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Showing posts with label HEALTH FOOD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HEALTH FOOD. Show all posts

October 29, 2014

NARTHANGAI SADAM | CITRON RICE RECIPE

Narthangai-sadam-recipe

I am a big big fan of Narthangai(Citron fruits in English). Narthangai has amazing health benefits. My MIL used to say Narthangai helps to cure 108 diseases. I am not sure how far it is true. But I know its very helpful for pitha troubles & indigestion which I have experienced it.

Before marriage I used to get narthangai pickle from my Aachi in Tirunelveli. I can have a plateful of rice with it. I was thinking that pickle alone can be made with narthangai. But after marriage, when I tasted Narthangai pachadi from my MIL’s hands, I loved it more than pickle.

Recently we had a trip to Kumbakonam. Sendhil’s maami gave us a bag full of citron fruits/Narthangai from their backyard. We prepared pachadi with almost 3/4th of the quantity and made this rice with the remaining. It tastes very similar to lemon rice. Sendhil love this a lot. Its one of the yummiest Narthangai recipes. Today I made this rice for his lunch box. and now it has become my favourite too. You can serve this yummy rice variety with fryums, chips, vadam & pickle. I know all your eyes goes to those colorful fryums, right ??

I bought them in a small shop in Lee bazaar, Salem just by seeing its different shapes & color.
Ok, Lets see how to make this flavourful, yummy narthangai sadam. Here is a picture of narthangai/citron fruit for your reference.

Narthangai

Narthangai sadam recipe


Narthangai sadam recipe Delicious rice variety using citron fruits/Narthangai - Tastes similar to lemon rice
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Lunch
Serves: Serves 3
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 25 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

  • Rice - 1/2 cup ( I use steamed rice. You can use raw rice too)
  • Water - 1.25 cups
  • Gingely oil - 1 tsp
  • Narthangai / citron fruit - 4 nos ( around 1/3 cup juice)
  • Salt - as needed
  • Asafetida/Hing - 1/8 tsp
To temper
  • Gingely oil - 1 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Urad dal - 2 tsp
  • Chana dal - 1 tbsp
  • Red chillies  or Green chilli – 5-6 nos ( pinch into small pieces, use 6 if your chillies are less spicy)
  • Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Asafetida/Hing - 1/8 tsp
  • Curry leaves- few
METHOD

  • Wash & Pressure cook rice adding required water & a tsp of oil. Rice should be fluffy & separate. In a plate spread the rice adding little salt & a tsp of gingely oil. It helps the rice to separate when it cools down.

  • Boil water in a pan & add the citron fruits/Narthangai( don’t cut it) to it. Let it boil for a minute. Then switch off the stove & remove the narthangai. It would become soft & now you can easily squeeze the juice using your hands. Take the juice from the fruit & strain the seeds. To this juice, add salt & hing. Set aside.
narthangai sadam - 1

  • In a kadai temper all the ingredients given under “ to temper” in the same order. Then add the extracted narthangai juice & switch off the flame immediately. Remove & keep in a bowl.
narthangai sadam - 2
  • Mix this juice with the cooked rice little by little. Add few tsp of gingely oil. Check for salt & adjust the taste.Yummy Narthangai sadam is ready to serve.
narthangai sadam - 3

  • I served with colorful fryums for my daughter & with narthangai pickle for us. It was yum!




Note

  • While squeezing the fruit, do not over do it because the juice will taste bitter if  you over squeeze it.
  • Boiling narthangai in water is optional. But it helps to remove the bitterness on the skin & it helps for easy squeezing too.
  • U can use combination of green chillies & red chillies while tempering. But my MIL used to say red chillies tastes the best for this rice. Here I used 2 byadgi chillies & 2 spicy chillies.
  • U may not need all the juice for the rice. So add little by little & check for taste whenever needed.




Serve this yummy rice with fryums, vadam & pickle. 
Narthangai sadam

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October 21, 2014

DEEPAVALI MARUNDHU RECIPE - DEEPAVALI LEGIYAM

Diwali-marundhu-recipe
Last year I shared my mom’s Tirunelveli style ginger legiyam recipe/Inji legiyam as easy deepavali marundhu recipe. But I wanted to try the actual Diwali marundhu recipe at home for long time. Recently I bought deepavali legiyam from Salem “Home foods” as suggested by Sendhil’s friend. 

As we liked its taste very much, this time I made diwali legiyam on my own referring my cook book and Chitra amma’s kitchen recipe. I made it using the ingredients which I had in my pantry. Also I din’t want to go for soaking version as I had less time in hand. So I dry roasted everything, ground & prepared diwali marundhu powder and then I made legiyam with that powder. It came out very well. 

I won’t say this is the authentic version because I have not used some important ingredients like kandanthipili, arisi thipili etc. But I am sure this will help for digestion of oily & ghee rich sweets and snacks we relish for Diwali. Do try this deepavali marundhu recipe. Its not that much difficult to make as I thought. Anybody can make it easily. Just have a tsp of it in empty stomach for 3 days. It keeps you free from indigestion issues. 

I wish all my friends & readers a very happy Diwali. Thanks a lot for trying my Diwali recipes and sharing pictures with me. I am really touched. Do shower your encouragement and support always !
Diwali-marundhu-ingredients

diwali-marundhu

Diwali marundhu recipe


Diwali marundhu recipe Diwali marundhu recipe using easily available ingredients in pantry !
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Health food
Serves: Serves 4
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 20 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
For marundhu powder
  • Dhania/Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
  • Ajwain/Omam - 3/4 tbsp
  • Black pepper - 1/2 tbsp
  • Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tbsp
  • Khuskhus/Poppy seeds – 1 tsp
  • Cardamom - 1 no
  • Cloves - 1 no
  • Cinnamon - 1 no ( small)
  • Jathikai – a small piece ( optional)
  • Dry ginger powder - 1 tsp ( use 1 inch piece if u use dry ginger)
For syrup
  • Grated jaggery - 1/4 cup
  • Water - 3 tbsp
  • Ghee - 2 tsp
  • Sesame oil/Gingely oil - 1 tsp
HOW TO MAKE DWALI MARUNDHU - METHOD

  • Take all the ingredients mentioned under”for marundhu powder” . Dry roast in a kadai in low flame for 2-3 minutes till you get a nice medicine smell. Make sure you don’t burn them.
Diwali-marundhu-step1
  • Grind all the ingredients to a fine powder. Sieve if you wish. I dint do it. Take the ground powder in a bowl & add water to make it a thick paste. Set aside. In a kadai, take the grated jaggery and add water to cover it. When the jaggery is melted completely, strain the syrup and again boil the jaggery till it becomes frothy.
Diwali-marundhu-step2
  • Simmer the flame at this stage and add the ground paste. Mix well till it starts to thicken in medium flame.
Diwali-marundhu-step3
Diwali-marundhu-step4
  • When it starts to thicken, add gingely oil. Mix well. When it gets absorbed, add 1/2 tsp of ghee at regular intervals. When the marundhu starts to leave the sides of pan, add the remaining ghee and remove the kadai from the pan immediately. It looks likes a semi solid paste when hot. Transfer to a plate. 
  • When the marundhu becomes warm, touch it with your hands. If it is non-sticky and if you can roll as soft glossy ball,that's the right consistency. Store in a clean bottle and use whenever needed. If you stir for more time, it will become chewy. 
Diwali-marundhu-step5
Stays good for months when refrigerated ! Have a tsp of this after a heavy meal or in empty stomach for 3 days. It aids digestion & keep you free from indigestion issues !


Note

  • As suggested in my book, you can add 2-3 small stick of kandanthipili, arisi thipili and 1/4 tsp of saunf/soambu while dry roasting to make the authentic recipe.
  • If you don’t want follow roast and grind method, you can soak all the ingredients in water for an hour and proceed as given above.
  • As soon as the mixture starts to leave the pan and becomes together,remove it from the flame else it will become hard and you have to eat it as a chocolate. But it tastes fine & its health benefits retain in all the ways. So no worries.
  • U can grind this powder in bulk quantity. Store and use whenever you need.



Have a tsp of this diwali marundhu in empty stomach for 3 days. It will help you for better digestion.

Diwali-legiyam-recipe

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September 11, 2014

Millet Energy Mix Powder Recipe | Millet Sathu Maavu Recipe –Millet Recipes

millet powder

Last week when I went to Salem my MIL gave me this homemade mixed millet powder /Energy mix powder and told me to prepare Dosa or porridge for our breakfast/dinner. She also told me the quantity & the procedure of making it. I never thought its so easy to make. Sorry, I couldn’t take stepwise pictures. I will try to add it soon. Yesterday I made dosa with this flour and it came out very well. I was very happy & contented to get the benefits of all millet/sirudhaniyam in one recipe. Sendhil told me to blog this recipe as it may be useful to many of you. 

