It is the Year of Millets.
Millets have been cropping up as wonder food on menus across the world and people are glad to ditch popular grains for local millet substitutes.
Foxtail, a smaller variety of millets, is highly recommended because of its high-nutrient quotient.
Bethica Das experiments with the age-old grain to make tasty Foxtail Millet Cutlets and gives it her own unique touch by replacing the potatoes in the recipe with paneer.
These cutlets can be relished with tomato ketchup or green chutney.
They also taste great with hummus. Or wrapped in parathas or chapattis for your kid's lunchbox.
When you are in the mood to experiment, turn to Bethica's treasure trove of distinctively different recipes.
Foxtail Millet Cutlets
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
- ½ cup phoksatel bajra or foxtail millet, soaked for 2-3 hours
- 100 gm paneer
- 2 tbsp besan or chickpea flour
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1-inch piece ginger, grated
- 2 green chillies, chopped
- ¼ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
- ½ tsp dhania or coriander powder
- ½ tsp jeera or cumin powder
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- ½ tsp red chilly powder
- 2-3 tbsp green dhania or coriander or cilantro leaves, chopped
- Oil to shallow fry the cutlets
- Salt to taste, about 1 tsp
- Tomato ketchup, to serve
- Green coriander and mint chutney, to serve
Method
- Pressure cook the soaked millets in 1 cup water for 4 whistles.
Take off heat, cool and blend in a food processor along with the paneer.
Do not add any water.
Transfer into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients, except the oil.
Knead to form a dough.
Divide into equal portions and roll them out into any desired shape.
Refrigerate the cutlets until ready to fry. - Heat oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the cutlets, in batches, on both sides till light golden in colour.
Drain on a tissue or paper towel-lined plate.
Serve as an evening tea-time snack or as an appetiser with tomato ketchup or green chutney.
Editor's Note: To make green chutney from scratch try the recipe here.
For a vegan version of this recipe, use grated vegan cheese instead of paneer.
If on a Jain diet, skip the ginger and onions and use 2 tsp saunth or dried ginger powder.
Bethica Das is a Sharjah-based food blogger.
