Broken Wheat Payasam - Here is The Step-By-Step Guide - 24 mantra organic

The more commonly used form of wheat that is popular is flour to make Indian flatbreads. The process from wheat plant to wheat flour is long. Wheat is first cut from the plants and then cleaned to remove dirt and other dust particles from the surface.

The clean wheat particles are then processed to separate the germ, bran, and endosperm. The wheat is broken into smaller cracked pieces to make broken wheat or dahlia.

In India, especially in South India, the dahlia is used as a replacement for rice while cooking daily meals. Broken wheat can be used to make many savoury dishes. It is a wholesome grain which, when combined with vegetables, makes for a genuinely yummy upma. Adai is a south Indian savoury pancake made by grinding different lentils with rice to make a thick batter. However, substituting the rice with broken wheat, makes the dish even more nutritious and healthy.

But, do you know that you can use dahlia to make broken wheat payasam? Payasam is nothing but the sweet preparation made with milk and some sweetener – usually sugar or jaggery. The only thing to note when using broken wheat is to store the unused portion in an airtight jar in a cool and dry place to preserve it for a longer time.

Here is a super simple recipe for you to make this Indian delicacy that is the broken wheat payasam.

Recipe for Broken Wheat Payasam

There are many ways you can make this sweet dish. You will find that each household has its unique twist to make this broken wheat payasam.

You can check out these blogs – Archana’s Kitchen, Padhu’s Kitchen, or My Cooking Journey for other easy ways to make this payasam.

Ingredients

Broken wheat – 1/4 cup

Yellow Split Moong Dal – 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons

Milk – 2 cups

Jaggery – 1/2 cup

Cardamom Powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Grated coconut – 2 to 3 tablespoons

Cashews – 8-9 halved or quartered

Water – 3 to 4 teaspoons

Raisins – 1 tablespoon

Ghee – 1 to 2 teaspoons

Method of Preparation

1. Dry roast the split yellow moong dal till it browns slightly, and you get a nice, nutty aroma of the dal. Keep aside to cool.

2. Dry roast the broken wheat on a medium flame till it becomes a little hot to touch. Don’t roast it too much as there are chances it might burn and blacken.

3. In a kadhai, pour the water. Warm it up on a medium flame. Once the water is warm, add the jaggery. Stir the mixture till the jaggery dissolves completely. Switch off the flame and sieve the jaggery mixture to remove any small stones and impurities.

4. In a pressure cooker, add the broken wheat and moong dal with a cup and a half of water. Pressure cook on a medium flame for 4 whistles. Allow pressure to settle and then remove from the cooker.

5. In a pan, add the jaggery mixture and bring to a steady boil. At this stage, add the cooked dahlia and dal, and mix well.

6. Add the milk to the mixture, stir well till everything is combined well. Allow the mixture to simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.

7. Switch off the flame. In a separate kadhai, add a teaspoon of the ghee and roast the grated coconut till golden brown. Add to the prepared kheer.

8. Roast the cashews and raisins in the remaining ghee and add to the prepared broken wheat payasam as well.

9. Top the garnish with the cardamom powder and mix well.

10. The broken wheat payasam can be served warm or cold.

This is a straightforward recipe which will take 20 to 30 minutes to cook from start to finish if you have all your ingredients ready. The quantity of payasam should be enough to feed 2 to 3 people.

Tips For Preparing Broken Wheat Payasam

1. Ensure that you rinse the broken wheat and moong dal once you have roasted them. This ensures that no impurities or dirt are clinging to the grains.

2. You can use a chunk of jaggery that has been cut to small pieces or jaggery powder. When choosing jaggery and other ingredients for making this broken whet payasam, try to choose an organic brand. Not only is it free from pesticides and chemicals, but it also has a better taste.

3. Using jaggery is the healthier alternative, but you can also use sugar instead.

4. You can substitute the milk for coconut milk. Many brands in the market sell readymade coconut milk, or you can make your own at home by extracting the milk from grated coconut. If you are using coconut milk, you can choose to skip the grated coconut in the recipe.

5. If you choose to make the broken wheat payasam with coconut milk, you can add slices of elaichi bananas to the payasam along with the milk. This gives an additional South Indian touch to your recipe.

6. Roasting the grated coconut gives a nutty finishing taste to the payasam; however, you can simply add the coconut directly to the recipe when all the ingredients are simmering.

7. The moong dal is mainly used to bind all the ingredients together. You may skip the dal if you want to.

8. Jaggery or sugar can be added as per your taste. If you prefer your payasam to be sweeter, you can increase the quantity of sweetener in the recipe.

9. The thickness of the payasam can be adjusted to the required consistency by adding or reducing the milk.

Conclusion

There you have it – an extremely simple recipe to make a sweet dish with the humble, broken wheat. This step-by-step guide to making broken wheat payasam will yield a spectacular final dish, irrespective of you being a beginner in the kitchen.

The added benefit of making the payasam with broken wheat instead of rice, and using jaggery instead of sugar, makes it a healthier option from all the other sweet recipes.

Try 24 Mantra Organic’s Wheat Dalia and savour the taste of organic goodness.