17 Delicious Millet Recipes That Make the Best of This Ancient Grain (2024)

FAQs

What are the best ways to eat millet? ›

Its mild, slightly sweet flavor lends itself to a variety of uses: It can be milled into flour and used to make gluten-free cake, or cooked whole and served like a risotto. From savory salads to sweet surprises, millet will become your go-to ingredient for any occasion.

These days millets sold in grocery stores are mostly hulled. Though these can be straight away rinsed and cooked, soaking them helps to reduce the phytic acid which impairs the absorption of nutrients. So it is highly recommended to soak millets for the recommended amount of time.

Among the various millet varieties, foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is often considered to have a taste and texture that is somewhat similar to rice when cooked. It has small, round grains and a mild, neutral flavor that can make it a good rice substitute in many dishes.

Millets thus have anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity and anti-hypertensive properties [10]. Millets also inherently lack gluten and are an attractive option for patients with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity [11].

Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar shares why you must include millet in your regular diet. Millets are an excellent source of copper, magnesium, and phosphorous. They help you in losing weight, keep blood sugar levels in check, and are even good for digestion since they are packed with fibres.

Introduce these in your diet gradually and soak the millets before using them in recipes to avoid any digestive troubles. Soaking, sprouting or fermenting the millets before eating them is important, otherwise the phytic acid present in them could reduce the absorption of other nutrients.

“Any whole grain you buy, even millet, you should always try to take a whiff, a smell, at the grocery store,” Scarbrough said. “You're smelling the grains in the grocery store because you don't want that... rancid, musky, mushroomy, earthy, wangy smell.” Once home, maintain freshness by keeping it in your freezer.

When preparing millet, I often toast it in a skillet before adding any liquid to enhance the nutty flavor of the grain. Then, there are two general ways that you can cook it. The first will result in a fluffy, whole-grain side dish much like quinoa (you'll find these directions below).

Sorghum Millet

The Sorghum millet is mostly known as jowar in India, and states like Maharashtra and Karnataka are the top producer of it. Slightly sweet in taste, sorghum millet is a good source of iron, protein, and fibre. Also used in ethanol production, sorghum millet caters to various health benefits.

mil·​let ˈmil-ət. 1. : a grass cultivated for its small shiny whitish seeds used as human and bird food and sometimes grown for hay. 2. : the seed of a millet.

Is millet healthier than rice? ›

Millets have more calories, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, fat, minerals, and vitamins than rice. Millets also have lower glycemic index than rice. Millets can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, keep your blood sugar stable, improve your gut health, and prevent cancer.

If you are eating pearl millet do not have any other in the day or do not mix any other millet with it.

Comparatively, quinoa provides more protein, while millet has fewer calories and less fat. Both quinoa and millet have distinct flavours and nutritional profiles, making the choice between them a matter of personal preference and dietary requirements.

Which Millet is the healthiest? A. Most millets have similar health benefits. However, Sorghum (Jowar), pearl millet (Bajra), foxtail millet (Kangni), finger millet (Ragi), Barnyard millet, Kodo millet, Little Millet, and Proso Millet are among the healthiest millet grains available.

Millet porridge is a traditional food in Russian, German, and Chinese сuisines. In Russia, it is eaten sweet (with milk and sugar added at the end of the cooking process) or savoury with meat or vegetable stews.

Ways to include millet in your diet

Substitute millets in any rice-based dishes like kichidi, pulao, tamarind rice, bisibelebath, etc. Puffed ragi/bajra/jowar can be an alternative to rice puff. Use them as a snack in chivda, murmura, and puffed rice balls (sweet).

General Recommendations: Adults: Most healthy adults can safely consume 30-40 grams of millet per day, which roughly translates to 1/4 cup cooked or 1/3 cup uncooked. This can be incorporated into various meals or snacks throughout the day.

If you are looking for a low-carb alternative to rice, then millet "rice" is the perfect solution. Simply grind the cooked millets into a fine powder and use it as a substitute for rice in any recipe. This not only makes your meal healthier, but it also adds a nutty flavor to your dish.