Millets & Grains

Before rice and wheat took over, millets fed much of India, and many families still cook them. This category of our rice and grains department covers millets such as ragi, bajra and saamai, along with barley, quinoa, popcorn kernels and broken wheat.

The uses run from Gujarati bajra rotla and Karnataka ragi mudde to Tamil kambu koozh, barley water, a bowl of dalia, godhumai rava upma and a pan of popcorn for film night. Barnyard millet, sold as samo, moraiyo or vrat ke chawal, is cooked on Hindu fasting days in place of rice.

Whole grains here are for cooking like rice or porridge. If you want to make rotis, bhakri or dosa, the ground versions sit in our flour department, so check whether a recipe calls for the grain or the flour before you choose. Small packs are sensible for a first try, as each millet has its own texture.

Whole millets cook better after a rinse and a short soak of thirty minutes to an hour, and a light dry roast in the pan before adding water brings out a nutty flavour. Store them in airtight jars, as small grains attract pantry moths.