turmeric flavoured millet, amaranth & seasonal vegetables

I thought I would share this simple but extremely quick and easy nutritious meal I have most mornings. You will appreciate how easily the body digests it. It is my first meal at around 10 or 11 o’clock, depending on when I feel the first signs of hunger.

I love these one-pot meals, which use several different foods cooked in a single pot with ample water.

tips

• The importance of this dish is finding the right millet to use. I use a tiny grain (foxtail millet) instead of the bigger commonly found millet, which can become quite dry when cooked.  The foxtail millet is much finer and softly moist, and when combined with amaranth, the two together create a very soothing, playful texture.
• Amaranth is high in protein and fibre, rich in vitamins, and exceptionally rich in the amino acid lysine, which is absent in most other cereal grains. It is also high in calcium and has an iron content four times higher than brown rice.
• I change the vegetables according to what is in season and what can be picked from the garden. Sometimes, I use celery when there is no fennel or broccoli, spinach instead of kale, sweet peas instead of beans, etc.

TURMERIC FLAVOURED MILLET, AMARANTH & VEGETABLES

serves 2

The dish can be made with quinoa, rice or any grain of your choice – the cooking times may vary.

ingredients 

¼ cup/50g millet

¼ cup/50g amaranth

2 cups water

1 tsp ghee

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 cup fresh seasonal vegetables – carrot, cherry tomatoes, green beans, cabbage, a handful of small broccoli florets, finely chopped

½ medium fennel bulb, finely chopped

voggarane 

1 Tbsp ghee

1 tsp cumin seeds

6 fresh curry leaves, roughly torn

pinch asafoetida (optional)

½ tsp fine rock salt

1 tsp jaggery or brown sugar

few rounds of freshly ground pepper

a handful of green leaves (kale, small broccoli leaves, chard, etc)

¼ cup coriander leaves, chopped 

preparation 

1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, wash the millet and amaranth, drain, and pour in 2 cups water, one heaped spoon of ghee, and turmeric. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a rapid simmer, and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes.
2. Add the vegetables that require more cooking time and set aside the broccoli and fresh green leaves, which will be added just before they have finished cooking. Allow to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat, add the broccoli florets greens, cover and set aside.

prepare the voggarane 

1. Heat ghee in a small saucepan. Add cumin seeds, asafoetida (if using), and curry leaves. Allow to sizzle for a few seconds, swishing the pan to fry the spices evenly. Add to the millet and vegetables.
2. Stir in the salt, pepper and jaggery, recover and allow to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes before serving.

to serve

If not serving with pickle, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, add half an avocado or a scoop of yoghurt, and lavishly drizzle with ghee.

update

I enjoyed this this morning while sitting in the sun. I made an okra and red pepper palya, which I sautéed together in a very hot skillet, charring the edges a bit. It was a delicious combination.

Goodness shared from Stacey