PM Narendra Modi enjoys a 'sumptuous' millet lunch; know why you should too

Aiming to raise awareness and also stress the importance of consuming millet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, enjoyed a “sumptuous” lunch in the Parliament where millet dishes were served. Later, he took to Twitter to share a few pictures from the event.

“As we prepare to mark 2023 as the International Year of Millets, attended a sumptuous lunch in Parliament where millet dishes were served. Good to see participation from across party lines,” he wrote in the tweet.

As we prepare to mark 2023 as the International Year of Millets, attended a sumptuous lunch in Parliament where millet dishes were served. Good to see participation from across party lines. pic.twitter.com/PjU1mQh0F3

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 20, 2022

In the pictures, PM Modi could be seen sitting alongside Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge among others.

According to ANI, the delicacies prepared included millet khichdi, ragi dosa, ragi roti, jowar roti, haldi sabji, bajra, and churma. Desserts included bajra kheer and bajra cake.

Notably, 2023 has been declared as the International Year of Millets by United Nations based on a proposal by India in 2019. Earlier, the country had observed 2018 as the National Year of Millets to boost the production of the nutrient-rich cereal.

What is millet?

Millet is a common term to categorise small-seeded grasses that are also known as nutri-cereals or dryland-cereals, and include sorghum, pearl millet, ragi, small millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, barnyard millet and kodo millet, among others.

Why are millets important?

“Millet is the superfood of the future. As Indians, it’s our heritage, tradition and culture. For us, millets are very important because we have such a diverse variety of millets that are easily grown and available, at a very affordable price. We need to embrace it more and include it in our diets,” Karishma Shah, integrative nutritionist and holistic life coach, said in an earlier interaction with indianexpress.com.

Additionally, they are also a good source of minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium, copper, and manganese — making it a powerhouse of nutrients. “The potential health benefits of millet include helping people achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, blood sugar regulation and prevention the onset of diabetes, and also helping reduce gut inflammation. Millet is rich in both soluble and insoluble dietary fibre. The soluble fibre acts as a prebiotic, supporting growth of good bacteria in your digestive system. Insoluble fibre aids in regularising bowel movement by adding bulk to stools. It also helps in reducing the risk of colon cancer,” Priyanka Lulla, clinical dietitian, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, told indianexpress.com.

Millets are a rich source of vitamins and minerals (Source: Pexels)

How to incorporate millets?

Calling it an “adaptable grain”, Lulla said that millets “can be easily incorporated in day-to-day recipes”. “It is a good cereal alternative for making gluten-free dishes. Millets can be used to make scrumptious dishes for lunch and dinner like millet pulao, ragi dosa, millet khichdi, and vegetable millet stir fry with eggs. It can also be used to make tiffin-friendly dishes like millet upma or poha, beetroot and millet wrap, or nachni or bajra porridge. Ragi dates laddoo, millet kheer and jowar cookies, and ragi-cocoa cakes can give your desserts a healthy twist,” Lulla shared.

Further, Garima Goyal, a registered dietitian, said finger millet or ragi or nachni, the most commonly used millet in all households, contains many essential amino acids. “Including millet in lunch or any major meal will ensure satiety. This prevents over eating and also glucose spikes. Several millets are good sources of B-vitamins that can be retained through minimal processing and cooking techniques,” she added.

According to celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, while bajra and makai are best for winters; jowar is better for summers; ragi is year around, which can be used to prepare dosa, laddoo etc; and bajra is an excellent laddoo to prevent hair loss.

Stressing that millets are not a replacement for rice and roti, Diwekar suggested, “Apart from being inexpensive and easier to grow, they are a rich source of many vitamins, minerals, and fibre”.

Talking about the “winter tender sorghum jowar – ponkh”, Payal Kothari, nutritionist, and author of the book Gut, said that ponkh’s mild flavour goes with all ingredients and can be used as grain or seed as it doesn’t alter the flavour of most recipes. “It is versatile and easy to incorporate into any meal of the day making it wallet friendly as well,” Kothari told indianexpress.com.

She also shared a sample meal plan for the winter with ponkh.