So here you go, my MIL’s mixed millet flour aka millet sathu maavu recipe for you all. But this powder is only for adults and not for kids. U can make any number of variations by adding moong dal, nuts and rice too. U can prepare all our south Indian breakfast recipes like porridge, dosa, kozhukattai, adai & paniyaram using this flour. Next week I will try to share some yummy recipes using this millet powder.

Till then check out my detailed post on millets and its varieties with its health benefits.

Mixed millet laddu recipe

 millet energy mix powder

Millet energy mix powder


Millet energy mix powder Energy mix powder recipe using millets for healthy breakfast and dinner !
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Yields: 1.5 kgs
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 30 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

  • Ragi/Finger millet - 1/4 kg
  • Varagu/Kodo millet - 1/4 kg
  • Saamai/Little millet - 1/4 kg
  • Kuthiravali/Barnyard millet - 1/4 kg
  • Kambu/Pearl millet - 1/4 kg
  • Thinai/Foxtail millet - 1/4 kg
METHOD

  • Clean the millets in muram if you suspect for any debris.

  • Heat a wide kadai and dry roast all the millets one by one. Stand nearby & keep mixing without moving around else it may burn as they are very small in size. Keep the flame medium high. Each millet takes maximum 3-4 minutes to get roasted.

  • Roast them one by one till its color changes slightly and you get a nice roasted smell. Collect them in a plate and let it cool.

  • After it cools down, grind them in a flour mill or mixie. Sieve it and spread the flour in a paper to cool down. Store in an air tight box. Stays good for months !


U can make sweet or salt porridge, Dosa by adding buttermilk, adai or even kozhukattai too !

Note
  • Roasting the millets gives a nice flavour to the powder. Don’t skip it but be careful while roasting. Do not burn them.
  • For variations,  you can add roasted green gram dal or yellow moong dal. U can add rice too.



Make this millet powder and enjoy the benefits of all millets in one recipe. 
Millet flour

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August 6, 2014

EASY INDIAN VEGETABLE SALAD RECIPE-SALAD RECIPES

 Mixed vegetable salad
We think about salad recipes only when we think about diet or weight loss, Right?. Whenever I pack vegetable salad for Sendhil’s lunch box, his colleagues ask him “What Sendhil, diet aa “ ?? We all have this mind set. I too had the habit of eating salads only in buffet and banquets and I was making varieties of vegetable and sprouts salad recipes for Sendhil’s lunch only to cut down the intake of rice when he was under diet to overcome some health issues.

But nowadays, I have introduced salads in our daily routine just to consume raw vegetables in a healthy and tasty way. I must thank my friend Shalini for urging me to make salad by suggesting some easy & quick recipes.When I browsed for mixed vegetable salad recipes, I found most of them with celery & lettuce leaves. But I couldn’t get these vegetables in small shops nearby my house. So I tried this simple salad recipe in Indian style with vegetables we can get easily even in petty shops especially in India. I used just 1/2 tsp of olive oil for salad dressing which is completely optional. Other than this, this is a low calorie, basic, simple Indian vegetable salad which you can make in minutes. Do try this healthy, easy salad recipe for your kids and family. Stay healthy and fit !
Vegetables for salad

Indian vegetable salad recipe


Indian vegetable salad recipe Mixed vegetable salad recipe using Indian vegetables !
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Salad
Serves: Serves 2
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 5 Minutes
Total time: 15 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

  • Carrot - 1 no (small)
  • Big onion - 1/2 no
  • Tomato - 1/2 no (use deseeded)
  • Cucumber - 1/4 no (small)
  • Capsicum- 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
  • Cabbage - 1 leaf (chopped or grated)
  • Coriander leaves - few
  • Salt - as needed
  • Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp (adjust)
  • Lemon juice - few drops
  • Olive oil or coking oil – 1/2 tsp
HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE SALAD - METHOD

  • Wash and chop all the vegetables into small cubes. Deseed tomato n cucumber if you are packing this salad for lunch box because it will leave water. Else deseeding is optional. Add salt, lemon juice and pepper powder. Mix well. Lastly add 1/2 tsp of oil, mix and serve ! Adjust the quantity of pepper powder as per your taste buds ! Enjoy !


