Do you know Millet?

If you are interested in a healthy, traditional or gluten-free cuisine., stay on my post.

I want to bring to your attention nutritional yellow shiny balls known as Millet.

All Millet belongs to Poaceae family or Grass family and has a variety of crop.

Millet is a small, round whole yellow grain grown in India and other Asian and African countries. However, modern cuisine neglects them quite a bit and that's a great pity.

Millet is not a separate crop. These are peeled balls of Proso Millet, stripped of hard skins, which are inedible for humans unlike birds.

It is said that they were cultivated already in the Stone Age. The Egyptians and the ancient Greeks made bread and beer from this crop, and they were the main source of sustenance for the Etruscans. In the Middle Ages, they were also widespread in Europe. . Millet (or millet flour) is the basis of many dishes in Africa and Asia and it is widely grown in India, China, North Africa.

Although millet is a source of carbohydrates, it has a large proportion of easily digestible proteins, up to 11%, 8% fiber, about 4% unsaturated fatty acids. It contains group B vitamins, an unusually high proportion of minerals and trace elements such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, zinc, silicon or manganese.

Millet is highly digestible and very nutritious. It is perhaps the least allergenic cereal, which is why it can be included in the first baby foods. It is suitable for everyone. It does not contain gluten, so it is a frequent food on the menu of celiacs and people allergic to gluten. Millet also should be consumed in moderation.

Thanks to the content of group B vitamins, it has a positive effect on the psyche. Due to its high iron content, it can be recommended to anaemic people. Thanks to zinc, healing is accelerated, silicon and magnesium help to improve the condition of the skin, teeth and hair. The high fiber content and medium glycaemic index play into the cards for those who want to reduce their weight.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, millet is a warming food that strengthens the spleen, kidneys and eyes. Its consumption is suitable for colds

Before the preparation itself, it is essential to rinse millet in a sieve with water, then scald it with boiling water to remove any bitterness. Then you just boil it in a liquid , either in water, milk, plant-based drinks or, for example, in a broth in the ratio of 1 part wheat to 2 parts liquid for about 15 minutes. The more liquid you add, the mushier the resulting dish will be.

Because millet contains a large amount of fat, it can turn yellow quickly. Therefore, it is not good to store it for a long time.

Proso Millet is suitable for preparing sweet and salty dishes. It can be used to prepare salty and sweet porridges, pancakes, puddings, it can be used in risotto-style dishes, as a side dish, as a preserve for soups, added to salads or stuffed with cabbage leaves.

I like to be inspired by various vegan or vegetarian recipes and here is one of the delicious recipe : Normally I look for more vegan recipes than vegetarian as vegetarian can contain eggs too. This recipe offers two options either with egg or a vegan version: Replace egg with flax seed by mixing 1 tablespoon of flaxseed with 2 tablespoons of warm water and et it sit for 15 minutes.

This healthy recipe can be presented as the main dish and it can be served with a tomato sauce, or depends on each taste. Time of preparation was 30 minutes and I created 12 smaller millet pancakes.

MILLET POTATO PANCAKES

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of dry millet

• 1 cup of water

• 1pinch of salt

• 5 large potatoes

• 1 onion

• 1 egg (or1 tablespoon of flaxseed mixed in 2 tablespoons of water for a vegan version)

• 1-2 cloves of garlic or wild garlic

• 4 tablespoons of buckwheat flour (or plain flour)

• rapeseed oil or ghee (clarified butter that contains less milk proteins than regular butter)

Spices :

• marjoram

• carraway seeds

• a mixture of spices or optional

• salt

• pepper

Method:

1. Peel and finely grate the potatoes.

2. Cut the onion.

3. Squeeze all the water out of the potatoes, mix in the other ingredients, including boiled millet and spices, season with salt and pepper.

4. Form patties from the dough and fry on both sides in oil or ghee. Or use a healthier method of preparation and bake in an oven heated to 200 °C on baking paper, drizzled with oil or ghee, drizzle the pancakes from above. Turn several times during baking.

Enjoy a meal !