CHENNAI:Parents are always concerned that their children miss out on essential nutrients in their daily diet, especially in form of traditional cereals like millets. So experts have found a solution. Grow sufficient quantity of millets on the terrace of your houses for daily use to meet dietary needs of kids.
The millet varieties that can be grown on the terrace are Pearl millet (Kambu), Foxtail millet (Tenai), Proso millet or white millet (Panivaragu), Fingermillet (Kelvargu or ragi), Barnyard millet (Kuthiravaali), Kodomillet (Varagu), Littlemillet (Samai) and Sorghum (Cholam or jowar). About one to two kilos of millets can be grown on rooftop according to the requirement of a particular household. Millet scores over other crops as it does not require much water for growth and can be grown during dry months.
After harvest, the leftovers can be used as fodder for cattle. Besides that, it involves no use of pesticides and the duration of cultivation is just three months. The cereal is abundant in proteins, fibres, calcium and iron, which are necessary for all age groups. “Today, a lot of people are showing interest in growing millets in their houses. The quantity grown in their houses can be used for cooking a variety of dishes that suits the taste buds of children,” says M Devanathan, head of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Information and Training Centre, Chennai.
The university conducts training programmes on ‘preparation of millets items’, which teaches the dishes that can be done using millets. “Every millet has its own nutrient and advantages,” says Devanathan. “Kodo millet, for instance, is used to cure inflammation, diseases of the liver, dysentery and is considered to keep the body warm. Barnyard millet is highly nutritious as compared to other major cereals (see box).”
FOXTAIL MILLET PAYASAM
Ingredients
Method:
Roast the millet in ghee. Add two cups of water for one cup of millet grain and pressure cook the roasted millet up to four whistles. Dissolve jaggery in a cup of warm water and filter. Boil the jaggery water till it becomes slightly thick, add the cooked millet and keep cooking until it blends with the jaggery syrup. Add coconut milk to the mixture and boil. Fry cashewnuts in ghee and pour over the payasam.
LITTLE MILLET NOODLES
Ingredients
Method:
Soak the little millet for three hours and grind. Add salt while grinding. Cook the batter in a kadai with a tablespoon of oil. When the dough changes colour, make small balls. Steam the balls and press it in the idiappam extruder. Season the grated onion, tomato, capsicum, cabbage and green chilli with one spoon of oil and saute. Sprinkle garam masala. Add the extruded idiyappam and mix. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with sauce.
SORGHUM PANIYARAM
Ingredients
Method: Soak all the ingredients separately for four hours and grind it well like an idli batter. Allow the batter to ferment for seven hours. For spicy paniyaram, add onion and dried chillies to the batter. For sweet paniyaram, add palm jaggery and cardamom to the batter. Cook the batter in a paniyaram vessel till it becomes golden brown.