Recipes from Barnyard Millet

Barnyard Millet

Scientific name: Echinochloa crusgalli (L.)P. Beauvois

Hindi name: Sanwa; Telugu name: Oodallu

Barnyard millet is a good source of protein, which is highly digestibleand is an excellent source of dietary fiber with good amount of soluble and insoluble fractions. The carbohydrate content of barnyard millet is low and slowly digestible, which makes the barnyard millet a nature’s gift for the modern mankind who is engaged in sedentary activities. In it millet the major fatty acid is linoleic acid followed by palmitic and oleic acid. It also shows a high degree of retrogradation of amylase, which facilitates the formation of higher amounts of resistant starches. Hence it can be potentially recommended for the patients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. Barnyard millet is most effective in reducing blood glucose and lipid levels.

In today’s scenario of increased diabetes mellitus, this millet could become an ideal food. It is also an appropriate food for patients intolerant to gluten which causes celiac disease.

Barnyard Millet Cutlet

Ingredients: Dehulled barnyard millet grains - 100 g, potatoes – 20 g, carrots – 20 g, beans – 20 g, salt – 5 g, pepper – 5 g, chat masala – 5g, bread crumbs – 20 g, channa dal - 30 g, green chillies – 5 g, water – as required and oil - for shallow or deep frying.

Preparation Method:

• Cook barnyard millet in boiling water and fluff it with a fork and keep it aside.
• Mix channa dal flour powder with curd, boil the vegetables and saute finely chopped onions, green chilli, garlic, ginger and saute until onions turns transparent in oil.
• Add salt, pepper powder, turmeric powder to the cooked vegetables and add cooked barnyard millet, finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Cook for a further few seconds.
• Leave it to cool. Divide the mixture equally and shape into cutlet and shallow fry the cutlets both sides until golden brown or deep fry the min oil.
• Serve with sauce.

Barnyard Maheri

Ingredients: Barnyard millet – 50 g, shama rice – 100 g, butter milk – 550 ml, salt – to taste, ghee – 20 ml, curry leaves – a few, mustard seeds – 2 g and chopped green chilli – 10 g.

Preparation Method:

• Clean, soak and boil barnyard millet and shama rice for 30 min.
• Strain and cook in butter milk until well done
• Heat ghee in a thick bottom pan, add mustard seeds, green chilli and curry leaves.
• Our over the cooked rice and cover with a lid for a short time.
• Mix well and add seasoning.
• Serve hot.

Barnyard Indiana

Ingredients: Barnyard millet – 150 g, small dices of vegs. (carrots, french beans, cauliflower and green peas) – 150 g, salt – to taste, green chilli chopped – 15 g, ghee – 50 g, curry powder – 2 tsp, coriander leaves, - as required, asafetida – a pinch, cumin seed – 2 g and water– ½ cup.

Preparation Method:

• Clean and soak the millet in water for 15 min.
• Heat ghee in cooker, add cumin, asafoetida and diced vegetables along with curry powder and saute.
• Add pre soaked millets and mix well.
• Add water, salt and pressure cook with one whistle.
• Open and garnish with ghee, chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Barnyard Millet Pudina Rice

Ingredients: Barnyard millet - 1 cup, water – 2 cups, onion-1, carrot- 1 cup, tomato – 2, , curry leaves- 1 spring bay leaf - 1; pudina (mint) chutney: Mint leaves - 1 cup, coriander leaves - 1/4 cup, green chilli-1, cloves – 1, garlic – 1, ginger - 1/2 inch and salt to taste and oil – 2 tsp.

Preparation Method:

• Cook barnyard millet in a pressure cooker with water, salt to taste and bay leaf at medium flame for 1 whistle.
• Prepare mint chutney with minimum water. Chop all the vegetables.
• In a hot pan, take 1 tsp of oil. Add whole spices to it and fry for a minute.
• Add chopped onion and fry till translucent.
• Add chopped carrots and stir well, add mint chutney. Cook the chutney till the raw taste of mint and coriander disappears. Add salt to taste.
• Add the cooked barnyard millet and mix evenly. Remove from flame.
• Serve hot with some raitha.

Barnyard Payasam

Ingredients: Barnyard millet – 150 g, sugar – 250 g, milk – 250 ml, saffron – 4-5 threads, dry fruits (cashew, almond and pista) – 50 g and ghee – 30 ml.

Preparation Method:

• Cook together barnyard millet, saffron and milk on slow heatuntil the millet gets mashed.
• Add sugar and stir gently to cook payasam.
• Heat ghee in a pan add all dry fruits and roast until golden colour and add to the cooked payasam
• It can be served hot or cold.

