Enjoy your Sunday with these easy-to-make millet crackers. (Photo: Shalini Rajani)
As I settle down to write the Sunday recipe, I take inspiration from things around me. Sometimes, it’s my workshops or a recent event. This week, we had friends visiting from Toronto. And while everything was planned six months ago, things were uncertain just before the day of their travel, the reason being the Corona scare.
However, they did make it to India on the decided date. My friend had been following my social media posts, articles and blogs for two years and also attended my online workshops. Now was the time that she could taste them too.
And when you’re visiting your home country after two years, you tend to have an unending to-do list of visiting your favorite spots, mandatory visits to relatives, shopping list, etc. So in that extremely hectic schedule, I was lucky to host a dinner for her, along with her loving family.
It was one meal but almost 50 recipes played on my mind. I wanted to Milletify my friend with one dinner, since we both share the same love for the grain. I welcomed them with some Millet Cookies, Finger Millet Papadums and Pearl Millet Soup. For starters, I planned Gluten Free Pizza for Kids, Barnyard Millet dumplings in Yoghurt Sauce (precisely no-oil dahi vadas), Barbequed Veggies in Thai Peanut Sauce and some Foxtail Millet and Zucchini Kebabs. The main course had Porso Millet Biryani followed by Strawberry Parfait (dessert) made by kids. The menu also includes some of the dishes I made with Millet premixes.
I packed some Millet Gravy Premixes and Ragi (Finger Millet) rusks for her to carry back so she could relive the experience, but I regretted not being able to bake Spicy Millet Crackers for her. And so today, the inspiration for my Sunday recipe is an attempt to make up for that one dish.
Read more for the step by step recipe of Baked Spicy Millet Crackers and how beautifully it conveys the expression of love with its numerous health benefits. So make sure you don’t miss baking this quick snack for your loved ones.
Baked Spicy Millet Crackers with Peanut Dip
Ingredients:
· ½ cup Finger Millet (Ragi) Flour
· ½ cup Barley Millet (Jou) Flour
· ¾ tsp Baking powder
· 2 tsp Butter
· 1 tsp Pizza seasoning (or any seasoning of your choice)
· 1tsp Sesame seeds
· Rock Salt to taste
· Cow Ghee to brush
· Water to knead
Method:
Here’s how the fine millets look during the cooking process. (Photo: Shalini Rajani)
1. Pre-roast the flours and allow them to cool.
2. In a deep bowl transfer the flours and add baking powder, salt, seasoning, sesame seeds and butter. Knead everything well till you attain bread crumb consistency.
3. With little drizzling of water, combine the ingredients to form a firm dough.
4. Now divide the dough in two parts.
5. With the help of a parchment paper, start rolling one part till you get a thin chapati (Indian flatbread) like shape.
6. Start shaping crackers with the help of a pizza cutter or a knife.
7. Preheated oven at 190 C.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes with frequent manual checks and flipping of crackers.
9. While they are half-baked, brush them with cow ghee to combat the dryness of millets.
10. Serve with your favourite dips or jams.
Health benefits of Finger Millet, Barley Millet and Sesame Seeds
Finger Millet helps in keeping blood sugar in check. Low in glycaemic index, high in dietary fibre, antioxidants, it reduces unnecessary food cravings, thus helping in weight loss. Improves skin tissues and helps to reduce anxiety, depression and insomnia. A rich source of calcium and iron, finger millet plays an important role in boosting immunity levels too.
Barley flour boosts immunity as it is rich in vitamin B, potassium, selenium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, antioxidants and fibre. It also has a very low glycaemic index making it perfect for weight-loss regimes.
Sesame seeds are a good source of healthy fats, protein, B vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants and other beneficial plant compounds. Regularly eating substantial portions of these seeds may aid blood sugar control, combat arthritis pain, and lower cholesterol.
Shalini Rajani is the founder of Crazy Kadchi and holds innovative and healthy cooking workshops for all age groups.