The craze for millets may be new but its usage is age-old. The recipes may be new but not the millets. Its benefits are known for ages but still, somehow the millets got lost in the advent of urban lifestyle. Go to any rural area in India and you will be surprised to see how people eat different millets in different ways and keep healthy. Finger millet (Ragi), Sorghum (Jowar), Pearl millet (Bajra), Foxtail Millet (Kangni), and many others may look exotic to us but are staple foods for them.
Why Should I know About Millets?
Trying out recipes and availing the benefits of millets gave rise to many questions and the urge to understand these became stronger. For example, I realized that Amaranth (Rajgira or Chaulai) and Buckwheat(Kuttu) though are gluten-free but are not millets. And many more such facts.
As I really enjoyed my research I thought of sharing it with you all. Millets might be tiny but knowing about these is like an ocean. The deeper you go, the more pearls of millet you are sure to find.
In this post, I am sharing some basic info about millets. Some info which even if we don't know might not affect but knowing about it will definitely enrich us. As I strongly believe that once we know about our ingredients we become better cooks. So, before going on for a month-long feast on millet recipes let us find the answers to these questions so that we prepare the upcoming recipes with full enthusiasm.
What are Millets?
Millets are not grains. Millets, looking like tiny grains, are actually seeds belonging to the grass family. They are referred to as grains because of their similarity in looks to the grains. They are also referred to as Nutri-cereals as these are a storehouse of nutrients.
- Not only the millets are human-friendly but they are eco-friendly too.
- They belong to a group that adjusts everywhere no matter what the condition is. They grow easily even in the poor and so-fertile soil.
- They require very little water, can be grown even in adverse weather conditions and can be stored for years. As compared to rice, millets require just one-third water to grow.
- They do not require pesticides or fertilizers.
Thus, millets are the best example of the proverb, simple living, high thinking, meaning that these are easy and simple to grow even though there a gold mine of nutrients.
Types Of Millets
Millets can be easily divided into 2 broad categories, namely naked and husked.
- Naked Millets: Ragi, Jowar, and Bajra come under the naked category as these can be eaten straight away after harvesting. They do not have a hard shell called a hull or husk. Once harvested, they just need to be cleaned and are ready for consumption. Thus they are widely cultivated and are also known as major millets.
- Husked Millets: Whereas, Kodo, foxtail, little, Proso, and Barnyard millets comes under the husked category as these are covered with an undigestible husk that needs to be removed before consumption. These are also known as minor millets. Unhulled or unhusked millets can be used for feeding birds.
What Do I Call Millets in my language?
As millets are ancient grains they are known by different names in different parts of our country. I recently was talking about millets with my friend SivaRanjini in Pondicherry. She said that she uses millets extensively but could tell me only the Tamil names which I wouldn't have understood. And later on, she sent me the list in English names of those millets. Also, when I wrote a post about Barnyard millet, many people were confused as I used Hindi name, Sama Halwa and Samak Pulao. Therefore, to avoid confusion, I am sharing this chart here which gives you the millet name in your native language. Hope this will be helpful.
Source: Indian Institute Of Millet Research
Different Forms In Which Millets Are Available
- Unhulled or Unhusked: They are not good for human consumption. However, good for feeding birds or animals.
- Millet Rice: Hulled millets in the unbroken grain form are called millet rice.
- Rawa form: Millets are broken into smaller particles, somewhat similar to Rawa. This reduces the cooking time and are perfect for making Upma, porridge etc. Ragi vermicelli is one example.
- Flour form: The most versatile form as n number of recipes can be made using the floured millets. Once in flour form, it can be used for making chapati, cakes, cookies, dosa and many more goodies.
- Ready To Cook Mixes: Again a popular form as one needs to just buy, follow the simple instructions on the packet and cook. Cooking time is also very little when using these mixes. Source
Tip: Except Ragi and Jowar, most of the other millets look alike and are really confusing. So, please label them as soon as you get them from the store.
Benefits
Nutritional Profile
file:///C:/MOM/Recipes/Millets%20For%20Everyone/Millets_Recipes-A_Healthy_choice.pdf
Why Rice And Wheat should Be Replaced With Millets?
A look at the above chart will tell you why Millets are much superior to rice and wheat.
- Millets are gluten-free, contain double the amount of fiber and minerals and less sugar as compared to rice and wheat.
- Rice breaks down to glucose very fast and thus blood sugar levels shoot up, whereas, millets do this slowly due to its low GI.
- Millets provide a wide range of essential amino acids and are thus more usable protein than wheat and rice.
So try to incorporate millets in your meals slowly and gradually replacing rice as well as wheat.
Should Anyone Avoid Millets?
Millets are good for everyone but as exceptions are always there to prove the rule, similarly, here too is an exception. People who are suffering from hypothyroidism should not consume millets as they contain goitrogen, a substance that interferes with the production of thyroid hormones. Source
How To Cook Millets?
Gone are the days when millets were used only to make chapati or khichdi or porridge only. Today, millets are used for cooking a variety of recipes ranging from simple chapati, Idli/Dosa, to most exotic ones like cakes, cookies, salads, burgers, soups, and whatnot.
