If you haven’t tried eating millet yet, this Millet Fried ‘rice’ is a great place to start! Low GI (excellent for type2 diabetes) + Vegan + Gluten-free!

I’ll have to credit this find to my mother-in-law who made me try millet on my last trip to India. Although highly skeptical at first, I’ve now gotten hooked onto these little things.

Let’s face it, I was never truly warming up to brown rice or quinoa (although I maybe coming around on quinoa lately, thanks to my blogger friend Shashi from SavorySpin). Eating them always felt like a chore. But millet on the other hand… I’m getting carried away, let’s just jump into the world of Millets!

Let’s talk Millet

Millet are practically the Clark Kents of the cereal/grain world. Not as glamorous as Superman but they are just as powerful and awesome, except they live in a world that only appreciates attractive packaging!

As a crop, they give faster+high yields with less water making them perfect for cultivation in India, Africa and most of Asia. They require less fertile soil to grow and don’t really attract a lot of pests, which means they are largely grown without pesticides or any artificial fertilization. Translate: they are quite organic!

But even as an Indian, I just found out about these in my late 20s. Why? Because in the glamorous world of Basmati and Jasmine rice, these little guys get overrun.

If only people knew that Millet are 5 times more nutritious than the average rice varieties, has a low glycemic index (studies show they benefit type2 diabetes), cost less, cook faster, aids weight loss, reduces risk of heart disease and more!

If that hasn’t convinced you yet, this might: unlike quinoa which has it’s own unique taste, millet taste a LOT like rice, making them a perfect substitute for those who haven’t yet warmed up to brown rice/quinoa.

 Prepping Millet

Rinse and wash the millet, twice, thrice or as many times as you need to until the water runs clear. In the picture below, you can see the difference in color between unwashed (bottom) and washed (top) barnyard millet.

Drain and then cook in twice as much water. For this fried rice, additionally rinse the cooked millet in water to wash off any starch. Spread out on a plate to cool.

Note: The grains are super tiny (like quinoa), so use a fine meshed sieve and not your usual pasta or veggie strainer. 

As the millet cook and cool-off, prep your vegetables. These below are what I usually use, but get a little creative with what you have in your fridge. That way you have a whole new kind of fried ‘rice’ every time! When it comes to healthier things to eat, keeping them new and refreshing is key to turning it into a habit.

Toss the vegetables in a little oil until cooked, but still crunchy. Season with your favorite stir-fry sauce, and finally toss in the cooked millet.

Serve hot with a garnish of roasted peanuts and spring onions! Trust me, just close your eyes and you’ll forget that it isn’t regular fried rice you’re eating!

When you make these (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here and will share it with pride on my social media feeds.