Tamarind rice recipe with Foxtail Millet. A delicious and easy to make healthier Puliyohora using millets instead of rice.
The first time I tasted tamarind rice was in a temple.I loved it so much that I never said no to going to that temple again!
Tamarind Rice has everything I love- peanuts, tamarind and lots of chilli!! I can really never get enough of it.Making Tamarind rice with Millets instead of rice makes it so much more nutritious and healthy!
What is Foxtail Millet?
is a type of small cereal grains from the grass family.Read my elaborate post on how to introduce Millets in our diets for more understanding.Read more about millets and how they compare with wheat and rice on my how to introduce Millets in our diets.
Why substitute rice with Foxtail Millets?
Millets are a more sustainable, environmental friendly crop than wheat and rice.They take less water and also have shorter growing period.But the real selling points is the Nutrient factors.Take a look below to understand more!
Nutrient Profile of Foxtail Millets
are a great alternative to Rice and Wheat.These little cereals have higher PROTEIN, higher FIBER, higher MINERALS, higher IRON and higher CALCIUM than rice or wheat!
It also has three times the Folic Acid,Niacin and Thiamine than rice.
Look at the fiber content ! Its EIGHT times that of RICE!!!
Nutrient content of various millets with comparison to rice and wheat
| Crop / nutrient | Protein (g) | Fiber (g) | Minerals (g) | Iron (mg) | Calcium (mg) |
| Foxtail millet | 12.3 | 8 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 31 |
| Rice | 6.8 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 10 |
| Wheat | 11.8 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 5.3 | 41 |
How to Make Tamarind Rice with Foxtail Millet
It’s super easy to make Tamarind rice with 
.All you have to do is follow the recipe below!
Here are a few pointers though!
- If you don’t like your food spicy- reduce both black pepper and Red Chillies from the recipe
- Wash the Tamarind before soaking in water.It can have impurities.
- I have made the tamarind rice masala or paste from scratch but you can use any store-bought tamarind rice mix too instead.In that case all you have to do is mix cooked Foxtail millet with the paste as per your taste and preference.
If you like the recipe, do leave a comment below or share your pictures with me on Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Foxtail Millet
- 2 Cups Water
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
For the Puliohare Masala Mix
- 2 tsp Channa Dal
- 2 tsp Urad Dal
- 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
- 4 Dried Kashmiri Red Chillies
- 1 tsp Methi Seeds
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 10 Curry Leaves
- 1/4 tsp Hing
- 1.2 tsp Turmeric
- golf ball sized Tamarind soaked in 1 cup hot water
- 1/2 tsp Jaggery
Instructions
- Soak the Tamarind in 1 cup hot water and set aside
Cook the Millets
- Pressure Cook the Millets with 2 cups of water and 1 tsp of Salt for 10 minutes.Alternatively Pressure Cook the millets in Instant pot for 7 minutes.Let it cool.
Puliohare /Tamarind Millet Rice
- Dry Roast the masala mix- channa dal, urad dal, coriander seeds, dried chillies, methi seeds, black pepper &. sesame Seeds.Once Cool- grind into a powder.
- Heat Oil in a Kadai.Add the mustard seeds,Curry leaves, hing.Add the Masala Powder.
- Stir the masalas and add the 1 cup of soaked and strained tamarind water.Cook for 10-15 minutes till it reduces.
- Add the Cooked millet and mix.Top it with roasted peanuts and serve hot!
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Do comment if you have a question