Note

  • For variations, you can add a handful of pomegranate seeds to make it a colourful fruit and vegetable salad.
  • U can also add a handful of boiled sweet corn kernels.
  • If you are making for kids, try adding few pieces of badam, cashews and dates. It will give a crunchy taste.
  • This salad won’t leave water unless you add more tomatoes and cucumber with seeds.
Do check out my vegetable & fruits salad for kids and parties !


Try this easy, yummy, colorful salad recipe. U will love its simplicity and taste !
 


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August 4, 2014

Thinai Idli Recipe | Foxtail Millet Idli - Millet Recipes

Foxtail millet idli recipe

Last week I tried thinai idli recipe for the first time using fermentation method. Earlier I tried an Instant Foxtail millet idli which was a super flop. But this recipe worked out very well. Idli came out soft and spongy. I made idli as well as dosa with this batter. Its taste & texture was more like our usual idli, dosa. Only its color was not pure white.

We were very happy to have a healthy breakfast recipe & I was even more happy as i have got yet another interesting idli recipe to include in my idli varieties. In other languages, Thinai is called as ”Foxtail millet” in English,”Navane” in Kannada,”Kakum”in Hindi,”Korra” in Telugu,”Thina” in Malayalam,”Kaon” in Bengali,”Kang” in Marathi & Gujarati and ”Kanghu” in Oriya.

Last year few readers told me to post some quinoa recipes & I was thinking that quinoa in called as Thinai in Tamil.

But when I googled, I found quinoa & thinai (foxtail millet) are different. I will try to buy quinoa in Bangalore and try to post some healthy recipes with it. But before that, I wanted to share this easy and healthy millets recipe which is a great replacement for our rice idli. 

Please check this link to know more details about “Thinai & its health benefits” with pictures. Lets see how to make thinai arisi idli recipe . Soon I will share some more interesting recipes with other millets too. Don’t forget to check out my Mixed millet laddo recipe & other millet recipes .


Thinai

Thinai idli/Foxtail millet idli recipe


Thinai idli/Foxtail millet idli recipe Idli recipe using Foxtail millet - Healthy breakfast recipe !
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: 30
Prep time: 4 Hours
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 4H15M Minutes


INGREDIENTS
 1 cup = 250ml
  • Foxtail millet/Thinai - 2.5 cups
  • Idli rice/Salem rice - 1/2 cup
  • Urad dal - 1/2 cup
  • Aval/Poha - 1/4 cup
  • Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Salt & water - as needed
HOW TO MAKE THINAI IDLI - METHOD

  • Measure & take all the ingredients together and wash it carefully . Its better if you wash it using a strainer. Soak for 3-4 hours.
  • Grind them to a smooth paste adding required water and salt. Remove mix well and allow it to ferment overnight or minimum 8 hours.
  • The  next day, batter would have raised well (Not doubled). Now mix the batter very well and pour in a idli plate.
Thinai idli recipe
  • Boil water in a idli pan and keep the plates. Steam it for 10-15 minutes. Check with the back of a spoon for doneness. If the spoon comes out clean, idli is ready.
  • Remove  the idli plate and rest it for 2-3 minutes before removing them else it will be sticky.
  • Refrigerate the batter & make dosas the next day.
Enjoy !
Note

  • This batter becomes sour very quickly so refrigerate it after 8 hours till you use it.
  • Do not use more urad dal than the mentioned quantity because idli will become sticky.
  • Do not remove the idlis if its very hot. It may be sticky. Give a standing time of 2-3 minutes before u remove.
  • If the quality of urad dal is too bad,use little more than 1/2 cup. Similarly if the quality of dal is too good, use 1/3 cup. It varies.
  • U can also make dosas using the above batter.

Do Check out my Mixed Millet laddu recipe & other millet recipes if interested !

Thinai Dosai 
Thinai dosai

Enjoy this healthy foxtail millet/thinai idli for breakfast with your favourite chutney and sambar !

Thinai idli recipe
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August 1, 2014

AADI KANJI RECIPE/ARISI PARUPPU KANJI-AADI VELLI RECIPES

aadi kanji recipe

I made this arisi paruppu kanji/ rice dal porridge recipe for Aadi velli today. My MIL has the practice of offering this porridge for Mariamman on Aadi velli/friday. We call it as Mariamman kanji. My in-laws are with me for the past two weeks and we are having great days together. This time I learnt some yummy authentic recipes from her. This is one among them. In this porridge I have used rice & moong dal.It very easy to make & can be made in minutes. No need to roast the rice or dal. Its good for babies too.

