Groats from millet. Millet: useful properties and methods of preparation

Millet is one of the most ancient cultures on the territory of the Eurasian continent. For the first time, cereals were cultivated in China more than 7 thousand years ago. Today, India is the largest producer of millet: the state accounts for 40% of the global volume. Despite the high nutritional value and potential benefits for the body, cereal from millet is not in great demand among the population. In the USA, this culture is considered exotic and is sold mainly only as bird food. Meanwhile, from such cereals you can cook a number of delicious and healthy dishes. Their recipes are presented in our article.

What cereal is obtained from millet?

Owners of parrots and canaries know firsthand about this cereal crop. Millet makes up from 40 to 70% of the daily diet of their pets. Externally, cereal grains are small brown seeds of a rounded shape. Millet is an annual plant reaching a height of 1.5 meters. The bush consists of several stems resembling panicles. From one such inflorescence, you can collect up to a thousand seeds.

Not all people know what cereal is made from millet. Meanwhile, this is millet familiar to everyone since childhood. Perhaps there is no such person who would not try the "yellow" porridge from him. Only brown grain is the cereal crop itself, and millet is cereal from peeled millet, without a rough outer brown shell.

Three types of millet are distinguished depending on the type of cereal processing:

1. Dranets. Croup is a whole grain, freed from flower shells. The embryo and fruit membranes are preserved. This millet has a shiny surface on the outside with a characteristic bitterness inside. Dranets are yellow in color with a white germ inside, which eventually turns black, which indicates spoilage of cereals.
2. Polished. Such millet is also called crushed. Floral shells and partially fruit and seed with the embryo are completely removed from it. Polished millet is boiled faster and is better absorbed by the body. It is recommended to cook crumbly cereals, soups, casseroles from it.
3. Crushed. This millet is obtained as a result of further grinding of ground cereals. It is used for making viscous cereals or meatballs.

All types of millet have a characteristic taste of bitterness, which is eliminated by prolonged soaking of cereals in cold water or preliminary scalding with boiling water.

The chemical composition and nutritional value of millet

So, millet is obtained from millet. The husk of the latter is used for feeding birds and cattle. It is known that millet has a rich chemical composition and high nutritional value. 100 g of cereal contains 11.5 g of protein. This is even more than in rice. In addition, millet contains 3.3 g of fat and 66.5 g of carbohydrates. The calorie content of 100 g of cereal is 342 kcal.

Millet contains many vitamins necessary for the body: A, groups B, H, K, E, PP. It contains macroelements (potassium, calcium, silicon, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, phosphorus and chlorine) and microelements (iron, cobalt, copper, iodine, selenium and zinc). A small amount of millet also contains polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Of the 100 grams of cereals, 3.6 grams are in coarse dietary fiber. When ingested in the digestive tract, fiber helps to cleanse it and remove toxins from the body.

Useful properties of millet groats

All cereals and cereals prepared from them can be safely called beneficial for the body. And cereal from millet is no exception. The healing properties of this nutritious and healthy food have become known in ancient times. Even the medieval scientist Avicenna mentioned the diuretic effect of millet. Cereal is widely used in folk medicine in the treatment of pancreatitis, cystitis, liver diseases, and diabetes.

What else is known about millet? How is cereal useful?

1. Millet is one of the gluten-free foods. This allows you to include dishes from ground cereals in the diet for those people who suffer from intolerance to gluten vegetable protein.
2. It is proved that the unique chemical composition of millet contributes to the speedy restoration of intestinal microflora after taking antibiotics.
3. Croup contains substances that interfere with the absorption of cholesterol in the body. That is why millet is recommended to be included in diets for weight loss.
4. The composition of cereals includes a large number of B vitamins, which are responsible for the stable functioning of the nervous system. At the same time, potassium strengthens the heart muscle, and iron improves blood composition and hemoglobin.

Contraindications to the use of millet dishes are:

• individual intolerance;
• tendency to constipation;
• gastritis with low acidity.

The use of cereals in the household and cooking

Millet is widely used not only in folk medicine and as feed for birds and livestock, but also in cooking. The most famous dish of this cereal is porridge made with water or milk. And people who adhere to the principles of a healthy diet, probably also know many other recipes for millet dishes. From cereals you can cook soup, and delicious meatballs, and casserole. And from crushed grain and flour - pies, pancakes and other dishes. But you only need to know one important secret: how to cook millet, because it has a specific bitter taste. To neutralize it, the cereal must first be soaked in cold water for several hours, and immediately before cooking, pour it with boiling water.

