Recently I have had a longing for a very particular dish that filled my childhood memories of pure, home comfort cooking. It was so incredibly simple, yet it satisfied any craving for a belly warming, soothing sweet treat.
It is known to me as ‘dhalia,’ ( a very traditional Indian sweet dish) and trying to find the correct translation of this, it seems the most common one is broken wheat. Now traditionally this was made by simmering this grain in water and heaps of sugar ( hence the satisfaction fulfilled very quickly for any immense, uncontrollable sweet craving!!) . I love the texture of the grain and also know it is exceptionally healthy, packed full of magnesium and a fantastic source of fibre. This nutty little grain immediately formed part of my New Food Resolutions. I wanted a way of introducing this old worldly grain back into my diet, this of course, without all the calorie laden sugar featured in my childhood days!
I also want to bring breakfast slap up to date this year, so why not have a bit of fun with a small amount of serotonin enhancing dark chocolate to get your mood up before the day kicks off. I love the result of this recipe as it hit all the right notes.. the creaminess of the dahlia, the chilled lush yoghurt, the crunch of freshly shelled nuts and the sensual combination of raspberries and chocolate require no explanation ! This is one seriously good breakfast dish that looks as good as it tastes!
So, my first experiment with bringing the old into the new – this is true fusion cooking with my, Chilled Creamy Dhalia served with fresh Yoghurt, Crunchy Nuts, Raspberries and Dark Chocolate Chips – and yes, its as simple as that!
Serves 4 people
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups of dahlia or broken wheat grains
• 1 cup of water
• 2 tbs maple syrup
• 4 heaped tbs of greek yoghurt
• ½ cup of good quality dark chocolate chips
• 1 punnet fresh raspberries
• ½ cup roasted cashew nuts
• ½ cup of shelled green pistachios
• ¼ tsp almond extract
• Bring the water to boil and tip in the dahlia. Cover and simmer for 7-8 minutes or until the grains are puffed up. There will be some creaminess to the texture so that is absolutely fine. Once cooled, place in the fridge to cool.
• Just before serving, combine the maple syrup and the almond extract into the dahlia, ensuring the flavors are folded in properly. Test for sweetness and adjust the maple syrup to your liking. I don’t like it oversweet as you have all the toppings that will add their own natural sweetness, so don’t overdo it.
• Now place at least two large tablespoons of the scented dahlia into some pretty bowl.
• Sprinkle over the dark chocolate chips, the nuts and the raspberries. Finish with a dollop of chilled greek yoghurt. Stunningly delicious!!!
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