Today I prepared this porridge for the first time and offered to Mariamman. It tasted yum. My in laws like this salty porridge more than the sweet ones and they usually have this for breakfast. Its a very filling & easily digestible porridge. Do try this easy porridge recipe for Aadi velli and get the blessings of Amman. Let see how to make this one step rice and dal porridge recipe.

Do check out my rice porridge recipe for babies.

aadi velli recipes

Aadi velli kanji recipe


Aadi velli kanji recipe Aadi kanji recipe for aadi velli using rice and moong dal
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: 4
Prep time: 2 Minutes
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 17 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 250ml
To pressure cook
  • Raw rice - 1/4 cup
  • Moong dal - 3 tbsp
  • Salt - as needed
  • Water - 2 cups
  • Boiled Milk - 1/2 cup
While offering
  • Melted ghee - 1 tsp
  • Jaggery - a small piece
HOW TO MAKE AADI KANJI - METHOD

  • Wash the rice and dal and take in a small pressure cooker. Add 2 cups of water and the required salt. Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles in low flame. It takes 10-12 minutes.
  • After the steam is released, open the cooker and add 1/2 cup of boiled milk .Give a boil. Adjust the consistency as you wish by adding more milk or water. We make it in spoonable consistency. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Aadi kanji step
  • Just before offering, pour a tsp of melted ghee & a small piece of jaggery on top.
    Offer to GOD and enjoy !


Note

  • Do not forget to keep a small piece of jaggery & a tsp of melted ghee while offering to GOD. Its a must !
   Do check out my rice porridge recipe for babies.


Aadi porridge recipe

Make this simple and healthy porridge for Aadi velli & get the blessings of God !
aadi-porridge-recipe

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July 21, 2014

MILLET LADDU RECIPE | MIXED MILLET LADOO - MILLETS RECIPES

millets laddu recipe
I am happy to share my first post on millet recipes/Siruthaniya unavugal(in Tamil). As I wanted to start with a easy sweet recipe, I tried this mixed millets laddu adding jaggery (Siruthaniya ladoo in Tamil) / Multi millet laddu. It came out very well. Sendhil loved it a lot. I have seen millet laddu recipes using ragi or thinai /Foxtail millet. 

For a change, I used all the millets like thinai, kambu, kuthiravali, saamai, varagu, ragi and in addition I used yellow moong dal and barley to make it like sathumaavu urundai/Health mix powder balls to get all the health benefits of millets. I made this laddu keeping Diabetic patients in mind. So I skipped sugar & used jaggery as I din’t have karuppatti/Palm jaggery in hand. U can give this ladoo to your kids too if they like jaggery flavour. Else make it with powdered sugar. 

U can store this laddu for weeks and give your kids one laddu a day. I am sure they will get all the nutrients required for them. Try this power packed easy millet laddu recipe for your family and enjoy the health benefits of all the millets in one go !

Do check out my detailed post on Millets varieties, how to identify them and where to buy it etc.

Millets ladoo

Mixed Millets laddu recipe



Mixed Millets laddu recipe Mixed Millets laddu recipe with jaggery – Healthy snacks recipes !
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Sweets
Serves: Yields 15nos
Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
  • Thinai /Foxtail millet– 3 tbsp
  • Kambu /Pearl millet– 3 tbsp
  • Ragi /Finger millet– 3 tbsp
  • Kuthiravali /Barnyard millet– 3 tbsp
  • Varagu / Kodo millet– 3 tbsp
  • Saamai /Little millet– 3 tbsp
  • Moong dal – 2 tbsp
  • Barley – 1 tbsp
  • Grated jaggery – 3/4 –1 cup
  • Cardamom seeds– 4 nos
  • Melted Ghee – 6 tbsp (adjust)
METHOD - HOW TO MAKE MILLET LADDU

