Mini Millet Patties

Open sesame Contest of International Food League is a context started by DK and Siri. When they announced about this contest I jumped up and cracked open a box that had the following riddle.

I am old and ancient and in many places a staple

health and longevity are wonders I wear like a lapel

My different forms give different taste

one form is enjoyed in the mornings - eaten in haste!

Another form is in form of soups and porridge

Or in forms of plain or stuffed breads

I thrive in the hot summers..But make you feel good and warm

I am good to people although many just use me for feeding birds and cattle in farms

I am just no mean and lowly grass with striking resemblance to maize

I have 'pearls' of wisdom to share if you want, to listen to me with grace

People with celiac turn to me

I give you fibre and irons, so rich i am for the world to see

Now sit tight and give it a hard thought - be clever be sane

to guess who I am,

the highly nutritious and healthful whole grain.

There was a note too: This cud be a vegetable, a spice , a fruit or a grain.

At first I said, Oats – Siri said, Wrong
Then I said, Whole Wheat – Siri said, Wrong
Finally I said, Millet – Siri said, Correct. Hooray!

I came up with this recipe just through my imagination. I googled for millet recipes, but couldn’t get a recipe that suits our tastes. So tried my hand at making this dish, it turned out so good and I’ll me making this often.

Ingredients: 1 cup Millet Flour (Bajra Flour) 3 tbsp Butter ½ tsp Red Chili Powder (or 2 green chilies) 1 small Onion 1 tsp Cumin Seeds Oil to deep fry Salt and Water as required Preparation: Finely chop the onion (and green chilies, if using! I used red chili powder) and keep aside. Place the butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds or until it melts. In a bowl mix together millet flour + melted butter + onion pieces + red chili powder + cumin seeds + salt with a small amount of water. It should be in the consistency of chapathi dough. Knead it well and make into small balls and flatten each ball into the shape of a patty. Keep aside. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a deep-bottomed pan. When the oil becomes hot, carefully drop the patties prepared above. Fry well until the patties turn golden brown and remove from the oil. Repeat the same process with remaining patties.  Spread these patties on a paper towel to remove excess oil. These can be eaten hot or cold. Anyway, it’s obvious most of the things taste great when they are hot, what do you say?

These millet patties are making their way into the International Food League at the Dining Hall.

As these are appetizers, I am sending these to dear Mansi Desai of Fun and Food, who is hosting this month’s “Monthly Mingle - Appetizers & Hors'Doeuvres” event. This event is originally started by Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey?