Foxtail, Kodo, Sanwa:
5 Millets to Know
You have likely eaten one already
Millets are not one grain. Five small ones turn up in Indian kitchens under a dozen names, and one is probably in your vrat dabba.
#1. Sanwa, the vrat grain
Sanwa, sama, oodalu. Barnyard millet is the light rice-like grain many families already cook on fasting days. Familiar, not new.
#2. Foxtail, the mild all-rounder
Kangni, thinai or korralu. Mild enough to stand in for rice, and good in khichdi, pongal and upma without changing the flavour.
#3. Little millet, the soft one
Kutki, samai, same. The smallest and most delicate of the five. It suits upma, pongal and soft porridge better than it suits rice.
#4. Kodo, the earthy one
Kodon or varagu. The strongest flavour here, earthy enough to notice. Best in khichdi, porridge and savoury grain bowls.
#5. Browntop, the hyped one
Sold whole or as flour, and hardest to find. Rarity gets marketed as superiority. Unfamiliar does not make a grain better.
Read the pack, not the claim
Polished or unpolished changes both the fibre and the cooking time. Buy small, follow the packet water ratio, then decide.
Start with one
Swap one millet into a dish you already cook well. Names, textures, water ratios and recipes in the Happy Tummy millet guide.