Barnyard Millet with Fresh Pomegranate

A healthy change from refined rice

Chef Manjit Gill

Barnyard millet or 'little millet' is a good alternative for rice; it serves as a healthy change for many refined rice products on the market. All dishes that feature rice may instead be cooked with Barnyard millet.

Like all millets, Barnyard millets are also high in protein and rich in minerals like potassium, zinc, iron, calcium, and vitamin B3.

Barnyard millets are best for your metabolism too, and can be eaten daily, just like rice!  

Soak millets 10 mins / Prep time 10 mins / Cooking time 25-30 mins / Serves 4

Ingredients

  1. 2 cups Barnyard millets
  2. 6 cups water
  3. 1 ½ teaspoon rock salt
  4. 4 tablespoon ghee
  5. 4  tejpata
  6. 1.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
  7. 16 almonds soaked for 5 -6 hours and remove their skin.
  8. 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
  9. 1 teaspoon black pepper corn freshly pounded.
  10. 1 cup green peas boiled
  11. 4 green chilies slit
  12. 4 tablespoons ginger grated.
  13. 1 cups fresh pomegranate juice

Method

  1. Put pomegranate juice into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Keep cooking on low heat and reduce to half by continuous stirring. 
  2. Remove from heat. (Reduced pomegranate juice may be stored in an airtight glass bottle. Keep it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for a month.
  3. Take Barnyard millet in a pot and wash thoroughly and drain well. Now add 1 teaspoon of rock salt and soak in 6 cups of warm water for 6-7 hours.
  4. Now keep the Barnyard millet pot on medium heat until the water is almost absorbed but the Barnyard millets are well moist. Cover, reduce heat to lowest heat, simmer until Barnyard millet is well cooked and. Remove from heat and give rest for 5 -6 minutes. Gently fluff it with a fork and transfer it to a tray to cool. 
  5. Heat ghee in a karahi (wok), add tejpata, and cumin seeds, and sauté until fragrant. Now almonds, and pumpkin seeds, and sauté for a second.
  6. Add black peppercorn, and green chilies and sauté for a second.
  7. Remove from heat.
  8. Add cooked Barnyard millet, and reduced pomegranate juice and mix well on low heat gently. Check salt.
  9. Remove tejpata and serve warm with reduced pomegranate seeds and reduced pomegranate juice.

The Chef

"I  love all kinds of millet, as they are very versatile to create any kind of recipe, of all states and flavours singularly or mixed with any other ingredients.

They are good for mother earth, the environment, and food security."

Make sure to connect and keep up with Chef Manjit on Instagram.

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