I am not sure if I should rejoice or go sit in a corner and weep. I made muesli for Women’s Day. And that made me happy, and oh so accomplished. I know I should be thinking about the glass ceilings I should be cracking with my head, juggling my investments and having serious discussions about GST and Brexit. But I decided to experiment with breakfast cereal instead. And I am not sorry. It did not give me indigestion like Aadhar did.
So I took a picture of it and sent it to the person who inspired me to go down this path. My friend Devi. She works with organic farmers and sources an amazing variety of millets, seeds and stuff that she shares with me. So when we discussed breakfast wearily the other day, she said she had tried something at home and may be I should too. “It is healthy, saves time and tastes good. It is Muesli Magic,” she said in a hushed tone. It all began for Devi when she suddenly developed a craving for muesli/cornflakes. But she will not eat the packaged stuff sold in shops. “Cornflakes nowadays is full of sugar and the corn is more likely to be genetically modified than not, if imported. So that is more than enough reason to put me off it.”
The muesli can be made in a microwave but Devi does not use one so she is not sure how long the mixture should be zapped before it is ready.
So to all the women who agonise over healthier breakfasts, here is the recipe. And if you are nice to me, you might receive some for your birthdays/anniversaries/Deepavali.
Ingredients:
Nattu Kambu Aval (Pearl Millets) 50 gm
Irungu Solam Aval (Red Sorghum Flakes) 50 gm
Mapillai Samba Rice Aval (Red rice flakes) 50 gm
Almonds chopped 50 gm
White sesame seeds 50 gm
Raisins 50 gm
Cold-pressed organic coconut oil A few teaspoonsfuls
Method
Add a spoonful of coconut oil in a hot kadai and roast the two millet avals together till they are crisp. Keep aside in a bowl.
Add another spoonful of oil and roast the rice aval. This takes a tad longer and may retain a slight chewiness. Add to the roasted millets.
Now roast the chopped almonds in another spoonful of oil. Once done, mix with the aval mixture.
Roast the white sesame seeds till they crackle and splutter and sprinkle into the mixture.
Add raisins and allow to cool completely before putting into an air tight container and refrigerating it. Don’t keep for more than a few days.
If you like your muesli sweet, add raw cane sugar, honey or organic cocoa nibs.
You can substitute almonds with flax seeds, ground nuts, pumpkin seeds
You can also add puffed rice to the muesli
Advantages
Cheaper than store-bought ones. The total cost for 250 gm is under ₹200.
Less packaging to deal with
Contains organic locally sourced ingredients
Quick and easy to make.