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Posts Tagged ‘whole grain’

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Ragi Idli and Dosa, Take 1

In Recipes on 8 January 2016 at 12:03 pm
Mix 1 part sprouted ragi flour and 2 parts water, bring to a boil while stirring continuously. Video

Ragi: Not only for porridge. (Video)

Soon after I arrived in India, I visited Balaji in Chennai and met the folks of the Tamil Nadu Science Forum which took Balaji by storm (or was it the other way around?)  There I heard Ambarigi, Shanthi and other workers talk about the value of sattamavu, or ragi, sprouted and ground and easy to make into porridge. They focussed on encouraging parents to prepare it for young children and asked us and other well-wishers to help promote it by sponsoring a year’s worth of sattemavu for a family in need.  This Ravi and I did and later started a program to distribute ragi in Srikakulam as well.  It was not until six months after our daughter was born that we bought the stuff to make and eat ourselves.

As it turned out ragi porridge was an instant hit and we have been making it ever since.  I didn’t venture further in the millet department until a couple of years ago when I started using every variety of millet I could find.  Ragi, or finger millet was a regular part of our diet in the form of porridge.  What to do with the other kinds?  I tried them out in idli and dosa batter and they were great.  Soon I was making idlis and dosas out of Proso Millet, Kodo Millet, Little Millet and Pearl Millet (bajra).  I also made pulihara out of Foxtail Millet.

But what about Finger Millet?   Read the rest of this entry »

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Black Gram Matters

In Recipes, When on 1 September 2015 at 2:04 am

Since when are idlis white?

Not more than a few generations.    And if you look at all things that have become white over the past century, one by one they are regaining their color.   White bread, white pasta, white flour, white sugar, white rice are now recognized as more or less empty calories and are being replaced by their whole counterparts, on the brown to black side of the color spectrum.  It is time for idlis to do the same.

Soaked Urad - bursting out of its skin!

Black Gram (Urad): Soaked and ready to burst out of its skin!  Urad or Black Gram attracts wild yeast from the air.  As it ferments, the yeast makes the batter rise.

What are idlis made of?  Black gram and rice.   Or black gram and millets. Read the rest of this entry »

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Amaranth Dosa and Waffle

In Recipes on 2 August 2015 at 10:53 pm
See the bubbles that have formed as the dough ferments.

See the bubbles that have formed as the dough ferments.

Look at that bubbly batter!  I was thrilled when I opened the oven this morning to check whether my dough had risen and indeed it did!  Marvellously.  It was my first time soaking, grinding and fermenting amaranth and to be on the safe side I used equal parts of amaranth, rice and urad dal to make batter for idli and dosa.

Use equal parts of rice, urad dal and amaranth.

Use equal parts of rice, urad dal and amaranth.

The recipe is quite simple. Read the rest of this entry »

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Proso Millet Idlis (and Dosas)

In Recipes on 6 July 2015 at 6:23 pm

My friend Hema in New Jersey asked me, how can I use local grains in the United States?   While there are several wonderful cookbooks featuring such American staples as buckwheat, barley, rye it is not as easy to find recipes using millet and many recipes using these traditional yet less common grains call for even more specialized ingredients.  Of course it is well worth the effort, but what if you want to make something simple with millet right now?

Proso Millet Idli

Proso Millet Idli

One way to jump right into using locally grown millets is to make idlis with them.  Black gram, water and salt are the only other ingredients you need.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Millet-wheat waffles or pancakes

In Recipes on 5 July 2015 at 4:00 am

Are you torn between buying one more appliance for the kitchen, and one more box of store-bought waffles?

If you need one more reason to start making fresh home-made waffles, here you go:  millet waffles!

Millet-wheat waffle topped with blueberries.

Millet-wheat waffle topped with blueberries.

Millet-wheat waffles, that is.  These are easy to make and use equal parts of millet and whole wheat flour.  This recipe uses mashed ripe banana in the batter.  If you don’t have a ripe banana on hand, you may use 1 TBS honey or molasses in its place.  This will provide a mildly sweet tone to the background without overwhelming the hearty flavor of the waffle.

(Alternatively, you may use the same batter for millet pancakes.)

In the waffles pictured above I used sprouted millet flour which I got from a company called To Your Health in Alabama. Read the rest of this entry »

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What can we make with Millet in the United States?

In What on 4 July 2015 at 3:29 am

For amber waves of grain …

So I have waxed enthusiastically about sama, korra, kodo, ragi, and other millets grown in India.  Readers in the US have asked, how can we use local grains?  What can I do with the millet available in the grocery stores?  And:  what kind is the millet available in the grocery stores in the US?  And is it as wonderful for our people and planet as all the millets we hear about in India? Read the rest of this entry »

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Kodo Millet Idli and Dosa – easier done than said

In Recipes on 15 January 2015 at 11:32 am
Kodo millet idli served with pacchadi and sambar

Kodo millet idli served with pacchadi and sambar

If you were looking for a way to eat more and different millets, then you have come to the right place.   After years of talking about millets I realized I had only been using finger millet and more recently foxtail millet whereas there are so many more kinds of millet!  Was I ready to expand my millet horizons? Read the rest of this entry »


Make good bread better

In How on 26 August 2014 at 12:00 pm
Voila! Whole wheat bread.

Voila! Whole wheat bread.

Mostly for the sake of bread aficionados in India who pine for a loaf of really whole grain bread every time they see the third-rate impostors in the market, I posted Baking Bread at Home, which you can do either in a bread machine or in an ordinary oven.  You can also use a convection oven, adjusting time and temperature.   Note:  Do not try this in a microwave oven, even if it claims to have a convection setting.

Please.  Just don’t.

Friends in Mozda tell me that they get delicious bread out of their solar oven and I take their word for it.  Everything tastes better out of those solar ovens.

For those who have no solar ovens, here is a interesting development: I recently learned that someone is selling bread machines in India, Read the rest of this entry »

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Korra Pulihara

In Recipes on 3 July 2014 at 7:55 pm

Korra PuliharaWe are certainly not the first to post a recipe for కొర్ర పులిహార, but we just may be the most popular – that depends on you 😉  Fortunately we have millet champion Sunitha from Seattle who has a direct link to the Millets Initiative in Ananthapur and brought home a variety of millets last time she went to visit the farmers there.  Foxtail Millet is a small grain that cooks easily.  Just as we eat different vegetables every day, why not different grains? asks Dinesh of village Kadri.  Dinesh coordinates the Millets Initiative in Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh.   As someone who eats rice every day, all I can say is, “what a concept!”

Sunitha makes it look so easy and we lose no time getting the good news to you. Read the rest of this entry »

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Chocolate-Date Muffins

In Recipes on 21 June 2014 at 1:10 am

Made with whole wheat, sprouted ragi and dates, these chocolate muffins are wholesome enough to have for breakfast!  Or any time of day – not to mention they are so easy to pack for travel.  Stun your friends at the next potluck.  When we saw Chef Disha proudly display her creation, we asked her Amma to share the recipe.

Basic Vegan Chocolate Muffins (recipe adapted from Veganosaurus)

Disha shows us how it's done.

Disha shows us how it’s done.

Read the rest of this entry »