Traditional Indian Daliya Breakfast Ideas

Ways to cook it

• Namkeen daliya, tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves and chopped vegetables, cooked until tender but still separate.
• Sweet daliya kheer, simmered slowly in milk with jaggery or sugar and a little cardamom, closer to a porridge than the savoury version.
• Daliya upma, cooked the same basic way as suji upma but with a coarser, chewier finished texture.
• Rajasthani lapsi, daliya cooked in ghee and jaggery until glossy, traditionally served at festivals and celebrations.
• Daliya khichdi, cooked together with moong dal and light spices for a filling one pot breakfast or light dinner.

Our standards

Daliya breakfast questions

Which grade of daliya suits a savoury upma style breakfast?

A medium to coarse grade holds its shape better and gives the separate texture most savoury daliya dishes want.

Can I prepare daliya the night before?

Yes, soaking or even partly cooking it the night before shortens the morning cooking time considerably.

Is sweet daliya kheer the same as rice kheer?

Same basic method, milk simmered with a grain and sweetener, but daliya gives a chewier bite than rice does.

What vegetables work best in namkeen daliya?

Carrot, peas, beans and onion are common choices. Anything that cooks through in the same time as the daliya works well.