Millets more sought after now

Kuthiravali’, ‘saamai’ and ‘varagu’ are becoming quite popular with health-conscious customers in the city

Have you tried making ‘thinai’ tomato rice or ‘varagu puliodharai’? These are really great preparations that are easy to cook, are healthy and taste great by simple recipe.  Cook the ‘thinai’ with water and some salt in a heavy pan, till it is three-quarters cooked. Crackle mustard, urad dhal and green chillies, sauté tomatoes, toss it all in with the thinai and cook till it dries. But be careful to not overcook the millets.Millets such as ‘kuthiravali’, ‘saamai’ and ‘varagu’ are becoming quite popular orders are received for  ‘maapillai samba. ‘naattu kambu’ and ‘cholam’, are more fibre and a lower glycemic index when compared to rice or wheat. mix powdered ‘kambu’ and ‘cholam’ with dosa/idli batter along with some asafoetida powder, chillies, chopped onion and curry leaves. Though the colour of the idli and dosa changes, it is very tasty,” she says.Ananthoo of Safe Food Alliance says people must, however, take care the millets are not polished as they lose their fibre that way. “‘Varagu’ is supposed to be dark brown in colour, ‘thinai’ should be a strong yellow, and ‘samai’ and ‘kuthiravali’ look greyish,” he says.