Barnyard Millet upma

Are you a health-conscious person? If yes, you must be aware of quinoa, chia, oatmeal, etc. But have you ever heard about millets? If you do, that is awesome. I never knew about millets and their potential until I came across Ragi (finger millet). That led me to know more about millet varieties.

The long-ignored humble grain of India, millets are small coarse grains and a repository of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Different types of millets are jawar (sorghum), ragi (finger millet), Korra (foxtail millet), arke (Kodo millet), sama (little millet), bajra (pearl millet), chena (proso millet) and Sanwa (barnyard millet).

The practice of consuming millets as part of the daily diet is not new to India. It was part of our grandparent’s diet. Millets had been the major staple food in central India, southern India and hilly regions of Uttarakhand for centuries till the time of the Green Revolution. Globally, millet is the sixth most cultivated grain after corn, rice, wheat, barley, and sorghum. It is very much suited to drought conditions and has great natural biodiversity. It can be cultivated in a variety of locations. They are one of the oldest foods known to humans and possibly the first cereal grain to be used for domestic purposes. In India, millets have been mentioned in some of the oldest Yajurveda texts, identifying foxtail millet (priyangava), Barnyard millet (aanava) and black finger millet (shyaamaka), thus indicating that millet consumption was very common, pre-dating to the Indian Bronze Age (4,500BC). Even until 50 years ago millets were the major grain grown in India. From a staple food and integral part of local food cultures, just like many other things, millets have come to be looked down upon by modern urban consumers as “coarse grains” – something that their village ancestors may have lived on, but that they had left behind and exchanged for a more “refined” diet. (Source)

But now the scene of healthy food is changing. The Government has also decided to declare 2018 as “National Year of Millets”.

So, without any further ado, let me share a quick easy recipe of toddlers with millet. I am going to make upma using barnyard millet. Let me share a few details of it before moving further

Barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacaea) is one of the hardiest millets, which is called by several names viz., Japanese barnyard millet, ooda, oadalu, sawan, sanwa, and sanwank. Nutritionally, Barnyard millet is an important crop. It is a fair source of protein, which is highly digestible and is an excellent source of dietary fiber with good amounts of soluble and insoluble fractions.

Recipe name: Barnyard millet upma

Serves: 1-2 toddler (1-2 years old)

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

Barnyard millet 2 tablespoon

Onion 1 chopped finely

Choice of Vegetables 1 cup of chopped/ grated (beans, carrot, cauliflower, beetroot, capsicum, spinach etc)

Tomato 1 chopped finely

Ginger ¼ teaspoon grated

Garlic 1 pod diced

Water 1 – 1½ cup

Salt As needed

To temper

• Ghee 1 teaspoon
• Mustard ½ teaspoon
• Urad dal 1 teaspoon
• Channa dal 1 teaspoon
• Curry leaves 1 sprig
• Asafoetida A pinch (optional)

Method

1. Wash barnyard millet to remove any dirt. Drain the water and keep it aside.
2. Heat pan with ghee and do tempering with asafoetida, mustard, urad dal, channa dal, and curry leaves.
3. Add onions, ginger, and garlic. Fry till onions are translucent.
4. Add your choice of vegetables and fry for 2-3 minutes in low heat.

   

5. Add barnyard millet. Follow with a good stir to mix the vegetables and millet.
6. Add water and salt. Mix all as water comes to boil.
7. Cook covered in low flame for 10 minutes or till water dries up.

Serve hot with peanut chutney. My toddler prefers this with cinnamon milk.

Have you ever tried any millet? Do share your experience if you try this barnyard millet upma.