4 Recipe Ideas with the Magical Millets

Running out of options, what to have for the meal? We experiment, explore many healthy food items displayed in markets. Why not go back to our roots and re-try those magical millets.  Most of us are trying to make a difference in daily food habits and adopt a lifestyle of well-being. As far as physical health is concerned, a healthy body begins with the food we eat.  

Millets are favored due to their productivity and short growing season under dry, high-temperature conditions. The most widely grown millet is pearl millet, which is an important crop in India. Finger millet and foxtail millet are also important crop species. 

Let us quickly go through some recipe ideas using some popular millets:

• Ragi Dosa – A healthy south Indian meal made with Finger Millet. It is a nutritive version of the regular rice dosa. It is made from simple ingredients including ragi flour, rice flour, sour curd, coriander, onion, green chilly, and salt to taste. Finger millet has shown significant results in the dermal wound healing process. It improves antioxidant status and controls blood sugar levels. The health benefits associated with high fiber foods are delayed nutrient absorption, increased fecal bulk, lowering of blood lipids, prevention of colon cancer, the barrier to digestion, mobility of intestinal contents, increased fecal transit time, and fermentability characteristics. Finger millet also has a higher amount of calcium and potassium that helps to keep your bones and teeth healthy. 

• Bajra Khichdi – A warm and nutritious meal of the winter season. It is made from Coarse Pearl Millet Seeds, Moong daal, Ghee, cumin, ginger, asafetida for aroma, and salt to taste. It also has a lot of fiber and thereby keeps a check on cholesterol levels. Pearl millet is a source of complex carbohydrates, which slowly release energy. People with weight loss goals feel full for a longer time resulting in less binge eating. Pearl millet contains a high concentration of magnesium which helps reduce the severity of respiratory problems for asthma patients and is also effective in reducing migraine attacks.

• Kuttu Atta Parathas – A religiously significant dish consumed mostly during the fasting times by women in India. A combination of Buckwheat Millet flour, green chilies, and sendha salt gives a complete meal feel to this dish. You can have it in combination with curd. Buckwheat millet is a rich source of iron, fiber, and resistant starch which helps in improving colon health. Since buckwheat is gluten-free, it has risen to such importance in recent years due to the increased awareness of gluten allergies.   

• Rajgira Ladoos – It is an exciting, nutritious, and easy blissful sweet recipe. A wonderful bind of jaggery, Amaranth millet and ghee gives a rich crunchy texture to the ladoos. Apart from delight to the taste buds, it gives a bunch of health benefits. Amaranth is gluten free and helps to fight weight gain problems. It is also a rich source of calcium thus helps strengthen the bones.     

You can try the above recipes for a power packed meal rich in nutrients and health benefits of millets. 

Reference: (the report on Nutritional and Health Benefits of Millets by ICAR – INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MILLETS RESEARCH (IIMR)).