Recipe – Little Millet

LITTLE MILLET

Description

Little millet also called as ‘King of cereals’. it is one of the commonly used millet in the foothills of the Himalayas. Little Millet is rich in fiber and has a low fat content. Easy to digest and helps to prevent constipation & heals all the problems related to stomach and satiates hunger quickly. Little millet has a significant role in providing neutraceutical components such as phinols, tannins, and phytates along with other nutrients.

o Little millet contains magnesium which can helps improve heart health.

o Vitamin B3 (niacin) in little millet helps lower cholesterol.

o Little millet is also a good source of phosphorus which, helps with fat metabolism, body tissue repair and energy production.

o It helps to lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

o It is high insoluble fiber content protects against Gallstones. Phytonutrients in millets, particularly lignan, helps reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer.

o The flavunoids present in little millets play important role in self defense and immune system o It detoxifies the body.

1. LITTLE MILLET IDLY

Ingredients

Little millet : 1 cup

Urad dhal : ¼ cup

Flattened rice : ¼ cup

Salt : 1 ¾ teaspoon

Oil : 1 teaspoon

Procedure

Soak the rice. Soak the urad dhal separately. Wash the flattened rice cleanly. After 3 hours, grind the rice to the texture of rava. Grind urad dhal and rice well. Mix everything together, and add salt and oil. Ferment the batter for 8 hours. Pour it in idly plate and steam cooks it. Idly chilly powder, chutney and sambar go very well with this idli. This is full of fiber content and good for health

2. LITTLE MILLET PANIYARAM

Ingredients

Little millet : ½ cup

Ponni rice : ¼ cup

Urad dhal : 1 ¼ teaspoon

Flattened rice : 2 teaspoon

Onion : 1

For seasoning : mustard, urad dhal, channa dhal

Chilly : 6 numbers

Oil : as needed

Procedure

Soak together the little millet, ponni rice, fenugreek and flattened rice for 4 hours. Soak the urad dhal separately. Then grind all together to a fine paste. Then fry the ingredients for seasoning and along with salt mix it with the batter for 8 hours and pour it in paniyaram maker and steam cook it. This goes well with onion karam chutney.

3. LITTLE MILLET SAMBAR RICE

Ingredients

Little millet : 1 cup

Thoor dhal : 4 table spoon

Small onion : 8

Green peas, beans : ½ cup

Tamarind paste : 2 teaspoon

Sambar powder : 2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder : ¼ teaspoon

Salt : as needed

Coriander : 1 teaspoon

Channa dhal : 1 teaspoon

Tomato : 1

Red chilly : 2

Grated coconut : 2 tea spoons

Oil : 1 table spoon

Ghee : 1 table spoon

Curry leaves : few

Mustard : ½ teaspoon

Procedure

Soak the rice and dhal for ½ hour. Pour some oil in the frying pan and fry chilly, asafetida, coriander, channa dhal, grated coconut, fenugreek, tomato and cook well. When cool, grind it. Now cook the small onions and vegetables. Then add sambar powder, turmeric and salt. Add tamarind paste and boil it for 5 minutes. Mix the ground ingredients, rice and dhal and add 2 cups of water and pressure cook it up to 3 whistles and then keep it in simmer for 10 minutes and remove from fire. Now the little millet sambar rice is ready. Season it with mustard in ghee.

4. CURRY LEAF LITTLE MILLET RICE

Ingredients

Little millet : 2 cup

To fry and grind

Pepper : 1 table spoon

Channa dhal : 1 table spoon

Coriander : 1 table spoon

Curry leaf : few

For seasoning

Red chilly : 2

Channa dhal

Urad dhal

Mustard : each ½ teaspoon

Tamarind paste : ½ teaspoon

Salt : as needed

Procedure

Soak the rice and add 2 times water and add fried and ground ingredients, salt and tamarind paste and cook in the pressure cooker. When the rice is cool season it with the above.

5. LITTLE MILLET UPMA

Ingredients

Little millet : 1 cup

Coriander leaves : 1 table spoon

Ginger : 1 teaspoon

Hing : pinch

Onion, medium : 1

Veggies, mixed : 1 cup

Lime juice : 1 teaspoon

Mustard : 1 teaspoon

Salt : as needed

Coconut oil : 2 table spoon

Curry leaves : few

Water : 1 cup

Green chilles : 2

Cumin : ½ teaspoon

Procedure

Firstly, wash the Little Millet and soak it in water for at least 15-30 minutes. In a Kadai add oil and add in the mustard seeds, jeera and, let them splutter. Then add hing, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, and saute for few seconds. Then add onion. Saute for a minute or two till the onion turns slight brown in color. Later add finely chopped mixed veggies, some salt, and saute for 2-3 mins until veggies are cooked. Then add 1 cup of water and bring it to boil. Drain the water from the soaked samai and add it to the boiling water. Mix well. Adjust the salt at this stage. Then cover with a lid and cook for about 8-10 minutes on low flame. Once the little millet is cooked until all the water has been absorbed, completely cooked, and looks grainy turn off the gas and then add grated coconut, coriander leaves, and lime juice. Lastly, mix well and Serve Little Millet Upma.

