By: Dr. Kaviraj Khialani – Celebrity Master Chef.
History says that millets have been grown and eaten in the Indian subcontinent since 5000 years, they are coarse grain high in nutritional values and rich in protein, vitamins, fiber and quintessential minerals.
Millets have for a long time now enjoyed the tag and title of a “poor man’s food grain” relating this to rural India, but off late we have seen that most people around the world are getting more aware of the uses of this grain and its varietals. Consuming millets can have miraculous benefits on our body, they can boost our health, assist in weight management and increase energy levels besides the best part being a gluten free ingredient.
Most of the people I come across today who are on the fitness run and working on being fit and managing their weight are already fans of millets and have been involving them in their daily diets in many ways. There are basically many varieties of millets of different shapes, colors, species and sizes. Some of the well-known varieties of millets are:
- Foxtail millet also called as Kakum/ Kangni.
- Finger millet also known as Ragi.
- Peal millet also called Bajra.
- Sorghum also known as Jowar.
- Amaranth also called Rajgiri.
- Buckwheat called as Kuttu.
Health Benefits of having Millets in our Diets:
- Millets help detoxify our body due to good amount of anti-oxidants present in them.
- Millets is an immunity boosting ingredient and must be incorporated in our diet often.
- It is high in protein content and meets up our dietary requirements in many ways, also helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
- Helps in digestion and keeps away issues of kidney/liver/gastric problems etc.
- Millets is for sure on your shopping list if you are looking forward to manage your weight and calories, helps you fitting into a gluten-free diet.
Uses of Millets in our Kitchens:
- Millet is a good replacement for rice in our day to day cooking being versatile in its features and composition.
- It is adviced to soak millets for 3 to 4 hours/ overnight if possible in some cases so as to lower its anti-nutrient content. When purchasing a packet do check that it states being gluten free to ensure it hasn’t been contaminated with any gluten-containing ingredients.
- I also prefer to toast millets in a pan before cooking them for a rather nutty taste and flavor which elevates the dish at the end.
- Millet is known for being flexible and it is not only available in grain form but also in flour form which helps us use it in many recipes like rotis, parathas and more.
- Millets are found used in porridge, khichdi, pancakes, tikkis, cutlets, baked dishes, cheelas, dhokla, salads, cookies, kheer, phirni, sheera and halwa concepts, cake ingredient as well. We also have developed versions which use it in pasta making as well.
Here are a few simple recipes using Millets:
Recipe-1] Sprouts & Millet Pulao
Ingredients
- Millets- 1 cup, of your choice.
- Fresh sprouts- 1 cup.
- Oil/ghee- 1 tbsp.
- Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
- Curry leaves- 8 to 10 nos.
- Ginger-1 tsp chopped
- Salt to taste
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
- Tomatoes-1 med cubes.
- Fresh coriander leaves- 1 tbsp. for garnish
- Fresh lime-1/2 no to be squeezed before eating.
- Roasted crushed peanuts-1 tbsp. garnish.
Method:
1. Prepare all the ingredients for the recipe. 2. You may soak the millets for a couple of hours in 1 is to 3 ratios with water/ I prefer to dry toast them for this recipe for 3 to 4 mins until they get fragrant. 3. Heat oil/ghee in a pan, add in the curry leaves, cumin, ginger and saute for 10 seconds, add in the tomatoes and millets. 4. Add turmeric, salt to taste, add more spices like coriander powder, red chili powder, chopped green chilies, add veggies of your choice if desired. 5. Add 2 cups of hot water into the pan, mix well, simmer and cover, cook the millets on low flame around 15 to 20 mins, check for liquid, stir and turn off flame when cooked. 6. Cover and leave aside 10 more mins allow to fluff up, garnish with coriander, peanuts and squeeze lime juice, serve with a bowl of salad and curd.
Recipe-2] Soy Spinach Millet Indiana
Ingredients
- Millets- 1 cup, soaked in water for 1-2 hours.
- Soy chunks- ½ cup soaked in warm water- 10 mins
- Spinach leaves- 1 bunch, cleaned and roughly cut.
- Oil/ghee- 1 tbsp. Hing- ½ tsp.
- Mustard seeds- 1 tsp Slit green/red chilies- 2 nos.
- Water as needed
- Salt to taste
- Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
- Coriander powder-1 tsp
- Sunflower seeds/ flax seeds- 1 tsp
- Slice of lime – to squeeze before eating.
- Assorted nuts- cashews/raisins/almonds- 2 tbsp.
Method:
1. Prepare all ingredients for the recipe. 2. Heat oil/ghee add in the hing and other ingredients one by one. 3. Add in the drained millets, salt, spices and mix well, add in the hot water 2 cups to at the start, simmer and allow to cook for 5 mins. 4. Now add in the squeezed soy chunks and mix cover and cook further for 8 mins. 5. Add in the spinach leaves and cook for 3 mins more, stir well. 6. Turn off flame once millets are soft, allow to puff up. 7. Serve hot garnished with nuts/seeds/leaves/herbs/ squeeze of lime and serve.
Recipe- 3] Healthy Millet Bowl
Ingredients
- Millets- 1 cup. Soaked in water for 1 hour.
- Ghee-1 tsp. Honey- 1 tbsp.
- Jaggery- 1 tbsp.
- Green cardamom-2 nos. Dates- 3 to 4 chopped.
- Milk/soy milk/non-dairy milk like oats milk can also be used.
- Assorted chopped nuts- 1 tbsp. for garnish.
- Water-2 cups to cook the millets.
Method:
1. drain the soaked millets and add them to the water and allow to cook, add in the green cardamom for flavor and add ghee. 2. once millets are simmering on one side, in another saucepan warm the milk add in the dates and jaggery mix it well. 3. add in the millets once cooked into the milk mixture, cover and simmer for 10 mins. 4. serve warm/chilled drizzle a little honey on top and garnish with nuts.