In the household, millet is widely used as feed for livestock. Moreover, absolutely everything is used: husk, straw, and whole grain. Birds eat only seeds. The substances contained in them contribute to the strengthening of the eggshell. But why did our grandmothers in the village feed chickens of boiled millet porridge, and not dry grain? Can this be done? This issue should be dealt with in detail.

How to feed millet birds?

Many people are not indifferent to the fate of sparrows and blue birds wintering in the city. They feed them with sunflower seeds and cereals, including peeled millet. That's just about whether it is possible to feed the birds raw millet, no one thinks. In fact, doing this is strictly prohibited. And that's why.

All the benefits of millet for birds are not laid in peeled grain, but directly in the millet itself, covered with a flower shell. It is this product that nourishes their body with vitamins and vital elements. When millet is consumed, birds gain weight, their plumage improves, and the functioning of all internal systems is normalized. Well, most of all vitamins and minerals are contained in a rough brown shell. That is why birds in the cold season should be fed not with yellow cereal from millet, but with uncleaned seeds.

Birds cannot be fed millet for two reasons:

1. After exfoliating the outer shell, the grain composition becomes poor compared to the feedstock.
2. In the groats obtained after processing under the influence of light and air, fatty acids are oxidized. That is why millet is bitter if it is not soaked in water before heat treatment. Oxidized cereal has a negative effect on the digestive tract of a bird, the work of the heart, nervous system, and general well-being.

But still you can feed the bird with millet if you pre-process it and make it safe for birds. For this, the required amount of cereal should be poured into a deep bowl, pour the cereal with boiling water and leave it in this form until completely cooled. During this time, millet will be steamed well and will be suitable for feeding them birds.

How to cook millet?

The most famous dish of peeled millet is porridge. That's just about how to cook millet correctly so that the porridge turns out to be friable rather than viscous, not everyone knows. But such a dish can be an excellent side dish for meat, poultry or fish. To cook millet correctly and get such a result as in the photo, you will need the following ingredients:

• groats - 180 g;
• water - 550 ml;
• butter - 50 g;
• salt - 1 tsp.

When preparing meals in fasting, butter can be replaced with vegetable oil. If you plan to cook sweet porridge, the amount of salt should be reduced, but add sugar to taste.

You can prepare millet for garnish according to the following recipe:

1. Pour the cereal into a bowl and pour the grain with cold water. Leave for at least 2 hours. After the specified time, drain the dirty water, and pour millet with boiling water. This will get rid of rancid taste.
2. Transfer the soaked cereal to the pan. Pour millet with hot water. Add salt, half the butter and mix.
3. Bring the contents of the pan to a boil.
4. Without closing the lid, continue cooking porridge over medium heat for another 8 minutes, until the water is almost completely absorbed into the cereal.
5. Reduce fire to a minimum. Cover the pan with a lid. Cook porridge for another 10 minutes without removing the lid and without stirring the porridge.
6. Finish the dish for 15 minutes. You can additionally wrap a pan with porridge.
7. When serving, pour the porridge with melted butter.

Millet porridge in a slow cooker in milk with pumpkin

The next dish is one of the best options for a tasty and healthy breakfast for the whole family. And it’s easiest to cook pumpkin porridge with millet in a slow cooker: you don’t have to worry about the milk running away or the cereal burning. To prepare the dish, prepare all the ingredients in advance according to the list:

• millet - 1 tbsp .;
• water - 1 tbsp .;
• milk - 2 tbsp .;
• pumpkin - 500 g;
• sugar - 1 tbsp. l .;
• salt - ¼ tsp;
• butter - 40 g.

A step-by-step recipe for pumpkin porridge with millet in a slow cooker consists in the following steps:

1. Pour the cereal into a fine sieve and rinse it well first under running cold water, and then in hot.
2. Lubricate the bottom and walls of the multicooker bowl with a piece of butter.
3. Transfer the cereal from the sieve to the bowl.
4. Pour millet with milk and water.
5. Peel the pumpkin and seeds, and cut into small cubes or grate on a coarse grater. If the pieces are large, they will not have time to boil.
6. Add the pumpkin to the bowl with sugar and salt.
7. Select the cooking mode “Milk porridge” or “Porridge”.
8. Cook the dish for 30 minutes. There is no need to mix the cereal.
9. Millet is moderately boiled, aromatic and very tasty. When serving in porridge, it is recommended to add butter.

