Daliya khichdi is one of my go-to dishes in my weightloss journey simply because it’s not only deliciously healthy, but also ridiculously easy to make!
If you have stumbled upon this page while searching for healthy recipes for weightloss or fitness meals, I can assure you that you won’t regret your time here!
That’s because today I am sharing one of my most cooked recipes during my on-going fitness journey that I repeatedly had for breakfast, lunch or dinner! No kidding!
This power-packed recipe is nothing but a humble but proudly Indian daliya khichdi!
Loaded with fiber from veggies & daliya and a decent amount of protein from dal i.e. lentil, I’m sure you will be thankful for this healthy & tasty daliya khichdi recipe!
So what is daliya, you might be wondering? Daliya is nothing but broken wheat which is also called bulgur in other parts of the world.
Daliya has been an established part of Indian food since ages and it has gained immense popularity of late thanks to its outrageous health benefits!
Being much richer in fiber compared to rice, this daliya khichdi would keep you fuller for a longer time and save you from unnecessary binging!
If you want to read more about other health benefits of daliya, feel free to visit here.
What is Daliya Khichdi?
Khichdi is a classic Indian dish traditionally made of rice and lentils which is more popularly called ‘dal’ in India. It is kind of a savory porridge flavored with beautiful spices and aromatics.
Khichdi is a clean & healthy recipe which I used to enjoy a lot during monsoon when I was a child and it was often served with one or the other fried side item like ‘begun bhaja’ i.e. fried brinjal/eggplant or ‘dim bhaja’ i.e. omelet!
Now that I am making this healthy dish for my fitness meal, the fried part is omitted and instead of rice & dal khichdi, I made daliya & dal khichdi!
So, simply put, when you substitute rice with daliya in the traditional khichdi, you get this delicious & healthy daliya khichdi!
To make it more beneficial to your body, add your choice of any vegetables and you are ready with one of the easiest yet healthiest meals that you can cook in a jiffy!
Ingredients for healthy daliya khichdi
Daliya / Broken Wheat: Daliya or broken wheat is easily available in any Indian supermarket or grocery shop. You don’t need anything fancy; just the plain and regular daliya will work here and would make a wonderful daliya khichdi!
Dal / Lentil: For making any khichdi, with rice or daliya, I prefer either moong dal (split and skinned green gram) or masoor dal (red lentil). I use whichever is handy at the time of cooking or it depends just on my mood at that moment!
Ghee / Clarified butter: Daliya khichdi tastes best when cooked in ghee. But if you are worried about the fat that ghee contains, feel free to substitute it with any flavorless oil.
Cumin seed: This whole seed adds a subtle hint of flavor which is released when added to the hot ghee while tempering. This adds some texture and color too.
Vegetables: You can be as creative as you want to be when it comes to the choice of veggies to be added to your daliya khichdi. I added carrot, French beans and green peas.
Pro tip: Other veggie options are capsicum, potatoes, sweetcorn, cauliflower, broccoli and the list could be endless!
Green chilli: A hint of spicy kick is a must in any Indian dish and hence the green chillies. Adjust the amount based on your preference.
Ginger paste: This must-have aromatic not only helps in digestion, but also adds a beautiful depth of flavor which makes your dish so tempting!
Turmeric powder: This is the only powdered spice I use in my daliya khichdi just to keep it simple and quick!
Pro tip: You can add a dash of black pepper powder to your khichdi as it is said that the goodness of turmeric is better absorbed by our body when consumed along with black pepper.
Salt: Season your daliya khichdi with salt to taste. Start with less salt and adjust at the end if needed.
How to make daliya khichdi?
Step 1: Wash the daliya under running water for 3 to 4 times until the water runs clear. Wash the dal too under running water for a few times until the water runs clear. Drain out all the water from both.
Step 2: In a pressure cooker, add the ghee a.k.a. clarified butter and let it warm up. Once the ghee is warm, temper it with cumin seeds and let it become fragrant for a few seconds.
Step 3: Now add the finely chopped carrot, finely chopped green beans and the fresh green peas. Sauté the vegetables for five minutes on medium flame.
Pro tip: If you are using store-bought packaged frozen peas, do not add them at this stage as they are already half-cooked. Add them at the very end before closing the pressure cooker.
Step 4: After frying the vegetables for about 5 to 7 minutes, they should be good enough; you do not need to brown the vegetables.
