Namkeen ghoogri chaat - Wheat berry Indian risotto

Gajar ka halwa, sarsoon ka saag, pao bhaji, ladoo - I love devouring in comfort food during winters. People have a myth that ghee is bad for health. On the contrary, ghee keeps us healthy if we eat it in moderation. I have a belief that body metabolism increases during winters, why else would we be able to digest ghee enriched food and sweets like til-gur ka ladoo and gaund ka ladoo. I hate it when people criticize Indian food and call it heavy and oily. Indian cuisine incorporates oils, whole grains, spices which has numerous health beenfits. It utilizes seasonal produce to the fullest.

My best friend's mom introduced me to this dish. This dish originated in Udaipur city of Rajasthan. The day I shot these pictures was the 5th time in a row I made it for Sunday breakfast in my new house. All my brother-in-law eats on Sunday is this!

This dish gets it deep flavour from cinnamon powder. I usually don't prefer cinnamon in savoury dishes but it works really well in this dish. It is best eaten with rice papad or home-made potato chips but it tastes delicious sans too.

Incase you are wondering if my last post Barley Soup and this dish is made of same grain, it's not!Though barley and wheat berry look alike (almost), they are not same. Wheat berry needs to be soaked for longer time compared to barley. Ghoogri (Wheat berry)is nothing but wheat grain with its husk removed. Both are healthy and delicious in  soups, salads, stews and oatmeal.

Before naming this dish in English, I couldn't quite decide what to name it for international readers. Titles like Wheat berry porridge, wheat berry oatmeal  ran through my mind. I finally settled to wheat berry Indian risotto! You can categorize it as porridge, oatmeal, risotto, hot salad or even Indian chaat!

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

1 cup wheat berry (ghoogri)
1/3 cup black gram (kala chana)
2 Tbsp ghee
2 Tsp cumin seeds
3-4 bay leaves
1/4th tsp asefotedia
1 Tsp cinnamon powder
3-4 cloves - pounded
6-8 cloves of garlic - chopped
2-3 green chilis - chopped
1/2 Tsp turmeric powder
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tsp sugar
Onion Rings
Coriander
Extra ghee for drizzling (optional)
Rice papads/home-made potato chips (accompaniment)


Method

Soak wheat berry and gram overnight (at-least 8 hours)

Pressure cook them together with 1+1/2 glass of water on medium heat till 3 whistles come or cooked properly ( You want to to be slightly al dente)

Add oil in a deep pan/dish. Once oil is hot add cumin seeds, cloves, bay leaves, asfoetdia and garlic. Once all the spices temper, mix in wheat berry.

Now add turmeric, green chili, sugar, cinnamon powder and lemon juice.

At this point, add 1/2 glass water to give it a smooth consistency. Mix everything properly.

Cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Drizzle extra ghee and garnish with onion rings and coriander on each portion.

If you try this recipe, don't forget to take picture and hashtag #fascinatingfoodworld on Instagram.

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Looking for more weekday meal ideas, try these

Shabnam curry

No onion/garlic Matar Paneer

Grilled vegetable tacos with garlic hummus

Sambhar oats

Vegetables in Soy garlic sauce and Fried rice