- When using in flour form then it can be used as it is after kneading or mixing up a batter.
- But when cooking with grits or whole millets then it is slightly different. There are two methods to do this. One is to boil in plenty of water just like pasta and then put it in the colander. This way, all the starch is drained out. And then the boiled millet can be used for various recipes.
- In the other method, one needs to have an idea as to the quantity of water added to cook it. The quantity of water to be added to millets depend upon the type of consistency we are aiming at. It can be equal or double or even three times the quantity of millet. For example, when I make Sama pulao (Barnyard millet Pulao), I take double the quantity of water as I like each grain to remain separated after cooking. Some people who prefer mushy consistency, add three times water. But ideally, 2 parts of water is added to have perfect separated grains of it.
Why is it Necessary to Soak Millets?
Just like beans, it is mandatory to soak millets, whenever they are whole or in rice form.
And these must be soaked at least for 6 to 8 hours or if possible overnight.
Some millets like Pearl Millet (Bajra) need soaking for 12 hours too. Recently, I soaked barnyard millet and got busy with other things forgetting completely about it. When checked it after a day, it still was fine without any foul smell or foam setting on it. Thus these are very forgiving too.
It is necessary to soak millets overnight or for at least 6 hours :
- to get rid of the phytic acid which inhibits the absorption of good nutrients.
- to speed up the cooking process.
- to make them easily digestible.
All Millets Are Gluten-free But All Gluten-free Foods Are Not Millets.
Conclusion
This info was just a glimpse into millets without any recipe. Each millet has its own positives and is rich in some or the other nutrient and thus we should use all the millets. I will be sharing details of each millet in the recipe corresponding to it.
So, in simple words, we should eat millets to have a healthy life, to avoid lifestyle diseases like cancer, diabetes, gastric problems, cholesterol problems by availing all the goodness of these tiny seeds.
They have unique nutrients that are good not only for our physical health but also for mental health. Being fiber-rich if these are consumed daily then they promote bowel-movement, detoxify our system and helps in lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
I hope you have liked this brief info about millets. I would love to have your views regarding this.
Thank you for reading this post. If you have liked this recipe then do let me know by leaving a comment below. Your feedback fuels my enthusiasm. You may share this post with your dear ones by clicking on the little buttons below. You may follow me on Facebook Pinterest Instagram(#samirasrecipediary) too. for latest recipe updates. Thank you!
Interesting and detailed post about millets. Like most people these days, I took to millets quite late. But now I’m aware of the historical and nutritional value they have for us. I still think we aren’t promoting them as much as needed. Hopefully your series will do its bit in this direction.
Thank you so much for liking the post. You are right that it’s not getting it’s due because of a lack of promotion. The world of advertisements affect everything we do or use. But as now you have started using millets I hope that you will stick to it. Do share your feedback if you try out any of the millet recipes.
Wow! Simply amazing post! Personally I learned a lot about millets. In my home, Jowar, Bajra and Ragi are cooked regularly. But the others you mentioned are new to me. I am looking forward to reading your recipes and trying them out. Thank you for coming up with such an amazing topic!
P.S: Please embed your twitter handle in the twitter sharing button.
Thank you so much, Mayura! It’s nice to know that you are already using millets. Do share your feedback if you try out any of these.
Samira Ji rocks with a long and detailed post on millets. Looking forward for more .
A very informative post. Thank you for sharing about the super food.
My pleasure dear! Glad that you liked it.
Wow! You covered every tiny detail about millet! Loved it. It’s related to health. I will refer this article in my future blog posts:)
Thank you so much dear for liking it and your encouraging words.
This is a very extensive and helpful post on millets. Millets are very good for health. My son loves ragi pancakes
Thank you so much! As your son loves Ragi, I am sure he will love other millets too.
A very informative post. Thanks for sharing. I have been eating millets but didn’t know the importance of it in such details.
Thank you so much Jyoti. Good to now that millets are already in your kitchen. Do try out these recipes, you will love them.
Wow! What detailed information about nutrients, benefits and recipes of various millets. You killed it, Samira Ji. I never ever thought about it. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks a bunch dear! Now that you know, then give it a try for sure. Your family will love these.
What a comprehensive detailed study of Millets Samira….One of my friends who lives on a farmhouse invited few friends to lunch and treated us to a sumptuous lunch made with only millets..from starters to desserts.
Wow! What a wonderful lunch it must have been. Everything from starters to desserts means a lot. Hope you will try out too. Thank you so much for liking the post.
Millets have gained popularity and many recipes are formed around it. No wonders our elders have been consuming it on regular basis for a very long time.
True! Slowly but gradually we all are following our ancestors only.
Such an informative post and I agree millets are great source of nutrition and we used it less often in our day to day meal. will check other recipes too. thanks for sharing.
here is my first post of the series
https://surbhiprapanna.com/2020/03/31/blogchattera2z-a-amaranth-paratha-an-ancient-grain-healthy-and-tasty-recipe/
Thank you so much Surbhi for liking it.