  • In a wide kadai, take all the millets, moong dal, barley and cardamom seeds. Dry roast it in medium flame till you get a nice roasted aroma. Roasting takes 10 minutes based on the flame you keep. Make sure you don’t burn the millets while roasting. (If you want, you can roast the millets one by one).
Millets laddu recipe step1
  • Allow it to cool. In the mean time, grate the jaggery and melt the ghee & roast the cashews. Now grind the roasted millets to a fine powder. Sieve if necessary.
Millets laddu recipe step2
  • After its ground smooth, add the grated jaggery and again grind it to a fine powder. Check for sweetness. Add more jaggery if you need.
Millets laddu recipe step3
  • Now take the ground mixture in a wide bowl. Make a dent in the center. Add the melted ghee and roasted cashews. Mix well with the ladle as the ghee is hot.
Millets laddu recipe step4
  • Once the mixture is warm, mix well with your hands and make balls. Add more ghee if needed OR you can also add few drops of milk or water if you want to reduce the quantity of ghee. But the shelf life of laddu will be reduced if you add milk. So use it accordingly.
  • Make all ladoos and store in an air tight box. Enjoy. It stays good for weeks.
Millets laddu recipe step5

Note
  • Adjust the quantity of grated jaggery as per your sweet buds.
  • If you add less jaggery, you may need to add more ghee.
  • Sieving the ground flour is completely optional. If you don’t sieve, you may get some crunchy taste while eating not very smooth.
  • U can also add a handful of fried gram dal while roasting millets. It gives a nice flavour and an added benefit for kids.
  • U can also replace jaggery with sugar if you want to make it for kids.

Make this easy and healthy millet laddu, enjoy eating and reap its health benefits !
Millets


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July 15, 2014

Millet - Types Of Millets, Health Benefits, Glossary(Kambu, Thinai, Saamai, Varagu, Kuthiraivali, Ragi)

Different types of millets
Different types of millets in India

Today's post is about different types of millets (Siruthaniyam vagaigal in Tamil) varieties, its health benefits, nutritional information/calories for millets and its names in different languages like English, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada that are available in India. I must thank my in-laws for giving me knowledge about these millets (Siruthaniyam in Tamil). Nowadays people are becoming more and more health conscious. We all started looking for some better alternatives for rice and wheat to reduce its daily consumption. For those people, millets are really wonder grains or miracle grains I should say.

Millets are the power house of fiber, calcium, minerals & Iron. When my in-laws told me about these millets I had no idea of how it looks, where to buy & how to cook them too. So my FIL bought me 1/2 kg in each variety from Lee bazaar, Salem – Tamil nadu. I tried some recipes with it and everything came out very well. Then I started buying some varieties like kambu, thinai & varagu from a shop nearby my house in Bangalore.

Before sharing all those recipes, I wanted to make a post mentioning about the different types of millets, How to identify them, How to name it in different languages, where to buy & its health benefits . I have made a separate post on “How to cook Millets”. This post would be more of essays/stories with pictures. This is just an introductory post for millets. I will share some interesting recipes from next week. Thanks for visiting this page. Hope it would be useful for beginners. Start including millets in your daily cooking. Have a happy and healthy life !

U can find these topics below

What is millet

Names of millets in different languages

Where to buy millets in Bangalore

Health benefits of millets

Foxtail millet

Pearl millet

Barnyard millet

Little millet

Finger millet

Kodo millet


Disclaimer : All the nutritional information given here is from a millet book and www.milletindia.org

Check out my "HOW TO COOK MILLETS" in 3 different ways if interested !


Also see my varieties of  MILLET RECIPES to include in your regular cooking. 

Check out my MILLET POWDER / SATHUMAAVU  and MILLET LADOO RECIPE

Millets in India
Millet varieties in India

WHAT ARE MILLETS

Millets are a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for both human food and fodder. Its not just a type of bird seed. It can be consumed by humans in the form of pilafs, snacks and cookies too. It has a sweet nutty flavor. Millets are widely grown in Africa and Northen China. It is gluten free & rich in calcium, fiber, protein and minerals. It has high nutritional values when compared with rice and wheat. Millets are called as miracle grains or wonder grains. It is a great food for people looking for weight loss, diabetic and cardiac patients.


Should anyone avoid eating it?

People with thyroid problems should avoid eating millet on a daily basis as it is believed to contain some goitrogen properties. Some people may also experience indigestion. So consume in moderation. Its better to pre soak millets for 6 hours, drain the soaked water and then use it. It helps to avoid indigestion and stomach problems. 

