THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There’s good news for porotta lovers in the state as the Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare is coming out with a healthy millet-based avatar of this hugely popular food item.
Millet porotta will be one of the prime value-added products to reach consumers under the Kerala Agro brand.
Nutritionists at the Indian Institute of Millet Research Centre, Hyderabad have prepared the recipe. Millet-based cake, pazhampori (banana fritters) and gruel have become instant hits even before their official launch on October 1 by Agriculture Minister P Prasad.
The Food and Agriculture Organization and United Nations had recognised 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM2023) to create awareness about its health and nutritional benefits.
The Agriculture Department had set up an exhibition showcasing an array of millet products in Thiruvananthapuram in November - December during the fag end of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s Nava Kerala Sadas.
The acceptance was phenomenal as the quality and taste of millet products were good. Moreover, the rates were also pocket-friendly. These factors led the officials in the department to think of setting up permanent millet cafés in all the 14 districts.
Simultaneously, they decided to come up with the ‘Kerala Agro’ brand which saw them launching three shops at Ulloor, Thirumala and Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram district alone. A top Agriculture Department official told TNIE that they envisaged to have ready-to-cook dishes and cooked food made of millets.
“People are keen to lead a healthy way of living which has led a large chunk of people to include millets in their diet. There has also been a campaign against porotta which is made of maida," said an Agriculture Department official.
Later, we started having wheat porotta. Now, porotta lovers can devour porotta made of millets without having any guilt pangs. Prawn biryani made with millet is another attractive item on the menu. At millet cafés, people can get breakfast, lunch and snacks made out of millet,” the official added.
Currently, the authorities have invited applications from youths with hotel management degrees for a week-long training at IIMRC, Hyderabad.