Step 5: Now add the chopped green chillies, ginger paste and turmeric powder. Add just a splash of water to allow the turmeric and ginger to mix well with remaining ingredients.
Step 6: Stir everything well and continue sautéing the veggies with the aromatic for another couple of minutes.
Step 7: Now add the washed daliya and dal. Give a good stir to ensure that the daliya and dal are evenly distributed and mixed nicely with veggies and spices.
Step 8: Stir fry everything on medium flame for about 5 minutes. Then it’s time to add the water; for this amount of daliya and dal, I would recommend adding about 2 cups of water to get a not-so-runny daliya khichdi.
Pro tip: If you want a more liquidy texture of your daliya khichdi, increase the amount of water to 2 and a half cups.
Step 9: Season your daliya khichdi with salt to taste. Bring the water to boil, switching the flame to high.
Step 10: Now tightly fix the pressure cooker lid and let the khichdi cook on high flame until the first whistle.
Step 11: After the first whistle, reduce the flame to minimum and let the khichdi cook for exactly 5 minutes irrespective of the number of whistles.
Step 12: After 5 minutes, switch off the flame and allow the pressure cooker to release all the pressure on its own. This would take about 15 minutes or so.
Pro tip: Do NOT force open the pressure cooker; just leave it alone until it cools down and all pressure is released.
Step 13: Unlock the lid of the pressure cooker once it is cooled down and check the consistency of your daliya khichdi.
Step 14: If you think it is too watery, then bring the cooker back on high flame and allow the excess liquid to boil off.
If it seems too dry for your liking, pour in about half a cup of hot water and give a good stir; your khichdi will become thinner and as per your liking.
Step 15: Check and adjust the salt if needed. Your healthy daliya khichdi for weightloss is ready! Serve it warm with curd, pickle or a poached egg! Enjoy!
More delicious weightloss recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Daliya / Broken wheat - 1 cup
- Dal / Lentil - ½ cup
- Ghee / Clarified butter - 2 tbsp
- Cumin seed - ½ tsp
- Carrot - 1, medium, finely chopped
- French beans - 8 to 10, finely chopped
- Green peas - ½ cup, fresh or frozen
- Green chilli - 1 or 2, finely chopped
- Ginger paste - 2 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Wash the daliya under running water for 3 to 4 times until the water runs clear. Wash the dal too under running water for a few times until the water runs clear. Drain out all the water from both.
- In a pressure cooker, add the ghee a.k.a. clarified butter and let it warm up. Once the ghee is warm, temper it with cumin seeds and let it become fragrant for a few seconds.
- Now add the finely chopped carrot, finely chopped green beans and the fresh green peas. Sauté the vegetables for five minutes on medium flame.*
- After frying the vegetables for about 5 to 7 minutes, they should be good enough; you do not need to brown the vegetables.
- Now add the chopped green chillies, ginger paste and turmeric powder. Add just a splash of water to allow the turmeric and ginger to mix well with remaining ingredients.
- Stir everything well and continue sautéing the veggies with the aromatic for another couple of minutes.
- Now add the washed daliya and dal. Give a good stir to ensure that the daliya and dal are evenly distributed and mixed nicely with veggies and spices.
- Stir fry everything on medium flame for about 5 minutes. Then it’s time to add the water; for this amount of daliya and dal, I would recommend adding about 2 cups of water to get a not-so-runny daliya khichdi.
- Season your daliya khichdi with salt to taste. Bring the water to boil, switching the flame to high.
- Now tightly fix the pressure cooker lid and let the khichdi cook on high flame until the first whistle.
- After the first whistle, reduce the flame to minimum and let the khichdi cook for exactly 5 minutes irrespective of the number of whistles.
- After 5 minutes, switch off the flame and allow the pressure cooker to release all the pressure on its own. This would take about 15 minutes or so.**
- Unlock the lid of the pressure cooker once it is cooled down and check the consistency of your daliya khichdi.
- If you think it is too watery, then bring the cooker back on high flame and allow the excess liquid to boil off.
- If it seems too dry for your liking, pour in about half a cup of hot water and give a good stir; your khichdi will become thinner and as per your liking.
- Check and adjust the salt if needed. Your healthy daliya khichdi for weightloss is ready! Serve it warm with curd, pickle or a poached egg! Enjoy!
**Note 2: Do NOT force open the pressure cooker; just leave it alone until it cools down and all pressure is released.
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