Cooking millets | Varagu-Saamai-Thinai-Kuthraivaali
Cooking millets | Varagu-Saamai-Thinai-Kuthraivaali explains the method of cooking millets which are rich in fiber, proteins, minerals, phosphorus, iron and vitamins. Millets are easy to digest and were used by our ancestors and forgotten later. Now a days again these traditional food is gaining importance and people wish to use it. They are good for diabetic patients and so substituted for rice and wheat in many recipes. We can prepare Pongal, lemon rice, soups and many more recipes with these grains. You can also cook these millets as you cook rice and add in your diet. Now let us see how to cook these millets.
Popular Millet varieties:-
Little millet – Saamai arisi
Kodo millet – Varagu arisi
Banyard millet – Kuthiraivali arisi
Foxtail millet – Thinai arisi
Finger millet – Kezhvaragu
Pearl millet – Kambu
Before preparing th dishes with these millets, let us see how to cook these millets. Cooking method will be the same for all these little millets, kodo millet and banyard millet. Foxtail millet / Thinai alone should be soaked in water for one hour before cooking. Millet : water should be in the ratio 1:3 which is the same as that of rice.
I have cooked little millet / saamai here.
Ingredients needed:-
- little millet / saamai – 1 cup
- water – 3 cups
Method:-
1. Clean millets and keep it ready. Heat 3 cups of water in a container.
2. When water boils add the millets and reduce flame to low.
3. Close the container with a lid, and keep it in low flame for 10 minutes.
4. Now switch off the stove and let it rest for 15 minutes.
5. In these 15 minutes time millets will be fully cooked. Open the lid and take out cooked millet. You can use this to prepare various other dishes or can serve as you do in rice along with sambar, rasam, curd and other vegetables. You can also reduce to 2.5 cups of water if you need it for preparing variety rice. You can also cook these millets in pressure cooker or electric cooker in the same way as you cook rice .
