Millet is a family of crops that have been widely grown around the world for several thousand years. They can be grown in areas that are at risk of drought. India is the world's top producer of millet. Eight of the top ten countries in the world in terms of millet production are in Africa. China is the only other Asian country apart from India, in the top ten.
Millet provides 11% protein by weight, almost like wheat. Millet varieties are rich in niacin, B6, folic acid, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and zinc.
Millet can be cooked and eaten like other grains. Millet flour is used to make flat bread. Millets contain no gluten and are not suitable for raised bread. Some varieties of millet are used as fodder for animals or as bird-feed. Alcoholic drinks are also brewed using Millet in some countries. Millet is an interesting grain to incorporate into your diet.
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Millet is Great and Gluten Free
Visionary School System Adopts Meatless Mondays
Baltimore City schools are going meatless on Mondays. The school system has around 80,000 students. As one would expect, the American Meat Institute (AMI) has criticised the Baltimore City Schools adoption of the 'Meatless Monday' campaign, a program done in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
I have come across so many people who assume that one needs to eat meat to get protein in their diet. This FUD (Fear - Uncertainty - Doubt) is spread by organizations that benefit from having everyone eat meat everyday and lapped up by people who have not been exposed to balanced literature on health and food. The food pyramid advanced by the government health organization has clearly dispelled the protein myth that meat is the only source of protein and incorporated a customizable plan for vegetarians via the MyPyramid.
AMI and other pro-meat organizations need to promote a balanced view and leave it to the people to make a choice. It is not like the`Baltimore school system went totally vegetarian. They still offer meat to the meat eaters four out of the five school days. I hope the Baltimore school system weathers any criticism thrown at them for offering the children a healthy alternative to meat. Kudos to them for taking this decision.
Puffed Rice Salad
This is a fusion dish that literally takes 15 minutes to make.
Puffed rice is called "pori" in Tamil and also "muri" or "moodi" in some parts of North India. The most popular dish made with puffed rice as a primary ingredient is the bhel puri. It is a popular Indian snack or "chaat" available in Indian restaurants. The typical bhel puri is extremely spicy and cannot be substituted for a meal. It is an appetizer. I have concoted a recipe that borrows its roots from bhel puri but deviates significantly to provide a healthier alternative that can easily be incorporated for a quick lunch or dinner.
Puffed rice is made by heating rice kernels under high pressure. It is essentially to rice what popcorn is to corn.
Ingredients
4 cups of puffed rice
1 cup of diced tomato
1/3 cup of diced onions
1 cup of chick peas (either from a can or already cooked)
1/3 cup of boiled peas
2 cups of diced boiled potatoes
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1/3 cup of chopped cilantro leaves (coriander leaves)
1 Tbl spoon seasame oil or mustard oil
1/2 spoon of turmeric powder
2 Tbl spoons of tamarind paste
1/3 spoon of paprika or red chilli powder (less or more as desired by your taste)
a tinge of salt (to taste)
a tinge of black pepper (to taste)
1 spoon of lime juice (or squeeze one fresh lime)
1 Tbl spoon peanuts
1/2 cup of sev or madras mixture (spicy)
Add all the ingredients into a large salad mixing bowl. Mix it really well with a ladle. Serves 2 people.
Curry in a Hurry
Once someone has determined / validated that I am of Indian ethnicity, I get this question. So, do you eat Curry? Depending on my mood of the day, my response has been varied. Some of the ones that are printable are shared below
1. "in a hurry"
2. "I also eat other food you know"
3. "What is curry?" asked very innocuously
4. "yes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner".
This question - "So, do you eat Curry?" has been rivaled by another one. "How do you pronounce your name?"
My response to that has also been varied.
1. "With a lot of difficulty"
2 "Alternate letters are silent"
3. "very very slowly"
just to name a few of my responses.
Curry is one of the most misunderstood words. Many people mistake curry to mean a powder, much like what masala is like. Curry comes from the Tamil word "kari" and literally means a side-dish that is eaten with rice. This "kari" could have gravy / sauce or sometimes it is dry. The spices that are used to cook this "kari" also vary widely depending on the specific vegetables used, one's palate, dry or with gravy, influence from a specific region of India, regional tastes etc.
Today, a standard "curry powder" is sold that has included several spices in the ingredients. This is basically the "masala powder" that is now being called curry, to market to the folks that are unaware of what curry really means. All words go through semantic changes, i.e. change in meaning over time. Curry has gone through a semantic change under our very noses!!
