Simple enough, quick enough, but nice

Lately, I have taken to dahlia or broken wheat.  It is quick and easy to cook and when you make it savoury, it can be quite a wholesome,  substantial meal. I, of course,  love it because it resembles rice in taste and texture so closely. If you have a late dinner like I do, rice tends to make you feel a little bloated and heavy. Roti makes me feel that there is more work ahead of me (I equate rotis with hard, unrewarding labour). Dahlia is a nice middle path.

Since I usually only cook for myself and that too after nearly 10 hours in office,  my preparation is very unfussy. I don't even chop vegetables, cooking them whole or maybe squaring them off in big chunks. Somehow I find it tastier that way.

Here's what I generally do: Take a cup of dahlia, two cups of a daal (I find moong and masoor works best, though), some water, a halved capsicum, a whole tomato, or large quarters of potatoes (you could take all these vegetables,  of course. I really relish the flavours of just one. I don't use onions because, well, who'll chop that much?). Then I add water, maybe 3 and a half cups or so, salt, turmeric, lots of chilli-coconut powder mix (the kind that's spread on a vada pav), some plain chilli powder,  and oil. Now, the weather's nice and crisp in Pune, so I use mustard oil. There really is nothing like it to give the sharp, hearty flavour to it. (Olive oil tastes nice too. But if you can, smoke it with some garlic for more flavour.  Corn oil, meh...it doesn't really taste like anything. Ghee is another awesome alternative. ) Mix up all this properly.

Then I pressure cook it a little longer than one pressure cooks rice - I do it for maybe 5 or 6 whistles. The vegetables are properly mashed and soft. The flavours have meshed with each other properly.

I usually have it with some Kashundi.

It's hot, very tasty, and really wholesome. I feel the right kind of full.