Millet Hash

I was a vegetarian for 13 years, and always searched for interesting recipes to keep my daily menu flavorful, colorful and tasty. During this time, I tried many new and unique items and learned a lot about alternative flavors and textures. There were some ingredients that I enjoyed very much, and found myself trying to be creative in finding new ways to prepare them. One thing I never had a chance to try was millet… If you are not familiar with millet, it is a small seeded grass grain and is primarily considered a cereal crop. It has been cultivated in harsh, dry areas of East Asia for the last 10,000 years, with India being the largest producer. Archaeologists hypothesize that in historical times, millet was of greater importance as a basic food staple than rice, especially in northern China and Korea.

Millet is a wonderful alternative for people with celiac disease who need to replace the gluten containing cereals in their diets. Millet can be eaten as a whole grain in cooked cereal, sautéed with assorted vegetables for a savory side dish or ground into flour to make a flatbread similar to roti. By itself, millet is not suitable for raised breads because of the lack of gluten, but when it is combined with other flours raised breads are possible.

In the USA, millet has been grossly underappreciated and primarily used as bird food…”bird food” you say? Well, just hear me out here… 

In some countries like Taiwan, East Africa, Nepal, Romania and Bulgaria, millet is used to prepare the alcoholic beverages and fermented drinks such as boza.

Nutritionally speaking, millet is very close to that of wheat with both providing about 11% protein…a huge amount by most comparisons to other products. Millet grains are very rich in B vitamins and thyroid peroxidase, so those people who suffer from thyroid disease should not consume it in large quantities.

My recipe today was for a side dish, but it would be perfect as a main vegetarian meal or snack, because it is that hearty. I cooked the millet separately, then sautéed assorted vegetables and tossed it in with some garbanzo beans…it was delicious with a unique nuttiness that I have never tasted before.

In my book, millet is no longer just bird food…

Millet Hash (serves 4 )

1 cup millet

2 ½ cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

**this will make about 3 cups of cooked millet, only need 2 cups for this recipe

1 large onion

2 large garlic cloves, pressed

1 red pepper, finely diced

1 yellow pepper, finely diced

½ cup sliced zucchini, sliced thinly

2 cups cooked garbanzo beans

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (add last)

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons homemade mayo

S&P to taste

Rinse millet well, and then toast it lightly in a hot skillet until you smell a lovely toasted nut scent. Then add the 2 ½ cups of boiling water, salt and 1 tablespoon of oil and cook on low heat for about 20-30 minutes, until all the water has evaporated and the millet has softened to a nice nutty texture. At this point, remove the lid, fluff with a fork and set aside.

In another sauté skillet heat the ¼ cup of olive oil and then sauté the onion until caramelized then add in the garlic and stir well together. Add in the zucchini, red and yellow pepper and continue to sauté until they have softened and are slightly caramelized. Toss in the garbanzo beans to heat through slightly then add the mustard and mayo and taste for salt and pepper. Add in the 2 cups of cooked millet and the fresh parsley and lemon zest  and toss everything well together. Serve warm.