Proportion of water
In general good unpolished millet rice when cooked with
- 1:2.5 times of water results in a dry and fluffy consistency
- 1:3.5 times of water results in a wet and fluffy consistency
Trial and error is the best way to confirm how much water is needed. Try cooking a small quantity and see whether result is satisfactory. Make appropriate corrections before arriving at the proportion that works best for you and your family. Please note that even for a particular millet, the preferred proportion might change on the source of the millet rice, especially the variety. So when starting a new packet of millets, play it safe and do a trial.
Open cooking millet rice
- use a wide based utensil
- bring water to a boil
- add the washed rice and
- open cook for about 15 minutes on a low flame
- close the lid partially, it will boil over if you close it fully
- once cooked, turn off the flame, sprinkle a hand full of water, close the lid tight and let sit for about 30 min.
- Fluff up the cooked rice after it has cooled down a bit
- Please note that mixing or using a ladle in a just cooked, hot millet rice will tend to mash it and give it a mushy consistency.
Millet rice using a pressure cooker
- Millet rice grains are smaller (and lighter) than paddy rice grains and they
- do not need as much pressure to cook
- get lifted off the container and splatter all over the inside of the cooker much easier than paddy rice grains
- The thickness of the layer with grains that get cooked to a mushy consistency can be minimized by using a pressure pan with a wider base rather than a tall cooker
- If using a (good and properly working) pressure cooker, simmer the flame once the pressure builds up close to the threshold level (the ‘weight’ begins to quiver/spin/dance, getting ready to lift up and vent steam/blow whistle)
- after a couple of minutes, turn off the flame; yes, the whistle does not need to blow.You will need to keep it on a low flame for a longer duration for Foxtail, Kodo and Proso millets. Little and Barnyard millets cook much quicker.
- put a cloth on top of the cooker (to reduce the rate at which it cools down) ! please make sure the flame has been turned off !
- once the pressure has dissipated, open the cooker, sprinkle a fist full of water, close the lid tight and let sit for about 30 min.
- fluff up the cooked rice after it has cooled down a bit
- Please note that mixing or using a ladle in a just cooked, hot millet rice will tend to mash it and give it a mushy consistency.
is unpolished millet ready to cook…like white or brown rice?
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Yes ! Though please note that it would be referred to as unpolished millet rice. The husk has to be removed and the bran retained.
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You can soak the millet rice for about an hour or two… To reduce cooking time and the amount of water…
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I want to grow millets on my farm in a village in andhra which is rain fed. Please let me know whom to consult for growing and marketing
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Very happy to hear about your interest to take up millet cultivation. There are multiple organizations working in different places in AP on promoting millet cultivation. If you can write to us about where your farm is located we can refer you to a particular organization. Thank you!
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