Six millet-based recipes to try this Pongal

The United Nations has declared 2023 as the Year of Millets. Once called the “poor man’s grain”, in 2018 the Indian government revamped this superfood and renamed it ‘NutriCereal’. Since then, millet has become a popular alternative to rice and wheat.

Experts believe that millet is one of the oldest foods known to humans, it is also the first of the domestically grown grains. A rich source of nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, dietary fibre, good quality fats, cereals contain high amounts of minerals and are gluten free.

Millet benefits the consumer, the farmer and the climate. These rainfed crops require minimum water, are adapted to the climate and can be grown in between other crops. Their growing season is much shorter than that of rice and wheat.

celebrate it Uzhavar Thirunal (Farmer’s Festival) with these millet-based recipes.

enjoyer

Foxtail Millet (Thinai) Sweet Potato Polly

Serving Size: 5-6 Polis

Component

Thinai millet flour – 1 cup

Sweet Potato – 2 small tubers

Country Sugar – 1/2 cup

Cardamom – 2 pods

coconut oil for cooking poli

Preparation

• Steam the sweet potatoes and mash with a fork or masher (Note: If you boil the sweet potatoes, make sure no water remains in them)

• Mix sweet potato with bajra flour, native sugar and knead into a dough using minimum water.

• break the dough into 6 balls

• roll into thick rotis

• keep it Politics on a griddle or non-stick pan with a teaspoon of coconut oil

• allow Politics Cook on both sides and serve hot

Little Millet (Samai) Black Pepper Pongal

Serving Size: 2-3

Component

Small Millet (Samai) – 1 1/2 cups

Whole or broken moong dal – 1/2 cup

Whole black pepper – 1 tsp

Cumin (cumin) – 1 tsp

Ghee/coconut oil – 5 tsp

1 inch ginger – finely chopped

handful curry leaves

Preparation

• Dry roast a little bajra and moong both separately till they turn light brown in color

• Soak some roasted bajra and moong dal in water for four hours.

• After soaking, drain the water and add four cups of water and cook a little bajra-moong dal mixture in an open vessel till it becomes soft.

• You can also cook it in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles or till it becomes soft.

• Heat ghee/coconut oil in a small pan. Coarsely grind black pepper and cumin and mix in ghee/coconut oil along with ginger and curry leaves

• Pour this mixture over a little of the softened bajra and moong mixture.

• Add salt to taste and mix well

• Serve hot with chutney and sambar

Recipe from Seethalakshmi M. Organic Farmers Market, Chennai

Pongal

Mixed Vegetable Sambhar Millet (Kadhamba Sambhar Millet)

Serving Size: 4

Component

Lemon sized tamarind – lemon sized balls

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Asafoetida 1/2 tsp

Sambar powder 1 1/2 tbsp

Tomato 2 medium size

Lima beans or broad beans seeds (mochai/avarai) 3/4 cup

Fresh Peanuts 1/2 cup

Chopped yardlong beans (karmani kai) 1/2 cup

Chopped beans 1/2 cup

Elephant Yam 1/2 cup

Lauki / White Pumpkin (with skin) 1/2 cup

Yellow Pumpkin (with skin) 1/2 cup

Sweet potatoes 1/2 cup

Toor Dal 1 1/4 cup

salt as required

Ghee or sesame oil as needed for tempering

Mustard 1/2 tsp

Cumin 1/2 tsp

curry leaves two sprigs

Coriander leaves – 4 tsp

Preparation

• Soak tamarind in three-fourth cup of hot water. Keep it aside for 20 minutes and then take out the pulp.

• Cut all the vegetables and keep aside. Pressure cook 250 grams, mash well and keep aside.

• In a thick bottomed vessel, add chopped tomatoes and cook on medium heat for about three minutes.

• When tomatoes become soft, add turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and mix.

• Add tamarind extract to it and let it boil. Let it boil for three minutes and let it come to a boil.

• Then add the vegetables one by one with a gap of one minute. start with beans, then peanuts, yams, sweet potatoes and so on

• Add water so that the vegetables are completely submerged. Allow the vegetables to boil for five minutes, then add the sambar powder, mix well and add salt as required.

• Let it cook for three to five minutes and then add the cooked and mashed toor dal. Do not let the sambar get too thick, adjust the consistency by adding water as required.

• Now taste and see if more salt or sambar powder is needed or not. You can also add more tamarind extract if required. Cook for 10 minutes on low flame after checking and adjusting the flavour, but keep stirring every two minutes so that it does not burn. close.

