Memories are rolling back to my childhood days as I am writing this recipe. The memory of the simple recipes what my grandma prepared those days using millets. I remember I last consumed kuthiraivali sadam (Barnyard millet rice) by her preparations. She would cook it in a traditional method – boiling the water, cooking the millet and draining the excess water once cooked using a big pot. That was the last time I had millet back at home before the millet trend started everywhere around me. There were no fancy rice recipes using millets at our home. We would prepare it how every South Indian prepares rice on daily basis these days and consume it with any kind of gravy to accompany it.
Except the rice grains, we have been continuing the Cholam, Bajra and Ragi even now. These grains are still in frequent use back at home. My In laws and husband are not a fan of millet except what I have mentioned that we are using even now. So I cook in once in a while in small quantities for my craving. Millets are always good to eat when it is hot and freshly prepared. But I also pack it for my lunch when prepared this way. I just reheat it at my office and have with fried vadams and papadum.
Basic Information:
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
Barnyard Millet / Kuthiraivali Rice – 1/2 cup
Oil – 1 tablespoon
Fennel seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
Star Anise – 1 no.
Bayleaves – no.
Cinnamon stick – 1 inch length piece
Cloves – 2 nos.,
Kalpasi – a small pinch
Curry leaves – 1 spring
Onion – 1 no, thinly sliced
Ginger garlic paste – 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Tomato – 2 nos., medium size, ripe
Red chilli powder – 2 teaspoon or to taste
Coriander powder – 1 and 1/2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder – a big pinch
Salt – to taste
Water – 1 and 1/2 cups
Method:
1) Wash the barnyard millet well and soak it in water for 30 minutes. Water level just above 1 inch from the rice.
2) meanwhile, Thinly slice onion and freshly mince ginger garlic. Roughly slice tomato and grind it to a fine paste. Keep aside.
3) In a wide pan or pressure cooker, heat oil. throw the spices and let it splutter. Add curry leave.
4) Add onion and saute till it becomes soft and translucent. add ginger garlic paste and continue sauteing till it blends well with onion and the raw smell goes off. It takes few minutes.
5) Add ground tomato and cook till it becomes nice red in colour and thick.
6) Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well for 1 minute.
7) Add water and allow it to boil.
8) When it is boiling, drain the water from barnyard millet and add to the pan.
9) Mix well and make sure there is no lumps forming.
10) Cover and continue cooking almost 3/4th of the water content is absorbed.
11) Turn off the stove and cover it again using the lid.
12) After few minutes, you can see the remaining water content is absorbed well. Gently fluff it off and serve hot with Papadum.
Notes:
1) Adjust red chilli powder according to its spiciness. I ground both whole dry red chilli and whole coriander seeds together and used in this rice.
2) Soak the rice for 30 minutes for softness and serve immediately once it is cooked. It tends to become dry very soon.
Wow this is too good to resist… Gr8 idea…
Very useful recipes using millets.
Àwesome recipe..