Little millet is called as Samai in Tamil, Sama in Telugu, Kutki in Hindi,Same in Kannada, Chama in Malayalam.
Samai is rich in fiber, helps reducing fat, good for bones and muscles.
Millets are a natural source of protein and iron.Millet is very easy to digest; it contains a high amount of lecithin and is excellent for strengthening the nervous system.Millets are rich in B vitamins, especially niacin, B6 and folic acid, as well as the minerals calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium and zinc. Millets contain no gluten.So they are not suitable for raised bread, but they are good for people who are gluten-intolerant.
Now a days, everyone is becoming health conscious and millets are finding its way in everyone’s kitchen. I have recently started exploring recipes with millets. Samai, when cooked tastes just like rice.
I came across this puli pongal recipe in a tamil magazine. Pongal is south Indian version of Khichidi. It was very interesting. Am glad that I tried this recipe. It was very tasty. Everyone at home liked it, especially my son:)
Ingredients
Samai- 1 cup
Moong dal ( Pasi paruppu)- 1/2 cup
Tamarind- lemon size soaked in a cup of water.
Sesame oil- 2-3 tbsps
Melted ghee- 1 tbsp
Red chillies- 4-5
Mustard- 1 tsp
Peanuts- 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds( vendhayam)- 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves- few
Hing- 1/8th tsp
Method
Dry roast Samai and moong dal till the dal turns slightly golden.
Cool and wash well.
Squeeze well and take the tamarind extract.
You will get 1 cup of extract.
Add this 1 cup of extract and 3 cups of water to the Samai and moong dal and salt to taste.
Pressure cook for 3 whistles.
Switch off after 3 whistles and open the cooker after the steam subsides.
Add 1 tsp of melted ghee to the pongal and mix well.
Heat sesame oil in a pan. Add mustard. When it starts spluttering, add fenugreek seeds, peanuts, curry leaves and hing.
Add the tempering to the pongal, mix well and serve hot with chutney:)
