Recipes from Little Millet

Little Millet

Scientific name: Panicum sumatrense

Hindi name: Kutki; Telugu name: Saamalu

Little millet is grown throughout India and is one of the traditional crops. It is mostly mix cropped with other millets, pulses and oil seeds. It is generally consumed as rice and any recipe that demands staple rice can be prepared using little millet. This species of cereal is similar in habit to the proso millet except that it is smaller. It is an annual herbaceous plant, which grows straight or with folded blades to a height of 30 cm to 1 m. The leaves are linear, sometimes with hairy lamina and membranous hairy ligules.

Little millet is reported to have 37% to 38% of dietary fiber, termed as a nutraceutical and highest among cereals. Thus, it is a complete food ingredient suitable for large scale utilization as processed products, snacks, baby foods etc., and also plays a major role in propagating food security among under developed and developing countries.

Little Millet Payasam

Ingredients: Dehulled little millet – 1 cup, dry fruits, ghee, water, sugar, milk, cardamom powder– as required.

Preparation Method:

• Cook the dehulled little millet in boiling water for 5 min.
• Roast dry fruits in ghee.
• Boil the milk and then add the cooked millet, add sugar and stir slowly for 10-15 minutes until it is cooked.
• Add cardamon powder and decorate with cashew nuts and other dry fruits.
• Serve hot as a traditional sweet.

Little Millet Curd Rice

Ingredients: Little millet - 1/2 cup, water - 2 cups, curd - 3/4 cup, milk - 1/4 cup, carrot 3 tbsp, grated coriander leaves - 2 tsp finely chopped, salt - to taste; To temper: Oil - 1 tsp, mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp, split urad dal - 1/2 tsp, curry leaves – few, green chilli - 1 finely chopped and ginger- 1/4 inch piece.

Preparation Method:

• Boil water, add the millet and cook till millet becomes soft.
• Then take the millet in a mixing bowl and mash it and add curd, then milk and mix it up well.
• Heat oil in a tadka pan and add the seasoning 'to temper' let it splutter.
• Transfer the tempering to the rice along with grated carrot, coriander leaves and required salt. Mix well.
• Serve chilled and garnish with carrots and coriander leaves.

Little Millet Mushroom Biryani

Ingredients: Little millet- 1 cup, mushroom - 100 g, onion – 1, tomato – 1, ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp, turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp, red chilli powder- 1 tsp, garam masala - 1 tsp, salt - to taste, water- 2 cups (for millet) + 1/4 cup (for mushroom masala); To grind to a paste: Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup, mint leaves - 1/2 cup, green chillies – 1; To temper: Ghee - 2 tsp, oil - 1 tsp, cloves – 4, cardomam – 1, bay leaf – 1, cinnamon - 1 stick, star anise – 1, mace - small piece, fennel seeds- 1 tsp, cumin seeds - 1 tsp and curry leaves - few.

Preparation Method:

• Dry roast the little millet for 1-2 min. Grind the under masalawith little water to a fine paste. Keep  aside.
• Heat ghee and oil in a pressure cooker, add the items to temper, and fry till aroma comes. Add the chopped onions and fry till golden brown. Add the tomatoes, ginger garlic paste, masalas, salt and the coriander mint paste. Mix well.
• Saute well and then add the chopped mushrooms, water and cook.
• Once it starts to boil, add the little millet, water, few coriander and mint leaves and pressure cook for 1 whistle.
• Consume hot with any gravy and onion raita. NOTE: Use fresh and clean mushrooms.

Little Millet Pudina Rice

Ingredients: Little 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 little millet rice 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.
• Ina 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 little millet rice and mix evenly. Remove from flame.
• Serve hot with some raitha.

NOTE: Millet rice has to cool otherwise it will become mushy.

Little Millet Tomato Rice

Ingredients: Little millet- 1 cup, onion-1, carrot- 1 cup, tomato – 2, green chilli-1, curry leaves- 1 spring, ginger-1 tsp [finely chopped], mustard seeds-1 tsp, bengal gram-1 tsp, urad dal-1 tsp, turmeric powder - ¼ tsp, red chilli powder – ¼ tsp, coriander leaves-2 tsp [chopped], water-1 ¾ to 2 cups, salt to taste and oil – 2 tsp.

Preparation Method:

• Wash and little millet for 15 min.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker add mustard seeds and let its splutter.
• Then add bengal gram, urad dal saute gently then add onion, ginger, green chilli, green peas, carrot and curry leaves saute.
• Add tomato, turmeric and red chilli powder mix well till soft.
• Add water and salt and mix well and let it boil.
• Then add little millet mix well then cover it and cook for 3 whistle.
• Then add coriander leaves mix well and serve hot with coconut chutney or pickle.

Little Millet Apple Jam

Ingredients : Little millet - 20g, Apple - 45g, Sugar - 50g, Red color - 1g, Iiaichi-1g.

Preparation Method:

• Soak Little millet for 2 hours, grind it and make 20g milk out of it by filtering.
• Cut apple into pieces, boil until they become soft, add sugar and ilachi, red color and add little millet milk to it.
• Boil till it turns thick.
• Pour hot in bottle and cover tight.

Little Millet Tea

Ingredients : Pepper - 1 tsp, Iiaichi-2 pieces, Clove- 1 tsp, Dalchini - 2 pieces, Dry ginger powder - 1/2 tsp, Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp, Little Millet - 50g, Sugar-1 tsp.

Preparation Method:

• Soak little millet for 2 hours, grind and filter for milk.
• Boil all the spices with tea powder - 1 tsp in water 1 cup.
• Boil for 10 min.
• Add 1 tsp of sugar and add little millet milk.
• Filter and serve it hot.

Little Millet chinese Fried Rice

Ingredients : Little millet - 100g, Tomato-1, Onion - 1, Green Chillies-3, Cauliflower- small bunch, cabbage-1/4th, Curry Leaves and Coriander - each 1/2 cup, Chopped beans-1/4 cup, Chopped carrot-1/4 cup, Red chilli powder-1 tsp, Turmeric - 1/2 tsp, Oil-1 tsp.

Preparation Method:

• Wash and soak little millet for 30 minutes.
• Cook and drain excess water so as to avoid lumps and leaves it for cooling on a plate.
• Heat the oil on pan, add ginger pieces, tomato, onion, green chillies, curry leaves, coriander, cauliflower, cabbage, turmeric, red chilli, beans, carrot, stir until its fried.
• Add soya sause red chilli powder, salt again stir fry for ten minutes.
• Add cooked little millets and the mix, stir fry two minutes.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Little Millet Kaju Namkin

Ingredients : Little millet flour - 60g, Maida-40g, Oil - for deep frying, Red Chilli powder - 1tsp, Ajwain (thyme) - 1tsp, Chat masala and Salt to taste.

Preparation Method:

• Add oil, ajwain, red chilli powder, salt, chat masala, turmericpowder to the little millet flour.
• Mix well and make dough with hot water and keep aside for 15 min.
• Roll into chapaties and cut into half moon shape with moulds and deep fry.

Source :

Millet Recipes - IIMR, Hyderabad

Millet Recipes - Department of Agriculture, Karnataka