6. LITTLE MILLET PONGAL

Ingredients

Little millet : 1 cup

Split green gram : ¼ cup

Ghee : 1 table spoon

Turmeric : ¼ teaspoon

Salt : as needed

Cumin seeds : ¼ teaspoon

Pepper : ½ teaspoon

Hing : a pinch

Seasoning : few curry leaves, mustard, red chilly

Procedure

In a pressure cooker add half of the ghee and roast green gram then add washed little millet, turmeric, half of the pepper cumin mix, 3.5 cups of water and brings to a simmer. Close and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Once pressure is released mash it up a bit. Add water if you want a really runny consistency. Add salt and mix well. Prepare a tempering with the ingredients and remaining of cumin and pepper mix in the ghee pour on top of cooked pongal.

7. LITTLE MILLET KICHDI

Ingredients

Little millet : 1 cup

Water : 3.5 cups

Beans, carrot : 1 cup

Onion : 1

Tomato : 1

Sprouted green gram : ¼ cup

Sambar powder : 1 teaspoon

Salt : 1 teaspoon

Roasted peanuts : 1 tablespoon

Curry leaves : few

Coriander leaves : few

Turmeric : a pinch

Seasoning : oil, mustard, urad dhal, red chilly

Procedure

Heat oil in a pan and fry all ingredients for seasoning, then add finely chopped onions along with salt saute well until translucent. Then add tomatoes and suate it for some minutes then add vegetables. Add turmeric powder, sambar powder, and salt and add ½ cups of water and allow the vegetables to cook. When the vegetables are half cooked add sprouted green gram and mix well. In a vessel add little millet and water and add the half cooked vegetables to the vessel having samai. Mix everything well and add coriander leaves and pressure cook it for 2 to 3 whistles. Once the pressure is released mix the kichdi well. Take the peanuts in a mixer give it a pulse and coarsely grind not powdered form. Then add the coarsely ground peanuts to the kichdi and mix well. The healthy and tasty kichdi is ready to serve.

8. LITTLE MILLET CURD RICE

Ingredients

Little millet : ½ cup

Water : 1.5 cup

Curd : 1cup smoothly whisked

Cold water : ½ cup

Salt : as needed

Shallots : 10

Chillies : 2

Grated ginger : 1 teaspoon

Raw mango : 2 tablespoon

Pomegranate pearls : 3 tablespoon

Coriander leaves : 2 tablespoon

Curry leaves : few

Seasoning : oil, mustard, cumin,

Procedure

Wash millet thoroughly in running water until water runs clean. Pressure cook millet along with 1.5 cups of water to a fine mesh. Takes about 5 whistles. Once done, remove, mash and let cool completely. When cool enough to touch add the cold water and salt and mix thoroughly. To this add the whisked yogurt and mix well. Add the ginger, green chili, shallots, curry leaves, coriander and raw mango bits and mix well. Heat a pan with 2 teaspoon oil. Pop the mustard seeds and tip in the cumin. Once the cumin crackles, add this to the millet mixture and Mix well. Garnish with the pomegranate pearls. Let chill in the fridge till ready to serve.

9. LITTLE MILLET LEMON RICE

Ingredients

Little millet : ½ cup

Water : 1 cup

Oil : 2 table spoon

Turmeric : ¼ teaspoon

Lemon juice : 1 tablespoon

Onion : 1

Coriander leaves : 2 tablespoon

Hing : a pinch

Peanuts : 2 tablespoon

Green chilly : 2

Mustard : ½ teaspoon

Cumin : ¼ teaspoon

Urad dhal : 1 teaspoon

Procedure

Wash little millet thoroughly 2-3 times and add 1 cup of water for ½ cup of little millet/Samai and pressure cook for 1 whistle. Let the pressure/steam release naturally. Once cooled fluff it up nicely with a fork, so there are no lumps and the grains stay separate. In a Kadai, add oil

once it’s hot, add in the peanuts and fry them until they turn slightly golden brown. Secondly add mustard seeds, urad dal, jeera, hing, green chilies, curry leaves, and fry 30 secs till dal turn golden brown. Then add turmeric powder and onion. Saute for a minute or two till the onion turns slightly brown in color. Turn off the flame and add cooled millets, salt, and squeeze the juice of a half lemon. Mix everything well. Garnish with Coriander leaves and serve hot with papad or pickle.