Source : Wikipedia



GLOSSARY- NAMES OF MILLETS IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
Source: Google and Wikipedia

MILLETS NAME IN TAMIL

English Tamil
Finger Millet Kezhvaragu
Kodo Millet Varagu
Foxtail Millet Thinai
Little Millet Samai
Barnyard Millet Kuthiravali
Pearl Millet Kambu
Sorghum Cholam

MILLETS NAME IN HINDI

English Hindi
Finger Millet Nachani /mundua
Kodo Millet Koden/Kodra
Foxtail Millet Kangni/Rala
Little Millet Kutki
Barnyard Millet Jhangora
Pearl Millet Bajra
Sorghum Jowar

MILLETS NAME IN TELUGU

English Telugu
Finger Millet Ragula
Kodo Millet Arikelu
Foxtail Millet Korra
Little Millet Sama
Barnyard Millet Odalu
Pearl Millet Sajjalu
Sorghum Jonna

MILLETS NAMES IN KANNADA

English Kannada
Finger Millet Ragi
Kodo Millet Harka
Foxtail Millet Navane
Little Millet Saame
Barnyard Millet Oodalu
Pearl Millet Sajje
Sorghum Jola

MILLETS NAMES IN MALYALAM

English Malayalam
Finger Millet Panji pullu
Kodo Millet Koovaragu
Foxtail Millet Thina
Little Millet Chama
Barnyard Millet Kavadapullu
Pearl Millet Kambam
Sorghum Cholam



WHERE TO BUY MILLETS IN BANGALORE

You can find millets in most of the organic stores, online organic shops and departmental stores like Big bazaar, Metro cash and carry, Nilgiris, Dmart in metro cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

There are some other shops who supply millets from farmers to the end users. Here is the list.

For more details on organic stores in Bangalore, You can try Organic mandya in HSR layout. Dmart Healthy choice brand is good. Manna Millet is really bad. Most of the time it has dust and sand in it.  
 
Earth360www.earth360.in, [email protected] +919440870875

Sahaja OrganicsNew No. 19, Old No. 665, 1st floor, Opp: Times of India, Sajjanrao road, VV Puram 080 26612315/ 26661420

Timbuktu OrganicsYou can buy their products across outlets in Bangalore.

Era Organics – No. 348, Dollars Colony, RMV Club Double Road, RMV Second Stage Ph: 80- 41606003/41606004

Navadarshanam, stocked in Mother Earth, Namdhari and other retail stores across the city.

Nativefoodstore for Chennai people and online purchase. 

Nowadays Millets are widely available in all over India. You can find in big departmental stores like Dmart, Metro cash n carry, Big bazaar, Nilgiris etc or in online like big basket, Amazon.in etc.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF MILLETS

These are some of the general health benefits of millets when consumed everyday!

Source: Whfoods.com
  • Millets are generally rich in Protein, Fibre, Calcium, Iron & Minerals especially Magnesium, copper & phosphorous.
  • It helps to reduce cholesterol, lowers blood pressure. It helps in the development, repair of body cells and tissues.
  • It helps to lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes especially for women.
  • Its high insoluble fibre helps to prevent Gallstones formation.
  • Pre-menopausal women eating millets have a reduced breast cancer risk.
How to select and buy

Millet is generally available in its hulled and whole-grain form. It is available in pre-packaged as well as in bulk containers. Just as with any other food that you may purchase in the bulk section, make sure that the bins containing the millet are covered to ensure its maximal freshness. Whether purchasing millet in bulk or in a packaged container, make sure that there is no evidence of moisture.
Store millet in an airtight container in a cool, dry and dark place, where it will keep for several months.
Millet is not a commonly allergenic food and is not known to contain measurable amounts of oxalates or purines.

Check out my "HOW TO COOK MILLETS" in 3 different ways if interested !

Check out my Millet Energy mix powder / Millet sathumaavu too. 

KAMBU/PEARL MILLET


Pearl millet /kambu
Kambu/Pearl millet

Pearl millet known as Kambu in Tamil, Bajra in Hindi, Sajje in Kannada, Sajjalu in Telugu and Kambam in Malayalam is a miracle millet which has iron that is 8 times of rice. It is very rich in Calcium, Protein, Iron and Magnesium. It helps to reduce the bad cholestral level in our body. Its a great body coolant. Its consumed as porridge during summer. It helps to improve the digestion power & heals stomach ulcers too. It helps to improve bowel movements and prevents constipation. It makes our body strong. It helps to increase the secretion of milk for lactating mothers !


Nutrition Information Per 100gm

Serving Size The serving size, in terms of the number of volume or mass
Calories 378kcal for 100gm


Minerals (grams) 2.3
Iron(mg) 16.9
Calcium (mg) 38
Protein (grams) 10.6
Fiber (grams)

1.3

Check out my Kambu recipes to make kids eat them.