Barnyard Millet Pizza

Ingredients: Pizza base: Barnyard millet, ½ cup, maida - ½ cup, baking soda - ½ tsp, salt - as required, oil - 1-2 tsp (for cooking the crusts), water - if needed; millet crust pizza –Onions, green capsicum, tomatos cubed - 1/3 cup, sweetcorn kernels - a few tomato sauce - 1/3 cup and mozzarella cheese - as required.

Preparation Method:

• Soak the millet in enough water for at least an hour and grind into a smooth paste.
• Add baking powder, maida along with salt and mix well (you can also ferment the batter in a warm place for 6 hrs).
• Heat a flat pan. Pour a ladle full of the prepared batter – don’t spread it. Spread few drops of oil all around the crust, cook and flip it to the other side.
• Pre-heat the oven at 180°C for about 5-7 mins.
• Meanwhile, line a baking tray with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place these prepared pizza crusts on the baking tray.
• Spread the tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese over the sauce. Place cubed onions, capsicum and sweet corn all over the pizza.
• Bake/Grill at 180°C for about 7-10 mins, until the cheese is bubbly and the vegetables are toasted.
• Serve hot with red chilli flakes and mixed Italian herbs on top.

NOTE: There can be a few cracks over the edges of the pizza crust as it is gluten free, but that not hamper the taste.

Barnyard Millet Dora Cake

Ingredients : Barnyard flour-100g, Baking soda-1g, Sugar powder-20g, Honey-5g, Condensed milk-30g, Milk-150 ml, Chocolate-30g, Vanilla essence-2ml.

Preparation Method:

• Add cooking soda, sugar powder, Honey, Condense Milk, and Vanilla essence to the barnyard millet flour and make a batter (like Dosa Batter).
• Heat 1 tsp oil on a dosa pan and pour the batter and spread like small thick dosa (2 no.s)
• Sandwich dosa's with chocolate syrup in between.
• Cut in pizza style.
• Serve like desert.

Barnyard Millet Rabdi

Ingredients : Milk-250ml, Badam-5g, Pista-5g, Sugar-20g, Barnyard flour-10, Elachi powder-1g, Food color - as per requirement.

Preparation Method:

• Boil milk till ti attains very thick consistency and separate cream.
• Add barnyard millet flour, badam, pista, ilaichi powder and sugar along with cream separated earlier.
• Keep it in freeze and serve cold.

Barnyard Millet Samosa Pin Wheels

Ingredients : Barnyard flour - 80g, Proso Rawa - 20g, Potato - 4, Chilli powder - 2g, Garam masala - 2g, Salt, Turmeric, Chat Masalam Pepper Powder for taste.

Preparation Method:

• Mix barnyard flour, mix prose millet rawa, salt, oil (1 tsp) andprepare dough with hot water (Chapathi dough).
• Mash boiled potato and add turmeric, chilli powder, chat masala, pepper, salt, mix well and keep aside.
• Make small chapathi with barnyard dough and spread potato mixture on it.
• Roll it and cut into small piece.
• Press these pieces between two palms and deep fry.

Barnyard Millet Gobi 65

Ingredients : Gobi - 100g, Corn flour - 20g, Red chilli - 5g, Barnyard flour - 60g, Food Colour (red) - 1 pinch, Salt and Oil - to fry, Ginger - 5g, Curry Leaves, Green Chilies, Curd.

Preparation Method:

• Clean Cauliflower and wash it in hot water.
• Put in boiling water for 5 mins.
• Squeeze out excessive water.
• In another bowl mix barnyard flour, corn flour, salt, chili powder, turmeric, food color and mix well.
• Add squeezed cauliflower to it and mix well.
• Make thin batter with corn flour using water.
• Heat oil in pan.
• Deep fry cauliflower after dipping in corn flour batter.
• Heat 1 table spoon of oil in pan add chopped ginger, curry leaves, green chilies, fry and add 2 table spoon curd to this and stir well.
• Add fried cauliflower pieces to this mixture and stir for 1 min.
• Serve like snacks.

Barnyard Millet Pulav

Ingredients : Barnyard millet - 100g, Potato-1, Green chilli-3, Ground nut powder-10g, Clove, Iiaichi, Cinnamon-4 each, Salt - to taste.

Preparation Method:

• Heat oil and saute vegetables lightly.
• In a separate pan, put little oil and saute all spices.
• Add cooked and drained barnyard millet rice and stir for 3 minutes.
• Add sauted vegetables and water and cook thoroughly.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Source :

Millet Recipes - IIMR, Hyderabad

Millet Recipes - Department of Agriculture, Karnataka