomato sauce    
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon butter
Wash and then microwave potatoes for 3 minutes.
Take them out and run under cool water, then peel. Mash them with a masher.
Add milk and then mix with potatoes. Add butter. Sprinkle salt and then pour tomato sauce. Serve it hot/warm and if you like then you can sprinkle black pepper powder.