If millet still carries the reputation of being bird food, I would rather be that bird. This pseudo-grain is far healthier than most stuff we eat. Millet is an ancient grain finding its roots deeply embedded in our culture. Sustainable as a crop with great drought resistance, millet has seen much more media coverage recently and had been gaining popularity as a gluten-free option.
The swap over to millets in my household was consciously slow. Ragi was perhaps the easiest as my husband used to it with the Karnataka cuisine. Over the period of time I have used various millets and in different forms. Now, millets come up at least 3 to 4 times a week in our meals. To add variety, the various forms make it so easy to use.
Whole grain
The whole grain millet can be cooked and use it just like we use rice. I prefer the saucepan method to cook millets and use them in the following recipes or simply with a curry on the Indian thali meal
Do you have trouble cooking millets?
Here is the link you can follow how to cook millets perfectly?
To use, try these recipes
Mushroom millet pulao
Soft cooked millet can be used to make
Thani Kara Pongal
KodomilletThairr saadam
Flour
As a gluten-free flour, millets make a wonderful base to bake cakes and muffins.
Try this Finger millet (ragi ) chocolate cake for instance
Or
Dry roast the millet and use it as a flour to make sweet treats
Here I have used Pearl millet (bajra) in a ladoo recipe aka energy ball
Grits
I love to use the grits to make a porridge, both a sweet one or the savoury.
Little millet ( saamai) Koozhu
Kodomillet (varagu) Pal payasam
Flakes
This is the first time I am using millet flakes. The flakes are much smaller than poha or flattened rice and soften much faster. So this is a very quick method to have a satisfying meal.
This quick upma recipe with little millet is quite filling. Further, I am going to try these flakes to do dahi chuda or ladoo as well.
This contribution
This recipe is added to Shh cooking secretly challenge. This millet recipe collection was proposed by Aruna, who has partnered with me earlier as well. My partnerfor this challenge is Poornima, who had thoughtfully checked what is available for me at this lockdown period. She the proposed millet flakes and green chillies as my secret ingredients which were available in my pantry. So I added in the fresh fenugreek leaves and frozen peas to create a kharabath style upma. The little millet flakes are really tiny and soak up in a matter of seconds. The vegetables lightened the density of this upma. I am so glad I tried this as it is the quickest upma I have made so far. Hope you enjoy it too.
Stay tuned for more recipes and try the millets today. I have served this millet upma with Almond chutney and masala chai
If you have any questions or comments on the recipe do let know in the discussion below. Stay in touch and don’t miss to subscribe.
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Methi mattar millet flakes upma
Ingredients
vegetables needed
- 1/2 cup Onion ( chopped)
- 1 large bundle fenugreek leaves ( approximately giving 1 cup of chopped fenugreek)
- 1 cup frozen peas ( Or fresh)
- 1-2 green chilli
- 1/2 tsp ginger ( grated)
- 10-15 curry leaves
for millet flakes
- 3 cups drinking water
- 1.5 cups millet flakes
Other ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil ( or any cooking oil / Ghee)
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp Urad Dal
- salt to taste
- 1 pinch Asafoetida
- 1 pinch turmeric powder
Instructions
Prep work
- Pick the fenugreek leaves, Wash clean and chop them to get 1 cup tightly packed leaves.
- Keep the peas ready, Chop the onion, ginger and green chillies and set aside
- In a large bowl add the millet flakes and the water and soak them for three minutes
- Drain the millet flakes and keep them aside.
To make the upma
- Add the coconut oil a deep heavy pan and follow it by the mustard and the urad dal ( split blackgram dal)
- Add the ginger, green chillies, curry leaves, and chopped onions and saute till onion translucent
- Add the fenugreek leaves and peas and saute them
- Add the salt, turmeric powder and the asafoteida and mix well.
- Add the soaked millet flakes and mix it all well on a low heat
- Mix well till te millet flakes are well coated with the mix of vegetables and the slight bit of water in the mix evaporates.
- The upma is ready, serve warm with chutney
I started buying millet flakes recently too, and using them in conjunction with the regular rice flakes. Your millet upma looks so delicious and tempting! I’ll definitely try out your version shortly. 🙂
I will wait to see your validation. here is a suggestion. if you want it a bit more separate grains use a slightly bigger flake, little millet flakes are so tiny, they mush up faster.
Use of millet flakes in upma is interesting. It is so nutritious and healthy.Will look out for millet flakes here once things are back to normal. Upma looks scrumptious.
Infact, I found this during the clearout at the Indian grocery, so a clear luxury for me here. Hope you find it easily after all this lockdown
Different upma with millet flakes and it must be delicious with the addition of methi and green peas.
Indeed it was a delicious recipe. Hope you can try it some time
I have never tried millet flakes and this looks quite an interesting way to include millet in your diet. A quick and a healthy way to include nutritious food. Looks yum
No doubt it was quick and the flakes were so easy to handle. Please do give it a try when you find this.
Such an innovative recipe Seema, I have seen millet flakes being sold in Bangalore and they also include them in cereals but have not used them. Next time will definitely buy them as now I have a recipe to follow. Such a healthy start to the day and I too prefer millets over other grains.
That is true I have seen a lot more millet products when in Bengaluru as well. This looks like a brand they import internationally. So hopefully you will find them.
this looks like my kind of dish, Seema ! I must try sourcing the millet flakes online (not available here in local markets)… the quick upma is very tempting !
Your post is tempting me to get hold of some millet flakes . This methi matar millet upma sounds so nutritious and filling !
This is such an interesting dish. Goodness of millets, methi leaves and green peas makes it a perfect one pot lunch/dinner dish.
Methi mattar millet flakes upma looks delicious and very inviting. Never heard about millet flakes, such a healthy and tasty breakfast.
Methi matar millet upma sounds so nutritious and delicious. Always used flour never used millet flakes. Now I will try sometime. Loved the use of methi in the upma.
Never used millet flakes..this such a wonderful idea to use millet flakes ..peas, methi and millets this is one healthy dish to start the day!!
WOW !!! seema this upma looks so so healthy and delicious 🙂 I have not tried my hand in using millet flakes, will surely buy if i get. it must be more delicious with the addition of methi and green peas here…………..
Sounds interesting idea with millet flakes. So healthy and nutritious upma.
Wow, what a interesting recipe using bajra flakes. Love to try this.!
Poornima, glad you will try. I have used little millet flakes here. let me know how it turns out with bajra flakes.
I too will prefer to be the bird, Seema after all birds of the same feather… Your millets flakes umpa looks yum. I have not tried flakes but this sounds interesting! Will definitely love to try making upma with millets flakes.