How to cook millet: complete guide and easy recipes

Outlines how to cook millet easily, with step-by-step instructions and simple delicious recipes to try out with this superfood.

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Millet has long been supplanted by quinoa, amaranth and other superfoods. The tiny round seeds are also part of the superfood. They are healthy, taste good and can be prepared in many ways. Here we tell you how to cook millet with easy steps anybody can follow, and how to cook with millet in great recipes.

Nutritional superfood

It’s good that the long-forgotten millet has found its way back onto our menu. It contains many vitamins and nutrients, is ideal for people with allergies such as celiac disease or, gluten intolerance because it is gluten-free. With our little guide, cooking millet properly is no problem.

Millet has a comprehensive nutritional profile:

• It not only provides a lot of valuable secondary plant substances and fiber, but is also a good source of essential amino acids.
• It is rich in antioxidants.
• With a protein content of 14 percent, it is also a good source of protein .
• It also supplies the important minerals zinc, iron, magnesium and calcium

As if that weren’t enough, millet also contains some B vitamins, especially vitamins B1, B3, B5 and B6. In addition, millet is particularly easy to digest. 

How to cook millet: the basic steps

• Expect to use around 50 to 60 g of uncooked millet per person.
• Put the measured amount into a fine sieve; then wash the millet until the water runs clear. This will prevent the millet from having a bitter taste .
• Empty the millet into a pan and add liquid. Add about twice the amount of water to boil millet .
• Add salt to the water and let the liquid boil. As soon as it “bloders”, turn the heat back to low and let the pan simmer covered on the stove. The cooking time for millet is approx. 10-15 minutes.
• Then remove the pot from the stove and cover and let the millet soak for another 10 minutes. Always leave the lid on the pan and don’t look into the pot in between.
• Fluff with a fork and fold in a little olive oil or butter. Now you can serve or process the millet.

Do you have to cook millet?

Yes. Millet should not be eaten raw as it contains many enzymes that damage the protein. Cooking will destroy these enzymes.

How to cook millet with gourmet hacks

• For a wonderful nutty aroma, roast the millet in a pan for several minutes before cooking, stirring constantly.
• To make the millet spicier, you can cook it in an aromatic vegetable bouillon instead of in pure water.
• Cooking millet with milk is another alternative. Use a mixture of half water and half milk. This is particularly suitable for millet for breakfast or sweet millet dishes .
• You can also prepare millet in the microwave . You have to take about 1/3 more water than with the conventional method of preparation. To do this, put the millet with the water in a heat-resistant, microwave-safe saucepan and let the microwave run for four to five minutes on the highest setting.

Recipes

Stuffed peppers with millet

ingredients for 4 servings

preparation

1. Dice the onions. 
2. Cook the millet according to the instructions on the packet, use vegetable broth instead of salted water and cook the onions as well.
3. In the meantime, cut the peppers in half and remove the stalk and seeds.
4. Chop the parsley.
5. When the millet is ready, stir in half of the cheese and parsley, adding salt and pepper to taste. 
6. Fill the peppers with the millet gruel, pour the rest of the cheese over it and bake in a baking dish at 180 ° C for about 25 minutes. It also tastes delicious cold!

Millet oat porridge with warm apples

ingredients for 1 serving

preparation

1. Cook all ingredients, except for the banana and nuts, in a saucepan while stirring over low to medium heat for about 5 minutes until creamy. 
2. Season everything with a little agave syrup. 
3. Finally, serve the porridge with fruit, e.g. banana and nuts, e.g. macadamia nuts, cashew nuts top. Seeds, such as chia seeds or linseed, can also be added.

Millet and carrot patties

ingredients for 2 servings

preparation

1. Cook the millet in the vegetable stock for 10 minutes. 
2. Remove from heat and let soak for 5 minutes. Drain excess stock and allow the millet liquid to evaporate.
3. Then add all the other ingredients to the millet and knead everything well with your hands (this is important for the binding properties of the carob gum). Shape patties.
4. Bake on both sides in a pan or alternatively bake in the oven at 200 ° C (top / bottom heat) for 15 minutes with low fat content.

Quick yogurt bread with millet

ingredients for 1 loaf

preparation

1. Mix approx. 1.2 kg of flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, seed mixture and millet.
2. Roughly grate the carrots, whisk the yogurt with the egg and stir in the carrots. 
3. Add the yogurt mixture to the flour and knead evenly with the dough hook on the hand mixer. 
4. Knead the mixture with your hands until smooth and shape the dough into an elongated loaf.
5. Mix the remaining seeds with the millet and place on a flat plate. 
6. Brush the dough with water and roll it in the seed mixture, place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake at 180 ° on the second rail from the bottom for 40 – 45 minutes.
7. The bread tastes very good even without seeds.