Millets are one of the oldest foods known to humans and possibly the first cereal grain to be used for domestic purposes. they are short term crop, give a quick yield even with less water. Varagu sadham / Varagu arisi sadham / kodo millet rice is very nutritious, good for vegetarian as it was high in fibre and protein. You can cook millets like ( kuthiravalli, samai, thenai), varagu) at home either in pressure cooker or in pan. Varagu are very easy to digest, so it is good for both kids and adults. Now days I substitute millets in place of rice and wheat to prevents diabetes, weight loss and other disease when used regularly. Most millets can be cooked like rice. You can make different millet recipe in place of rice such as idli, dosa, payasam/kheer. Millet flour can be used to make rotis.

Kinds of millets available in markets.

Barnyard Millet (Hindi: Jhangora; Tamil: Kuthiravaali; Telugu: Odalu)
Finger Millet (Hindi: Mandua; Tamil: Kelvargu; Telugu: Ragulu; Kannada: Ragi; Malayalam: Koovarugu)
Foxtail Millet (Hindi: Kangni; Tamil: Tenai; Telugu: Korra; Kannada: Navane; Malayalam: Thina)
Kodo Millet (Hindi: Kodra; Tamil: Varagu; Telugu: Arikelu; Kannada: Harka)
Little Millet (Hindi: Kutki; Tamil: Samai; Telugu: Sama; Kannada: Same; Malayalam: Chama)
Pearl Millet (Hindi: Bajra, Tamil: Kambu, Telugu: Gantilu, Kannada: Sajje)
Proso Millet (Hindi: Barri; Tamil: Panivaragu; Telugu: Varigulu; Kannada: Baragu)
Sorghum (Hindi: Jowar; Tamil: Cholam; Telugu: Jonna; Kannada: Jola; Malayalam: Cholum)

Health Benefits of Varagu Rice (Kodo Millets)

• Digestion friendly.
• Gluten free, rich in vitamins and minerals.
• High in fiber and protein.
• Controls cholestrol and blood sugar.
• Act as a prebiotic feeding microflora in your inner ecosystem.
• Serotonin in the millet calms and soothes the mood.
• Hydrate your colon to keep your system regular and keep you from being constipated.

Kudo Millet

Preparation Time : 10 mins         Cooking Time : 15 mins        Serves : 2- 3 People

Ingredients for varagu rice

• 1 Cup of Kodo Milet ( Varagu Rice )
• 3 Cups of Water

Method

• Wash the millets. In the pressure cooker, add millet and water. Cook it for 3 whistles and turn off the heat.
• Serve it with sambar or rasam or curd.
• Substitute millet in place of rice.

Tips

• You can make idly or dosa or variety rice with millets.
• You can cook the millet either in pressure cooker or in pan.
• If you are cooking in pan, first add water to the pan, allow it to boil, after you see bubbles, add millet and cover it with a lid, let it cook for 15 mins. Turn off the flame. Do not open the pan for another 15 mins.
• Use 2.5 – 3 cups of water to 1 cup of varagu depending on your preference.

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  Kuska is a kind of biryani without any vegetables and it is a popular food in southern part of Tamilnadu. This is my grand ma’s recipe, whenever I go to her house in Dindugul, she makes this kuska biryani for me. In this kuska recipe, the long grain rice is cooked in a pressure cooker along with some aromatic spices, mint leaves, onion, tomato and ginger garlic paste. The outcome of the biryani is just flavorful, spicy and yummy. You can make this easy kuska biryani, if you run out of veggies at home. Best accompaniment for this biryani are some potato curry or protein rich gravy like soy chunks mushroom curry  and raita.
  
  Preparation Time : 30 mins
  Cooking Time : 10 Mins
  Makes : 2 Servings

  Ingredients for Kuska Biryani (Dindugul Style)1 Cup of Basmati Rice 1 Big Red Onion, Finely Chopped 2 Tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste 4 Green Chilly 1 Tsp of Coriander Powder 1 Small Tomato, Finely Chopped 3/4 Tbsp of Dried Mint Leaves, You can use Fresh Mint Leaves(Handful) 1 Tbsp of Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped 1 Cup of Water 1/2 Cup of Milk Salt to Taste  To Grind 2 Cloves 1 Inch Cinnamon Stick 2 Green Cardamom  To Temper 3 Tsp of Oil 1 Bay Leaf 1 Star Anise Pinch of Stone Flower 4 Curry Leaves  Other Ingredients 1 Tbsp of Coriander Leaves, Chopped 2 Tsp of Ghee   Method  for Kuska Biryani (Dindugul Style) Soak the rice in water for 20 mins. Drain and wash it in tap water. Keep it aside. Grind cloves, cinnamon and cardamom in a spice grinder or mixie to a fine powder. Finely chop the onion and tomato. Slit the green chilies. Keep it aside. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add bay leaf, stone flower, curry leaves and star anise, fry for a min. In a medium flame, add the ground spice powder, fry it for 30 secs. Add chopped onion and green chilly, fry it for 2 mins  until it changes golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste, fry it until the raw smell vanishes. Add tomato, fry it until it turns soft and mushy. Now add mint leaves, coriander leaves and coriander powder, fry this for a min. Add rice, fry for another min, add water, milk and salt. Cover and cook it for 2 whistles in a cooker. Turn off the flame, let the pressure releases on its own. Open the cooker, add chopped coriander leaves and ghee, give a gentle stir with a fork. Hot, yummy kuska is ready to serve with spicy mushroom gravy and raita.     Tips If you don’t have stone flower and star anise, just use bay leaf for tempering. If you have small onion(shallots), you can use that in place of large onion. Increase or decrease the number of green chilly according to your taste. You can also use 3 green chilies and 1/2 tsp of red chilly powder to this rice. Don’t add turmeric powder to kuska. Adding ghee after pressure cooking gives a nice taste and flavor to rice. You can use jeeraga samba rice in place of basmati rice. For basmati rice, the water ratio is 1 : 1.5 Water. You can use coconut milk in place of water or you can use 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of cow’s milk, like I did.

   

  

  Tags : biryani, kuska, kuska biryani, how to make kuska, plain biryani, biryani without vegetables and meat, sunday biryani, southindianlunch, indianbiryani, madurai kuska, dindugul kuska, easy biryani, muslim biryani  , beeryani recipe     variety rice without veggies