• For tempering, heat ghee or sesame oil in a pan. When it becomes hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and asafoetida and pour it over the sambar. Sprinkle coriander and immediately close the lid. Let it rest for an hour and then it is ready to serve.

• Serve millet with a crunchy side of your choice.

Recipe by NS Krishnamurthy

Foxtail Millet (Thinai) Sweet Pongal

Serving Size: 2-3

Component

Foxtail millet (thinai) 1 cup

Dry moong dal 1/2 cup

Powdered jaggery 1 3/4 cup

Chopped cashews 1 tbsp

Raisins 1 tbsp

cardamom 2 pods

ghee or coconut oil for tempering

Preparation

• Dry roast the millets on low flame for a few minutes and keep aside

• Dry roast moong dal till nice aroma and keep aside

• Roast cashew nuts and raisins in ghee or coconut oil and keep them aside.

• Boil one liter of water in an open vessel

• When it starts boiling, lower the flame and add roasted bajra and moong dal.

• When bajra and moong dal become soft, add powdered jaggery to it and keep stirring.

• When the jaggery powder is completely mixed, let the mixture thicken

• Add cardamom, roasted cashews and raisins to Pongal

• serve hot

Recipe by Seethalakshmi M. Organic Farmers Market, Chennai

Kanu Pongal / Kanum Pongal

Millet Lemon Rice

Serving Size: 3

Component

Kodo Millet (Varagu) 1 cup

Lemon (medium size) 2

Sesame oil 4 tbsp

Mustard seeds 1 tbsp

Chana dal 1/2 tbsp

Urad Dal 1/2 tbsp

Chopped green chilies 1 1/2 tsp

Finely chopped ginger 1 1/4 tsp

Raw peanuts 3 tbsp

curry leaves 2 sprigs

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves 1 1/2 tsp

salt to taste

making lemonade

• Squeeze the juice of two lemons and add salt to it.

• Pour sesame oil in a pan and when the oil becomes hot, add mustard seeds.

• When the mustard starts crackling, add gram dal and urad dal. Fry it till it turns golden brown.

• Add chopped green chilies, peanuts, curry leaves, turmeric powder to the above mixture and fry well. Mix this mixture in the prepared lemon juice.

Preparation of Kodo Millet (Waragu Rice)

• Wash raw Kodo millet three to four times with clean water.

• Soak in water for 15 minutes.

• Pour one and a half to two liters of water in an open vessel and let it boil.

• Bring the water to a boil and then add a few crystals of rock salt, followed by the washed millet.

• Once it starts boiling, lower the flame.

• Cook it for three to five minutes or till the millet absorbs water and turns slightly transparent.

• To avoid overcooking, turn off the flame and add two cups of cold water to the cooked millet.

• Sieve the millet and let the water drain completely. Spread it on a large plate and let it cool.

• Sprinkle sesame oil over the millet so that the grains do not stick together and spread evenly.

• Add lemon-turmeric mixture to the cooked vargu and add salt or lemon as per taste.

• Serve with pickle or chutney.

Recipe by Adi Ishwari, founder of Chennai’s Millet Magic Meal restaurant

Curry Leaf Kodo Millet

Serving Size: 3

Component

Kodo millet 1 cup

curry leaves 3 cups

Urad Dal 1 tsp

Chana dal 1 tsp

Dry red chilies 4 to 6

Peanuts or cashews 1 tbsp

Tamarind – a gooseberry sized ball

Cumin (cumin) 1 tsp

salt to taste

Ghee or sesame oil 1 tbsp

Preparation

• Fry millet in two spoons of ghee and soak it in water for 30 minutes.

• Put the soaked bajra with two cups of water in an open vessel or pressure cooker for two whistles.

• Now spread this rice on a flat wide plate and let it cool down. Make sure it is not wet or sticky but should be grainy.

• Pour ghee or sesame oil in a broad pan, add urad dal, chana dal and dry red chillies and fry on medium heat.

• After two minutes add tamarind and curry leaves. Stir it gently and switch off the stove. Let it cool completely and then grind it to make a powder.

• Add two to three tablespoons of water and further grind it to a sauce-like consistency.

• In the same pan, add two spoons of sesame oil and fry the cashews or cashews till they turn light golden.

• Then add cumin seeds, and when it starts spluttering add ground chutney and cook for a minute. Add salt and lower the flame and then add the cooked bajra. Mix gently till the rice is completely mixed with the sauce.

• Check the salt. You can add chili flakes (optional) for extra spice and flavor.

Recipe by NS Krishnamurthy