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Little Millet Salad

Little Millet Salad

Published on April 27, 2016 | In | By
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    • Prep Time
    • Minutes
    • Cook Time
    • Minutes

Thanks to the initiative taken by many health gurus , millets are now gaining in popularity during meal times at most homes. Our home too has taken to happily experimenting with different types of millets and I must say that it has opened up many a ‘new dish’ possibility and has caused me to re-invent so many traditional food habits. And , all this without feeling deprived or “hungry” in any way.

Millets sure get my vote and how !

As is practice with me , anything i make is first sampled by my kids. Feeling sorry for them are you ?! Don’t you dare !!!! If it’s bad I make it up to them in more ways than one. So , the little devils ( angels 😉 ) won’t feel the need to ride a sympathy wave ! :p

Anyway , this recipe was created for The Pollachi Papyrus’ summer issue. They wanted to showcase our traditional grain in a more savvy avatar. Of course I was more than happy to help. It gave me a chance to potter about with seasonal ingredients that grew in my own kitchen garden…. yes mint leaves included. Not only did it turn out looking a great deal more appetising than I thought it would , it also rated high as a refreshing summer-time dish !

Being more than pleased with the outcome , I proceeded to induge in photographing the finished dish from the perfect angle !  My blue glazed ,pot shaped ceramic container seemed ideal to off-set the bright colours of this millet salad. Once that was taken care of , it was time to offer it to my discerning duo ! Looking back now, I’m not sure what I expected from them but I certainly wasn’t prepared for ; “Can we eat this every day?! ” ,  ” Oh , yum , ma you’re a genius!” , ” Is that mint from our garden ? ” ” Please give us pomogranate hereafter only in this form !” … and so on and so forth until they finished every bit of the dish right down to the last grain of millet…no exaggerations at all ! There was none left for the father to taste.  One insisted it went well with yoghurt while the other swears by the raw onions smothered in lime juice as the best side. I have therefore included both as options.

The mango chosen here is in that in-between stage , neither ripe nor too tart. The cold pressed oil not only adds a delicious aroma but is necessary to balance out the dry saamai. Try it , I think you will like this one !

Saamai salad aerial

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Ingredients

  • Little Millet (Samai grains)- 1 C
  • Water- 1 C
  • Mint leaves - 1/2 C
  • Pomogranate kernels- 3/4 C
  • Paneer -150 gms ,cubed
  • Pistachios- 25 gms (shelled and finely chopped)
  • Cold pressed (virgin) coconut oil- 2 Tbsp
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp
  • Mango (half ripened)- 1
  • Salt to taste

Nutrition Info

Instructions

  1. Wash the millet well , a few times and drain
  2. Add it to a bowl with the water ,cover and place in a steamer, also filled half way with water.
  3. This will ensure that the millet stays fluffy while cooking and not get sticky. Check if done in 15 mts. Set aside to cool.
  4. In a shallow pan , add the coconut oil and set it on low heat.
  5. Add the paneer cubes , salt and chilli powder. Keep tossing until lightly golden. Take off fire and set aside to cool.
  6. Wash the mint leaves well in drinking water , drain and set aside.
  7. Cut the mango into small cubes and set aside.
  8. Once the millet is cooled , it's time to mix in all the ingredients.
  9. Now this salad is best done to each individual's sense of taste. So add a bit of each ingredient , too slightly with a fork , taste and add again as necessary.
  10. Add the pomogranate kernels , mint leaves, pistcahios , mango cubes , fried paneer with the oil and toss gently.
  11. Add the lemon juice and toss again. Little millet can be quite dry, this is why the moistness from the coconut oil is absolutely necessary. Otherwise it gets too dry and difficult to swallow.
  12. Adjust seasoning as required and serve at room temperature.
  13. A side of cool yoghurt raitha or just thinly sliced onions flavoured with lemon make for great accompaniments.

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