Wheat Polenta /गेहूं के दलिये की खिचड़ी

Wheat Polenta (गेहूं के दलीय की खिचड़ी) 

Wheat Polenta

Broken wheat polenta with lots of vegetables cooked in olive oil is a complete meal in one pot. It is wholesome, rich in all macro and micro nutrients. Low on calories and carbs, high in protein, dietary fibers, vitamins. 

If cooked in clarified butter /butter it's flavor becomes awesome. 

Those who prefer can always add boneless chicken pieces /mutton pieces. But fish does not go well in it. Well baked /fried /steamed fish by side is awesome. 

In 2016 when I visited my son and daughter in law in Chicago my daughter in law cooked this polenta for us. Till then I was not much interested in making broken wheat Polenta, I preferred rice polenta only. But one spoon in my mouth and my taste buds were hooked for Broken wheat Polenta (दलिये की खिचड़ी). Rest is history. 

Nutritional value of Wheat Polenta Made From Given Ingredients : (approximate values) 

• Energy : 580 Calories 
• Carbs : 92 gm.
• Fats : 10 gm. 
• Cholesterol : 4gm.
• Dietary Fibers : 29.8 gm. 
• Protein : 58 gm
• Calcium : 83 mg
• Iron : 8.7mg
• Potassium : 800 mg 
• Sodium : 5mg 
• Sugars : 2.7 mg
• Rich in micronutrients like Selinium, Zinc. 
• Rich in vitamin A, C D and B6

Preparation Time : 20 minutes (including roasting of broken wheat) 

Cooking Time : 15 minutes 

Servings:4Medium Servings 

Ingredients Required For Making Wheat Polenta (गेहूं के दलीय की खिचड़ी) : 

• Broken wheat (गेहूं का दलीय): 100 gm
• Green Gram (छिलके वाली मूंग दाल) : 50 gm
• Red Lentil (मसूर दाल) : 50 gm. 
• Carrot : 50 gm 
• French Beans : 50 gm
• Onion: 100 gm
• Tomato : 100 gm
• Green Chilies : 2
• Ginger : 1inch piece or grated 1Tea spoon
• Clarified Butter (घी) : 2 Teaspoon if solid 3Teaspoon if melted 
• Red Chili Powder : 1 Teaspoon or to taste 
• Cumin Powder : 1 Teaspoon 
• Salt : 1/2 Teaspoons or to taste 
• Water: 350 ml 

Directions For Making Wheat Polenta:

• Mix both dal and wash them nicely. 
• Dry roast dalia (broken wheat) on medium flame with continuous stirring, till the wheat pieces start popping and change color to white. 

Broken wheat being roasted 

Roasted broken wheat 

• Mix washed dal and roasted dalia and add water enough to just cover the top. Almost150 to 200 ml water will be required. Let the mixture soak till rest of the preparations are being done. 

Soaked Daal Mixture and Roasted Broken Wheat

• Clean and chop carrots, beans and tomatoes finely. Keep them separetly. 
• Grate ginger, cut onion to thin slices or small pieces. 
• Break green chilies to two pieces. 
• In a pressure cooker take ghee and heat on high heat. Once ghee is hot reduce the heat to medium and add cumin seeds. 

Cumin seeds in ghee 

• Once the seeds splutter add ginger. Cook for 30 seconds then add chopped onions and green chilies. 
• Cook with stirring till onion turn translucent. It will not take more than 2 minutes. 

Onion Green chili cooking  in Ghee

Onions cooked till Traslucent

• Add Chopped carrots and beans. Cook for 2 minutes with occasional stirring. 

Chopped vegetables and Ginger added to Onions

• Add tomatoes and mix. Cook the juices of tomatoes is cooked and starts drying. 

Tomatoes added to vegetable mixture 

Ready for soaked daal and wheat to be added

• Add soaked Pulses and broken wheat mixture. No need to drain. Just add whole thing as it is. 
• Add 

Salt 

Cumin powder 

Turmeric powder 

Chili powder 

Soaked Daal-Wheat mixture Salt and Spices added

• Give a nice mix and cook for 2 to 3 minutes with stirring and mixing before adding water (350 ml.) 

Ready for closing the cooker and cooking

• Mix. Put the lid of pressure cooker with the weight on it. Let pressure build in cooker.. 
• Once pressure is build in cooker reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or till three whistle by cooker. 
• Switch off the heat. 
• Let the pressure settle down in cooker. 
• Give a nice mix to the cooked Polenta (खिचड़ी). 

Wheat Polenta (गेहूं की खिचड़ी) 

• Serve hot with 

Ghee 

Salad 

Pickle 

Curd /raita 

Papad by the side. 

I prefer to just spread a teaspoon of ghee and take onion, radish and cucumber as accompaniment. 

Wheat Polenta( गेहूं के दलीय की खिचड़ी) 

Tips :  

• If excess water is used for soaking then reduce amount of water while cooking. 
• Check the hotness of green chilies, chili powder.Increase or decrease the amount as required. 
• To check if amount of water is correct in cooker, just place the handle of laddle on the surface of mixture in cooker. Gently remove it and check for mark. The mark left by water and spices should not be more than an inch from the tip of laddle. 
• Broken wheat can be roasted and stored to be used as and when required. 

Suggested Variations: 

• For chicken lovers pieces of boneless chicken can be added along with beans and carrots. This will increase the protein content in Polenta. 
• Potatoe pieces can be added while cooking onion. This increases the taste but also carb content
• Vegetables likes cauliflower, grean peas, capsicum can be added. This will not only add to the taste but also increase the amount of dietary fibers and micro nutrients.