Full of nutritional benefits of millet, one cup or five tablespoons. of cooked millet clocks in 6-7 grams of protein and 2-3 grams of fibre. It is rich in folate, great for brain health, B vitamins essential for many chemical reactions in the body, along with minerals like magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. It can be used in any meal of the day. Even during travel, a very easy to order healthy option nationally and internationally.

Breakfast – if soaked overnight and cooked with some milk can be used as a cereal or porridge along with some fruits, nuts and seeds to make it a wholesome breakfast.

Lunch – Tender ponkh bhel or ponkh salad along with a simple dressing of lemon, honey salt and pepper with crunchy raw mango, peanuts, and papaya. It can help with nutrition, satiety, and weight loss. It also keeps the gut very cool and light. After a yummy salad bowl, a millet roti with a healthy fat like ghee along with a fresh green sarso ka saag, or some paneer tikka wrap and mint yogurt chutney makes a very wholesome meal.

(Make sure you cook the fresh tender ponkh for 7-10 minutes, or it may be difficult to digest, allow it to cool then add all the ingredients and eat fresh.)

Here are some flavoursome dishes you must make

Barnyard millet idli (by Garima Goyal)

Ingredients

30g – Barnyard millet
2tsp – Urad dal
Salt to taste
Baking soda, a pinch

Method

*Wash and soak barnyard millet and urad dal separately for 6-8 hours.
*Grind to a semi-coarse batter and let it ferment overnight or for 4-5 hours.
*Next, add salt and a pinch of baking soda (optional) and pour it into idly moulds.
*Steam for 15-20 minutes.
*Serve it hot with chutney.

Finger millet chilla (by Garima Goyal)

Ingredients

30g – Finger millet
1 small piece – Ginger
1 – Green chilli
¼ cup – Onion, chopped
1-2tsp – Carrot, grated
Oil

Method

*Soak the millet for 5-6 hours, and grind with ginger and chillies.
*Make a thick batter of pouring consistency with water and vegetables.
*Heat a pan on medium heat, pour a ladle full of batter and spread. Cook with oil. Once done, flip and cook the other side.
*Serve healthy chillas with green tomato chutney.

Check out this recipe from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India or FSSAI

Try this healthy & enriching Foxtail Millet Upma (Thinai Upma) recipe for your breakfast.#RecipeRavivaar #EatRightIndia #IYOM @MoHFW_INDIA @mygovindia @AmritMahotsav @MIB_India pic.twitter.com/tdkXYYdjDP

— FSSAI (@fssaiindia) March 27, 2022

Foxtail millet upma

Nutritional values

Energy- 310 local
Protein- 14 g
Fat- 6 g
Carbs- 36g

Ingredients

Foxtail millets – 1 cup
Pepper – ¼ tsp
Jeera – ½ tap
Salt – according to taste
Carrots – ½ cup
Green peas – ½ cup
Green beans – ½ cup
Ginger – ½ tsp
Onions – 1 cup
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Chana dal – ½ tsp
Urad dal – ½ tsp
Peanuts – 1 tbsp
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Cashews – 10

Instructions

*Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and peanuts. Sauté until they turn light brown.

*Add cashews, ginger, green chilli and curry leaves. Fry for a minute.

Here’s another recipe for Bajra Khichdi from chef Ranveer Brar

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients

½ cup – Bajra or black millet, soaked for 8 hours and drained
¼ cup – yellow moong dal or split yellow gram, washed and drained
¼ cup – Toor dal/split red gram, washed and drained
Salt to taste
1 tbsp – Oil
1 tsp – Cumin seeds (jeera)
½ tsp – Asafoetida (hing)
¼ tsp – Turmeric powder (haldi)
1-2 – Green chilies, finely chopped

Method

*Put bajra, moong dal, toor dal, salt and two cups of water in a pressure cooker. Mix well and pressure cook up to four whistles. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. Keep aside.
*Heat ghee in a deep non-stick pan and add cumin seeds.
*Once the seeds crackle, add asafoetida, green chili, turmeric powder and sauté on medium flame for a few seconds.
*Add the cooked bajra-moong dal mixture to it and mix well. Cook on medium flame for two to three minutes, while stirring occasionally.
*Serve immediately.

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