How to make kulesh?

The following old millet dish is considered marching or Cossack. During the campaigns he was cooked in a large cauldron right on the fire. Depending on the amount of added water, millet kulesh is a thick soup or viscous porridge. Traditionally, kulesh is cooked in lard with the addition of fried onions and potatoes. Despite the fact that porridge is considered marching, it turns out to be very tasty. The recipe for this dish includes the following steps:

1. Millet (150 g) pour boiling water and leave for 15 minutes.
2. Cut lard (100 g) into small pieces and put it on the bottom of a cauldron or pan with a thick bottom.
3. On a medium heat, drain the fat from the fat until the cracklings form.
4. Chop the onion with a knife and put it in a cauldron. Fry until golden brown.
5. Add scalded millet to onion and lard, washing it well. Add 2 liters of hot water and cook cereal for 10 minutes.
6. Peel potatoes (4 pcs.) And cut into small cubes. Send it to the cauldron to other ingredients. Cook potatoes for 15 minutes.
7. Add salt, black pepper to taste. After 2 minutes, remove the kulesh from the heat.

Appetizing millet meatballs

The following recipe is intended just for those people who believe that they do not like yellow cereals. Millet is practically not felt in the meatballs, but it is thanks to it that a ruddy and appetizing crispy crust is formed on the cutlets. The recipe is as follows:

1. Cook millet porridge from 1 cup cereal and 500 ml of water. Remove the pan with the prepared dish from the heat and cool.
2. Fry chopped onions and grated carrots in vegetable oil in vegetable oil.
3. Add vegetable frying to the cooled millet porridge. Mix.
4. Beat the egg with a fork. Add it to the porridge.
5. Sift flour (2 tbsp. L.) And put into minced meat from cooked cereals. Salt it to taste and pepper.
6. Pour breadcrumbs (1 tbsp.) Onto a flat plate.
7. Wet hands to form a rounded shape. Roll the pieces into breadcrumbs.
8. Heat vegetable oil in a pan. Put the meatballs in it and fry them first on one side for 2 minutes, and then on the other. The pan does not need to be covered with a lid, then a golden crust forms on the products.
9. Serve the meatballs as an independent dish or as a side dish for meat. Cutlets will be even tastier if, in addition to minced vegetable frying, add chopped greens of fresh dill or parsley to the minced meat.

Millet porridge casserole with cottage cheese

The next dish will appeal to both adults and children. It is based on cereal from millet and cottage cheese. The casserole is moderately sweet, tasty, with a delicious crust on top. If desired, not only raisins, but also other dried fruits or nuts can be added to it. Well, preparing a cottage cheese and millet casserole is very simple:

1. Soak cereals (200 g) in cold water for 4-6 hours. After the time has elapsed, rinse millet until the water becomes clear.
2. Put the groats in the pan. Pour millet with hot water (300 ml) and add a pinch of salt.
3. After boiling, cook porridge over low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Transfer the prepared hot porridge to a deep bowl, add butter (20 g) to it and leave at room temperature until completely cooled.
5. Meanwhile, heat the oven to a temperature of 180 ° C, and grease the bottom and walls of the split mold with oil and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
6. Pour raisins (50 g) with boiling water for 15 minutes, then put it on a towel and dry.
7. Beat eggs (2 pcs.) With sugar (4 tbsp. L.) And vanilla (10 g).
8. Add grated cottage cheese (300 g) to the egg mass. Stir and pour on top of the porridge.
9. Add raisins and mix well the whole mass again. Put it in a mold, flatten with a spoon and grease the surface with sour cream (3 tbsp. L.).
10. Cook the casserole in the oven for 1 hour. If the form has a diameter of 24-26 cm, then cooking takes less time, about 40 minutes.
11. At the very end of cooking, you can use the convection function or grill, so that the casserole surface is well browned.
12. Allow the dish to cool slightly in the form, and then transfer it to a flat plate.
13. Cut the casserole into portions and serve with sour cream or jam.