Are you looking for quick, healthy, and nutritious breakfast recipes that are also incredibly tasty? We’ve got you covered.
A great start to the day can set the tone for productivity and energy and what better way to start your morning than a wholesome and nutritious breakfast? This is where millets come into the picture. Millets are super grains that are a powerhouse of nutrients. Packed with protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals like magnesium, millets are the perfect choice for a healthy breakfast.
Want to learn more about millets and their types? Read here.
In this article, we’ll introduce you to three quick and easy South Indian millet breakfast recipes. These dishes are not only flavorful but also take less than 30 minutes to prepare.
Millet Rava Idli
Idli is a staple breakfast food in South India. It is generally made with rice and dal or wheat rava/semolina. In this recipe, we’ll swap the usual ingredients for nutrient-rich foxtail millet.
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- Foxtail millet: ¾ cup
- Oil: 1 teaspoon
- Mustard seeds: ½ teaspoon
- White urad dal (split): ½ teaspoon
- Chana dal (split Bengal gram): ½ teaspoon
- Curry leaves: a few sprigs
- Hing (asafoetida): a pinch
- Haldi powder (turmeric): ½ teaspoon
- Green chillies, finely chopped: 2
- Ginger, grated: ½ inch
- Yoghurt (dahi), beaten: ¾ cup
- Carrot, grated: ½ cup
- Coriander leaves, finely chopped: a small bunch
- Salt: to taste
- Eno (fruit salt): 1 small packet
- Water: as needed for steaming
Method
- Grind the foxtail millet into a coarse rava. You can even use Milletry’s Foxtail Millet Rava.
- Prepare the tempering: heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, white urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, hing, turmeric, ginger, and green chillies, and sauté for a minute.
- Add the foxtail millet rava we ground to the tempering and roast it for 2-3 minutes.
- Once roasted, transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the grated carrot, coriander leaves, salt, and yoghurt. Mix it well. Feel free to add vegetables of your choice.
- Boil water in a steamer.
- Just before steaming, add Eno to the idli batter and mix thoroughly.
- Grease the idli plates, pour the batter, and steam for 8 minutes.
- Once done, remove the idlis and apply some ghee on top if you like.
Your foxtail millet rava idli is ready to eat. Serve with chutney and sambar.
Check the recipe video here.
Millet Rava Dosa
Dosa is a crispy South Indian pancake, traditionally made with rice and lentils or rava. Here’s an instant version using multi-millet rava.
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- Multi-millet rava: 1 cup
- Rice flour: ½ cup
- Maida / refined flour: ½ cup
- Coriander leaves (dhania), finely chopped: 1 tablespoon
- Ginger, chopped: ½ inch
- Cashew nuts, crushed: 6
- Black pepper, crushed: ¼ teaspoon
- Salt: to taste
- Water to make dosa batter: as required
Method
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Mix them properly.
-
Gradually add water to make a thin, smooth batter. Check here for the right batter consistency.
Check here for the right batter consistency. - Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.
- Heat a non-stick tawa (griddle).
- Pour the batter onto the hot tawa, spreading it thinly.
- Cook until the dosa turns golden brown and crispy.
- Serve hot with chutney and sambar.
Your instant multi-millet rava dosa is ready to eat.
Millet Upma
Upma is a hearty breakfast in India. It is made with rava or semolina and is accompanied by pickles and curd. This version uses multi-millet rava for a healthier twist.
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
Multi-millet rava: 1 cup
- Oil: 2 tablespoons
- Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
- White urad dal / black grams (split): 2 teaspoons
- Chana dal / Bengal gram (split): 2 teaspoons
- Curry leaves: 10-15
- Green chillies, finely chopped: 2-3
- Ginger, finely chopped: ½ inch
- Hing (asafoetida): ¼ teaspoon
- Haldi powder / Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
- Onions, chopped: 2, medium
- Carrot, chopped: 1, medium
- Green peas: ¼ cup
- Lemon juice: 1 teaspoon
- Salt: to taste
- Sugar: 1 teaspoon
- Water: 2 cups
- Scraped fresh coconut: 2 tablespoons
- Fresh coriander leaves, chopped: 2 tablespoons
Method
- Dry roast the multi-millet rava in a pan until aromatic. Set aside.
- Heat oil in the same pan. Add mustard seeds, white urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, ginger, green chillies, turmeric, and hing.
- Add onions, carrots and green peas and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the roasted millet rava and mix well.
- Add 2 cups of water and let it boil.
- Add lemon juice, salt, and sugar. Cook for 15 minutes until the water evaporates.
- Garnish with fresh coconut and coriander leaves before serving.
Your delicious Multi-Millet Rava Upma is ready to enjoy!
Check the video recipe here.
Incorporating millets into your breakfast is a simple yet impactful way to embrace healthy eating. With these quick recipes—Millet Rava Idli, Millet Rava Dosa, and Millet Upma—you can experience the wholesome goodness of these super grains without compromising on taste.
At Milletry, we’re on a mission to bring back these forgotten super grains into your diet. Explore our range of millet-based products, including cookies, rava, pasta, and noodles, along with a variety of millets like Kodo millet, Little millet, Barnyard millet, and Foxtail millet. Let these super grains elevate your meals—whether it’s salads, pulao, porridge, or pancakes!
Happy cooking!