Millet Benefits and Cooking Tips

 

Jowar (Sorghum Millet)

 

Cultivated for both human consumption and animal fodder, Jowar is an extremely drought tolerant crop. A cereal grain plant of the grass family (Poaceae), Jowar is a tropical crop and thrives at a higher temperature too. It is one of the primary crops of the Kharif season.

 

Jowar Khichdi

·        Ingredients

·        Whole jowar  -1/2 cup

·        Red capsicum (Fine chopped) -1/4 cup

·        Green capsicum (Fine chopped) – 1/4 cup

·        Cumin seeds (Jeera)  -1 tpspns

·        Green chilies (Fine chopped) - 2 tpspns or as spicy level needed

·        Asafoetida (Hing)  -1/4 tpspns

·        Milk  -1/2 cup

·        Chopped coriander -1/4 cup

·        Salt to taste

 

Cooking Method

·        Soak the whole jowar overnight in enough water. Next day, drain all the water

·        Combine soaked jowar, 1 cup of water and salt in a pressure cooker, mix well and pressure cook for 5 whistles

·        Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. Keep the cooked whole jowar aside without draining the water

·        Now heat oil in a non-stick pan. Then add cumin seeds to it. After a few seconds, add asafoetida, green chillies, red & green capsicums and cook for 2 minutes on medium flame

·        Then add a little salt and cooked jowar with water. Mix it well and cook for 5 minutes. When the water is dry, add milk to it and cook for 2-3 minutes while running on medium flame

·        Now finally sprinkle coriander leaves and cook for 2 minutes

 

 

Jowar Chi­lla

Ingredents

·        Jowar flour : 1 cup

·        Cumin seeds (Jeera) : 1 tbsp

·        Fine chopped green chillies  . : 2 tbsp.

·        Buttermilk : ½ cup

·        Onion (Fine chopped)  : 1 big onion

·        Tomato (Fine chopped)  : 1 or 2 based on size

·        Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp.

·        Salt to taste

 

Cooking Method

 

·        Create a mix of jowar flour, buttermilk and water

·        Add cumin seeds, chopped green chillies, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, garlic-ginger paste and salt in that solution and mix well

·        Put a little oil on the non-stick pan and put it in the form of chime spreading the prepared mixture

·        Heat in oil until it becomes brown on either side

·        Serve it with tomato and green chilli chutney

 

Jowar Pongal

Ingredients

·        Jowar (Dry roasted) : ½ cup - Soaked overnight

·        Dry roasted Split moong dal : ½ cup - Soaked for 2 hours

·        Ghee: 2-3 tbsp.

·        Chopped Cardamom (Elaichi) : 1 tbsp.

·        Jaggery : ½ cup

·        Milk : 2 cups

·        Cashew nuts, almonds and raisins (Handful)

Cooking Method

·        Cook moong dal and jowar separately in a cooker

·        Add milk to a pan along with the moong dal and jowar and cook till both turn soft

·        When the jowar appears cooked, add jaggery and cardamom and mix it thoroughly

·        Garnish it with a mixture of ghee-roasted cashews, almonds and raisins

 

Foxtail Millet

·      Foxtail masala Idly

INGREDIENTS:

·        Foxtail Millet 1000 gms

·        Black gram : 250 gms

·        Idly Ravva : 250 gms

·        Edible soda : 5 gms

·        Salt : as required

·        Oil : 2 ml

·        Zeera : 5 gms

·        Bengal gram : 10 gms

·        Carrot : 100 gms

·        Green Chillies : 2 nos

 

PREPARATION:

·        Soak Foxtail millet and Black gram dhal for about 5-6 hours in water.

·        Grind these into smooth batter.

·        Add idly ravva, edible soda and keep it over night.

·        Heat oil in a vessel, add zeera, Bengal gram, green chillies and carrot along with salt and cook.

·        Add this seasoning to idly batter. Apply oil to the idly mould and place the mixture in moulds. Steam it for 10 minutes.

 

Process for all the varieties of idlies like foxtail millet idly, little millet idly, finger millet idly is the same.