10. LITTLE MILLET LENTIL RICE

Ingredients

Little millet : 1 cup

Thoor dhal : ½ cup

Onion : 1

Green chilly : 2

Garlic : 1 teaspoon chopped

Cinnamon : 1 small stick

Clove : 3

Mustard : ½ teaspoon

Cumin : ½ teaspoon

Hing : a pinch

Curry leaves : few

Tomato : 2

Turmeric : ¼ teaspoon

Chilly powder : 1 teaspoon

Salt : as needed

Procedure

Wash the little millet and toor dal and soak in water for about 30 minutes and drain them. In a pressure cooker or pressure pan, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. As they start to splutter, add the hing, cloves, cinnamon, and fry for a minute. Now add the chopped garlic, onion, and curry leaves. Cook until the onion turns translucent. Now add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt. Mix them well and cook

until the tomatoes are tender. (As we are going to pressure cook, we don’t need to cook until they turn mushy) Now add the soaked little millet and toor dal. Add 4 cups of water. As we like mushy consistency, I went with 4 cups of water. Check for salt and spice. If required, adjust accordingly and pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles. Let the pressure cool down and mix well. Serve hot topped up with a dollop of ghee and with raita or pickle or with any spicy curry or papad.

11. LITTLE MILLET ADAI

Ingredients

Little millet : 1 cup Gram dhal : ½ cup Moongdhal : ½ cup Masoor dhal : ½ cup Snake gourd : ¾ cup Salt : to taste Red chilles : 5 Fennel seed : 1 ½ table spoon Big onion : 1 Curry leaves : few Asafetida : pinch Ginger garlic paste : 1 teaspoon Oil : 2 table spoon

Procedure

Soak samai and dhal together for two to three hours. Add chopped vegetable, onions, red chillies, sombu, curry leaves, asafoetida and salt to mixer and grind. Grind the dhal mixture separately. Mix both together and check for salt and add. The consistency should be thick. Heat a dosa pan pour the adai batter add little oil and cook on both sides. You are ready with your adai and can serve with butter smeared on it. Serve with suitable side-dish.

12. LITTLE MILLET PAYASAM

Ingredients

Little millet : ½ cup Jaggery syrup : ½ cup Milk : 2 cup Cardamom powder : 1 teaspoon Cashew nuts : few Ghee : 1 tablespoon

Procedure

Pressure cooks the little millet with a cup of milk and half a cup of water up to 3 whistles. Once the steam get released, add the jaggery syrup, remaining milk and cook everything in medium flame until the milk gets slightly thickens. Add the cardamom powder, cook for few seconds, put off the stove. Heat the ghee; fry the cashew nuts until they turn brown. Add the fried cashews to the cooked kheer, give a stir. Serve warm or chilled.

13. LITTLE MILLET ROTI

Ingredients

Little millet flour : 1 cup Salt : as needed Ghee : 2 table spoon Water : to knead dough

Procedure

Firstly in a large bowl mix the flour, salt, and make dough and knead well. Now make a small ball on palm slowly flatten surface on palm. Heat a tawa and put roti. Cook both side and place it directly on hot flame till done. It is ready to serve. Serve putting ghee.

14. LITTLE MILLET TIKKIES

Ingredients

Millet Little : ½ cup

Water : 1 cup

Potato : 1

Carrot : 1

Mint leaves : 5 or 6

Chat masala : ¼ teaspoon

Turmeric powder : ¼ teaspoon

Garam masala powder : ¼ teaspoon

Chilli powder : ¼ teaspoon

Jeera powder : ¼ teaspoon

Salt : as needed

Oil : as needed

Procedure

Wash the millet and place it in a bowl. Add 1 cup of water. Pressure cook for 4 whistles. Once the steam is released, transfer to a wide bowl and let it cool completely Meanwhile, boil and mash 1 potato. Grate 1 carrot. Chop mint leaves finely to the cooled millets, add the vegetables and all the spice powders. Add the required salt. Mix well with your hands and make a dough Keep this dough in a closed box for at least 15-20 minutes in the fridge Make small round balls, flatten them gently with your palms and smoothen out the edges Place the tikkis in a hot tava and drizzle oil around the tikkis. Keep the flame in medium heat and let the tikkis turn to light brown Flip them over and add little more oil Once both the sides are browned, take them out and serve hot with green chutney and/or sweet chutney.

15. LITTLE MILLET PAKKODA

Ingredients

Samai flour : 1/2 cup Besan flour : 1/2 cup Chilli Powder : 1 + 1/2 tsp Salt : As needed Carrot : 1 Beans : 6

Cabbage : 1/2 cup Capsicum : ½ Onion : 2 Curry leaves : 1 Sprig Coriander leaves : 2 tbsp Green chilly : 1

Procedure

Take a Mixing Bowl add Samai flour, Besan flour, Chilli Powder, finely Chopped Carrot,beans,cabbage,Capsicum,Onion, Curry leaves & Coriander leaves. Sprinkle needed salt & Mix well to make a dry Mixture. Then sprinkle water little by little to make tight dough, as Shown in the Picture. Mixture must be tight, if Soggy it absorbs more oil & you won’t get crispy Pakoda’s. Heat the oil, if you feel the oil is hot, drop small Portion of dough into hot oil. if it raises immediately, it is an indication that oil is hot, else heat the oil for few minutes till it is hot. When oil is hot, keep the flame to medium, then crumble the dough into oil, as you wish in a form of fritters. Deep fry it, until it turns Golden brown color on both the sides. When it cools down, store it in an air tight container.