When I was staying at Parmarth Niketan Ashram at this year’s Kumbh Mela, there was in the cold morning this amazing sweet subtle breakfast dish that provided such emotional and physical comfort. I’m not a hot cereal person, but this changed me.
Last week, I cooked Daliya. Made with cracked wheat, milk, water, sugar, and ghee. I also added a bit of cardamom. It’s so yummy!!
It’s so beautiful how food can bring us back to different places and times in our lives. Mine right now is sitting in this large tent where the chai is in steady supply, my white shawl is wrapped around me, and daliya is the best breakfast I had ever had.
Daliya Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cups Cracked Wheat
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Milk (your choice or cow or non-dairy)
1 tablespoon of ghee or Earth Balance buttery stick (optional)
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/3 cups sugar (or even try coconut or maple sugar!)
Directions
Add ghee to hot saucepan.
Add cracked wheat.
Stir for a minute or less over medium-high heat.
Add water, sugar, and milk.Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, add cardamom, and cook for 7-10 minutes until desired consistency.
Make sure to stir often and be aware of how quickly it goes from lots of liquid to dry. You want to have it be that porridge consistency.
This warm breakfast is a Vata's dream. It's hot. It's sweet.
A Pitta would love it if it was savory and had several chili peppers. A Kapha would love it if it was savory with lots of oil. C'est la vie. You can't make all doshas happy the whole time!
However, being a warm breakfast, this meal will satiate all doshas and keep one from being overly sluggish when eating it during Kapha time of day.
Cardamom is tri-doshic, meaning it's good for Vata, Kapha, and Pitta (in moderation). Plus, cardamom is great for stoking the digestive fires, which is always needed upon waking since the body temperature is low and during meal times.