FINGER MILLET/RAGI

Finger millet popularly known as Ragi in Kannada, Keppai in tamil, Ragula in Telugu & panji pullu in Malayalam, Nachani/mandua in Hindi is a well known millet & consumed widely by the people all over the world.Ragi has the highest mineral & calcium content when compared to all whole grains & minerals. It is called as wonder grain. It is a powerhouse of protein & amino acids. It helps to reduce the heat of the body. It also helps to heal ulcers & anemia. Its a great replacement for rice & wheat especially for diabetic patients.

Nutrition Information for 100gm



Serving Size The serving size, in terms of the number of volume or mass


Iron (mg) 3.9
Calcium(mg) 344
Fat (grams) 8.4
Protein (grams) 7.3
Fiber (grams) 3.6
Minerals (grams) 2.7

Check out my various RAGI RECIPES too !

FOXTAIL MILLET/THINAI

foxtail millet- thinai
Foxtail millet/ thinai

Foxtail millet known as thinai in Tamil, Kangni/Rala in Hindi, Navane in Kannada, Korra in telugu and thina in Malayalam is first of millet varities that was used in ancient days. Foxtail millet is high in carbohydrates. It is rich in dietry fiber and minerals such as Copper and Iron. It helps us to keep our body strong and immune. It helps to control blood sugar and cholesteral levels.

Nutrition Information for 100gm




Serving Size The serving size, in terms of the number of volume or mass
Calories 364
Minerals(grams) 3.3
Iron(g) 2.8
Calcium (Milli grams) 31
Fat (grams)4.3
Protein (grams) 12.3
Fiber (grams) 8


Check out my 

THINAI IDLI RECIPE



KODO MILLET/VARAGU


KODO MILLET
Kodo millet/ Varagu

Kodo millet known as varagu in Tamil, Harka in Kannada, Koovaragu in Malayalam, Kodra in Hindi and Arikelu in Telugu. Its basically a digestion friendly millet. It is rich in phytochemicals, Phytate that helps in reduction of cancer risks. It helps to reduce the body weight which is most needed for obese people. It helps to overcome irregular period problems in women. It helps to reduce knee & joint pains. Also it is good for diabetic people. It reduces nervous disorders especially in eyes.

Nutrition Information Per 100gms




Serving Size The serving size, in terms of the number of volume or mass
Calories 309
Fat (grams) 2.2
Iron (mg) 0.8
Calcium (milligrams) 14
Minerals(grams) 1.9
Protein (grams) 12.5
Fiber (grams) 2.2

Check out my


BARNYARD MILLET/KUTHIRAIVALI


BARNYARD MILLET
Barnyard millet - Kuthiravali

Barnyard millet known as kuthiraivali in Tamil, Oodalu in Kannada, odalu in Telugu, Jhangora in Hindi and Kavadapullu in Malayalam which has 6 times high fiber content when compared with wheat. Its a gluten free millet with high calcium, phosporous & fiber. It is high in carbohydates & fat too. It helps to maintain the body temperature. It acts as a good anti oxidant too.

Nutrition Information Per 100gms




Serving Size The serving size, in terms of the number of volume or mass
Calories 342
Iron(mg) 15.2
Fat (grams) 4
Calcium(Milli grams) 11
Protein (grams) 11.2
Fiber (grams) 10.1
Minerals(grams) 4.4

Check out my 


LITTLE MILLET/SAMAI


Little millet - Saamai
Little millet - Saamai

Little millet known as saamai in Tamil, Kutki in Hindi, Saame in Kannada,Sama in Telugu & chama in Malayalam is a wonderful millet which is suitable for people of all age groups. It helps to prevent constipation & heals all the problems related to stomach. It improves the semen counts of men. It also helps for women with irregular periods problems. Its high fiber helps to reduce the fat depositions in the body.

Nutrition Information Per 100gms




Serving Size The serving size, in terms of the number of volume or mass
Calories 207
Minerals(grams) 1.5
Protein (grams) 7.7
Fiber (grams) 7.6
Iron(mg)
Calcium(mg)
9.3
17

You may like to see

 SAMAI BIRYANI

SAMAI SWEET PONGAL

Check out my "HOW TO COOK MILLETS" in 3 different ways if interested !

Also see my varieties of MILLET RECIPES to include in your regular cooking.

Check out my Millet Energy mix powder / Millet sathumaavu  and a sweet ladoo recipe with millet powder. 





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