Make a millet meal

A grain that can easily replace rice in several dishes, foxtail millet or navane, is loaded with health benefits.

NAVANE KHARA PONGAL

Ingredients: Half cup moong dal; ½ cup navane (soaked for 2 hours); an inch of ginger; 4 green chillies (chopped), 2 tbsps oil and salt to taste. Around 2 tsps peppercorns and 2 tsps cumin seeds roasted and coarsely powdered. For seasoning: 2 tbsps ghee; 2 tbsps oil; a few peppercorns; cumin seeds; mustard seeds; a pinch of hing; a few curry leaves; 2 whole red chillies; 25 gm cashews; ¼ cup grated coconut and little chopped fresh coriander.

Method:Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add moong dal fry for a while. Add drained navane, green chillies, ginger, salt and four cups of water. Pressure cook the pongal for 3 whistles. Once the pongal cools, add the powdered spices and coconut. If the pongal is thick, add more water and cook it further. Heat oil and ghee. Add the seasoning ingredients and fry well. Add this to the pongal.

NAVANE SWEET PONGAL

Ingredients: Half cup moong dal; ½ cup navane (soaked for 2 hours); ½ litre milk; ½ cup of ghee; 50 gm cashew and raisins fried in ghee, ½ cup grated copra, ½ tsp cardamom powder; 1½ cups pounded jaggery and a dash of pachakarpura.

Method: Heat 2 tbsps of ghee. Add moong dal and fry a little. Add drained navane and fry for 2 minutes. Transfer this to a pressure cooker and add a ½ litre of milk. Pressure cook for 3 whistles and cool. Add jaggery, ghee, cardamom powder, pachakarpura and cook well. Lastly, add copra along with cashews and raisins.

NAVANE PAYASA

Ingredients: Half cup navane (soaked for 2 hours); ½ litre milk; 2 tbsps ghee; 1 cup jaggery powder; ½ tsp cardamom powder; cashew and raisins fried in ghee.
Method: Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan; add navane and fry for a while. Transfer this to a cooker, add milk and pressure cook for three whistles. Once the mixture cools, add jaggery and cook well. Finish this off with some more ghee, cardamom powder and dried fruits and nuts.

NAVANE BISI BELE BHATH

Ingredients: Around 1½ cups navane (soaked for 2 hours); ½ cup tur dal; 1 tbsp tamarind soaked in ½ cup of water; ½ cup bisi bele bhath masala; a cup mixed vegetables; 2 tsps jaggery 2 tsp; 2 tbsps ground nuts; salt, ½ cup oil and 2 tbsps ghee. For seasoning: 1 chopped onion or green capsicum; curry leaves; 2 red chillies; 1 tsp mustard seeds; hing and curry leaves.

Method: Pressure cook navane, tur dal, vegetables with salt in four cups of water with ¼ cup oil for 3 whistles and cool. Extract tamarind water, add masala powder mix well, add this to the bhath mixture and cook well with jaggery. Add ground nuts. Heat the remaining oil and ghee, temper the seasoning ingredients and add. Serve with raita.