Easy millet recipe | Millet curd rice

Millets and millet recipes are re-gaining popularity all over India with many people trying to include it in everyday food. In dry, arid regions of India millets have been cultivated and consumed for ages! With an increase in demand, millets are now easily available across the country.

Here in Dallas, local Indian grocery stores have now started carrying many different kinds of millets, so I too joined the millet bandwagon! 🙂

As the name suggests, curd rice is generally prepared with rice but, I now regularly prepare curd rice using millets. Millet curd rice is one such millet recipe where I absolutely do not miss the rice! Can I even call it curd rice without any rice in it? Silly, how old names stick! 🙂

If millets are not easily available, prepare this dish using rice. It makes a great leftover rice recipe!

Yogurt is also called as curd in South Asian countries. In this article, ‘curd’ refers to yogurt.

Ingredients needed to prepare this healthy millet recipe

All these ingredients are found at an Indian grocery store.

Millet

While there are several millets available in the market, I have tried making curd millet using the smaller varieties of millets mentioned in the list below and they have all worked well in this recipe. The following millets are called siridhanya in Kannada.

• Barnyard millet – Oodalu/Jhangora/Sanwa/Kuthirawali/Kavadapullu
• Foxtail millet – Kangni/Navane/Kang/Rala
• Kodo millet – Kodra/Varagu/Arika/Harka
• Little millet-Saame/saamai/Sama/Moraio/Kutki/Gajro/Sava/Halvi/Vari/Chama/Suan

Yogurt/curd

Yogurt is called as curd in South Asian countries. Use any un-flavoured plain yogurt in this recipe. Plant based yogurt would work too.

Seasonings and flavourings

• Oil
• Ginger
• Black mustard seeds – Replace with yellow mustard, if not available
• Cumin seeds
• Split black gram/urad dal/uddina bele
• Curry leaves
• Dry red chillies
• Fruits like pomegranate, grapes, apples

How is millet curd rice eaten?

Millet curd rice can be eaten as a meal or served as a side. It is served at room temperature or chilled. Curd rice tastes great with Indian pickle and fried chillies. I also like it with a side of bitter melon palya.

Check out these other simple yogurt recipes

• Potato yogurt salad
• Daikon radish raita

Millet curd rice | Millet recipe with yogurt and spices

Shwetha

You will not miss rice in this millet recipe, great way to include millets in your diet.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Servings 3 people

Equipment

• pressure cooker

Ingredients

  

• ½ cup millet use any small variety of millet. Pls check notes
• 1½ cup water
• 1¼ cup yogurt/curd
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• ¼ cup pomegranate optional
• ½ cup sliced grapes optional
• 1 fresh Indian/Thai green chilli optional, adjust to suit your taste
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves/cilantro optional

For oggarane/tadka/hot oil seasoning

• 1 tbsp oil
• ½ tsp black mustard seeds saasive/rai
• ¼ tsp cumin seeds jeerige/jeera
• 1 tsp split de-husked black gram/urad dal/uddina bele optional
• 1-2 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 sprig curry leaves

Instructions

 

Cook millet.

• Cook millet with 1½ cups water in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles.

  Note: I cook millet in an instant pot on high pressure for 8-10 minutes. Normal Pressure release.
• Open the pressure cooker and let the millet come to room temperature.

Assemble curd rice

• When the millet is cooling down, chop the fruits.
• Add yogurt, salt, pomegranate, chopped grapes, cilantro, green chillies to cooked millet and mix.

Oggarane/tadka/hot oil seasoning

• In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil on medium-high heat.
• Add mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds.
• When mustard splutters, add grated ginger and curry leaves. Stir for a few seconds.
• Pour oil along with the seasonings over curd rice.
• Mix and serve. Curd rice can be served at room temperature or chilled.

Video

Notes

• You can also make this dish using rice instead of millet.
• Rice/millet can be cooked one day ahead. 
• This is also a great way to use up leftover cooked rice/millet. 
• If serving immediately, split black gram/urad dal will be hard to bite on. Some enjoy the texture, but if you don’t, skip adding urad dal or let the curd millet rest until urad dal softens.

MILLETS TO USE

Use smaller variety of millets like Kodo, Barnyard, Little millet, Foxtail millet. 

VARIATIONS

• Chopped apples(raw) taste good in curd millet.
• You can also add grated carrots(raw), finely chopped cucumbers(raw) in curd millet. 
• You can also add roasted cashewnuts. 

P.S – More information about the ingredients is available above in the post.

Keyword millet