Toasted Millet Pilaf

Say hello to your new best friend, birdseed millet!

Millet is most often associated as the main ingredient in bird seed. But it’s not just for the birds! It can be made creamy like mashed potatoes, fluffy like rice, or crispy like seeds! Millet is tiny in size and round in shape. The most widely form of millet found in stores is hulled. It’s a great source of very important nutrients, including copper, manganese, phosphorus and magnesium.

Because of it’s high magnesium content, it’s very heart healthy! Magnesium has been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack. Magnesium also helps reduce the severity of asthma attacks and migraines. Since millet does not contain gluten, it is a wonderful grain alternative for people who are gluten-sensitive.

Like all grains, make sure you rinse millet thoroughly under running water to remove any dirt or debris that you may find. After rinsing, add one part millet to three parts boiling water or broth. After the liquid has returned to a boil, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes. The texture of millet cooked this way will be fluffy like rice. If you want the millet to have a more creamy consistency, stir it frequently adding a little water every now and then.
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To impart a nuttier flavor to the cooked millet, you could roast the grains first before boiling. To do this, place the grains in a dry skillet over medium heat and stir them frequently. When they have achieved a golden color, add them to the boiling cooking liquid.

I’ve only recently started experimenting with millet. The first thing I ever made were millet buckeyes– I toasted the millet with olive oil until it was crispy, then combined with peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, etc then covered in melted chocolate. It tasted like a Crunch bar– the millet is nice and crispy and adds a huge crunch.

[Tweet “Tired of couscous, quinoa or rice? Try cooking millet in this tasty pilaf from @zenandspice https://wp.me/p4osPf-1vW”]

I also wanted to experiment with actually cooking it like a grain, so when my family came over for a blog taste-a-thon, I decided to give it a whirl! We all loved it. The millet tastes like a combination between brown rice, quinoa and couscous. It’s definitely nutty and has a warm, toasty flavor. The texture is coarse, not smooth like couscous or rice. It has a really nice bite to it!

So if you’re getting tired of the usual rice, quinoa, or couscous, give millet a try!

Here’s the recipe!

Toasted Millet Pilaf

2015-02-15 22:48:00

Yields 6

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Ingredients

1. 1 tablespoon olive oil
2. 1 cup millet
3. 1 cup yellow onion, diced
4. 2 cups shredded carrots
5. Large pinch of sea salt
6. 3 cups low sodium chicken stock

Instructions

1. Add the carrots and onion to a food processor- pulse until finely minced.
2. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. Add millet and toast for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden.
3. Add onion and carrot, cook two more minutes, and add sea salt and broth.
4. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 30 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

By Emily @ Zen & Spice

Zen & Spice https://zenandspice.com/

Emily Weeks, RDN, LD

Hi! I’m Emily, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and self-taught intuitive chef. I firmly believe that cooking is the simplest and most important step we can take to improve our minds and bodies and build healthier communities. Join me and let’s bring food back to the kitchen!