This is a total revelation (to us). We’re regular porridge eaters and we’ve used all sorts of grains – porridge oats, jumbo oats, steel cut oats, barley flakes, quinoa, rice (technically kheer), broken rice (technically firni) – but for some reason, never bulgur wheat. Bulgur wheat was usually reserved for jareesh or other savoury dishes where you might use cous cous – until we ran out of our usual porridge ingredients and decided to see what happened. Well something magical happened and it turned into a wonderfully tasty warm porridge that was super filling and comforting! And apparently quite a lot of people already know this, particularly in north India. In fact, we now recall our mother telling us for years about dalia, a warm sweet or savoury dish made with cracked wheat. In fact we now recall our mother buying us this particular bag of bulgur wheat and saying, “Here, I bought you some dalia.” Whoops.

You can add cardamom, sliced almonds and saffron but for this version we’ve kept it simple so that you can make it in a few minutes, eat it up and rush out of the door, ready to start your day! In fact over the past few days we’ve had it every day with a variety of toppings – raw honey, walnuts, peanut butter, date paste, flax seeds, it really is up to you. Seriously, go for it. It’s supposed to be chock full of fibre, B vitamins and protein and will make you feel so warm and lovely inside!

Makes 2 servings

1/2 cup coarse bulgur wheat
1-2 cups whole milk (or semi-skimmed or skimmed if you prefer)
1 cup of water
pinch of salt
sugar to taste (we used 1 tsp honey, but you can use regular sugar, maple syrup, date syrup, etc)
sliced apple to serve (optional)

1. Add the bulgur, 1 cup of milk and water to a non-stick pan and cook on high heat.
2. Bring to boil, then simmer for 10 minutes until the consistency is thick but not dry. If it is too dry for your liking, add up to 1 additional cup of milk and stir.
3. Add the salt and sugar if you are using. Mix and take off the heat.
4. Add the sliced apple or any topping you prefer – nuts, flax seeds, dried fruit, shredded coconut, peanut butter, all of these work!
5. Enjoy immediately or store in the fridge for the next day’s breakfast.

So what do you think? Feel free to share your questions and comments below! We’d love to hear what you have to say.