Upma, halwa or kheer

Food Fix

Broken wheat is made by crushing whole wheat kernels into coarse pieces. It is not polished or refined and hence, retains all the essential nutrients and is full of dietary fibres.

It contains iron, magnesium, phosphorous, carbohydrates, Vitamins-B6,E and K. Many tasty recipes can be made with broken wheat. Go ahead and try out a few:

Broken Wheat Upma
Ingredients: Broken wheat — 1 cup, finely-cut onions — 3 tbsp, carrot — 1, French beans — 5-6, boiled green peas — 2 tbsp, boiled potato —1, mustard seeds — 1 teaspoon, lime juice — 1 tbsp, coriander leaves —1 tbsp, oil — 3-4 tbsp, salt to taste.

Method: Clean the broken wheat and keep aside. Cut the carrot, French beans and boiled potato into small pieces. In a pressure cooker, add two tablespoons of oil and add the broken wheat. Saute on a low flame, stirring till it becomes golden brown and a nice aroma arises. Add three cups of water and salt, and pressure cook the contents for up to 4-5 whistles.

Then reduce the flame and let it cook for 3-4 minutes till it becomes soft and all the water dries up. In another thick-bottomed vessel, heat two tablespoons of oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the onion and saute till it becomes translucent. Add the carrots and beans and cook on a low flame till they turn soft. Throw in the boiled peas and potato and stir for two minutes. Add the cooked broken wheat and lime juice and mix well. Cook this on a low flame for 2-3 minutes, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Broken Wheat Halwa
Ingredients: Broken wheat — 1 cup, ghee — 3-4 tbsp, green cardamom — 1, pepper corns —5-6, almonds (finely cut) — 5-6, sugar- 1 cup (can be altered to taste.)
Method: Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker and add the broken wheat to it.

Saute on a low flame, stirring continously till it becomes golden brown and a nice aroma arises. Add three cups of water and pressure cook for up to 4-5 whistles and reduce the flame to let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Open the cooker and check if the broken wheat has turned soft and all the water has been soaked. The broken wheat should be soft and no water should be left. Now add the sugar and mix well, cook on a low flame till all the sugar water dries up. Garnish with almonds and serve hot.

Broken Wheat Kheer
Ingredients: Broken wheat— half a cup,ghee — 1-2 tbsp, green cardamom — 1, pepper corns — 4-5, milk —250 ml, sugar-three fourths of a cup, almonds — 4-5 (finely cut).
Method: Follow the same process as for halwa and cook the broken wheat till it is soft.
For the kheer, the broken wheat need not be fully dry, so about two cups water can be added. When it is soft, add milk and sugar, mix well and simmer on a low flame for three -four minutes. Garnish with the almonds and serve hot or cold.