Cooking methods of Siri dhaanya
Content Credit: Dr. Khadar Vali & Siri Jagatthu
Cooking the 5 Siri dhaanya
Cooking the 5 Siri dhaanya
• First, Siri dhaanya must be cleaned with potable (drinking) water.
• Before cooking, Siri dhaanya must be soaked in water for 6-8 hours. This is due to the good amount of dietary fibre they have.
• Due to this soaking, the fibre will flourish by absorbing the water and the fermentation will begin.
• Eating cooked Siri dhaanya that have been soaked, will help in regulating the
release of the glucose into our blood.
• If Siri dhaanya are cooked without soaking, consuming it will lead to stomach
pain, indigestion and vomiting.
• Siri dhaanya that are soaked overnight can be cooked and eaten in the morning.
And the dhaanya soaked in the morning, may be cooked and consumed in the
night.
• Under urgent circumstances also, they have to be soaked for atleast 2 hours.
(It is compulsory to soak the browntop millet for a minimum of 4 hours.)
• For proper soaking, one cup of Siri dhaanya would need 2 cups of water. The same water should be used for cooking, once the soaking period is over.
• One should not soak Siri dhaanya for more than 7-8 hrs, because this could lead to the development of fungus, giving out a foul smell.
How to cook these Siri dhaanya in an Earthen pot/Steel vessel?
How to cook these Siri dhaanya in an Earthen pot/Steel vessel?
• To minimise the loss of nutrients, Siri dhaanya are to be cooked in an earthen pot or in a steel vessel – by placing it directly on the stove, rather than cooking in a pressure cooker. This might require more amount of water. One could put a lid over the vessel while cooking.
• For cooking Foxtail and Kodo millets, water must be added in the ratio of 1 : 3 (i.e., 1 cup of Siri dhaanya in 3 cups of water).
• As for the Little and Barnyard millets, adding water in the ratio of 1 : 2 is sufficient.
• For the Browntop millet, water is required in the ratio of 1 : 4.
Cooking method
Cooking method
• First, the soaked water is poured into the earthen pot or steel vessel, and a spoon of oil (from bull driven ghani) is added – for achieving a soft and grainy texture.
A lid must be placed on the vessel. The stove must be set to a low flame.
• When the water starts boiling, the soaked Siri dhaanya are added to it. The lid is
placed again, and the mixture is let to cook. Make sure to stir it from time to time,
to prevent the rice from getting charred.
• For the earthen pot, it is better to use a wooden laddle for stirring.
• When the dhaanya are almost done cooking, the flame must be put out, and the
lid should be put back on the vessel.
• After five minutes, the grains will be cooked completely and will be ready for
serving. More water can be added while cooking, if one prefers a softer texture.
Water used for cooking:
• Use the water stored in the afore-mentioned copper vessels for cleaning the vegetables and fruits, or for cooking.
• Prepare a cleaning solution by adding tamarind juice – made from 20 grams of tamarind in 2 litres of water.
Place the fruits and vegetables in this water for about 10 minutes. Clean them once again with water from the copper vessel. This process will eliminate most of the poisonous chemicals present on their surface.
Siri dhaanya grains should NOT be mixed
Siri dhaanya grains should NOT be mixed – Need to Cook each type separately
• Each of the Siri dhaanya has its own special medicinal values and will cleanse
a specific part of the human body.
• Little millet has the ability to clean our genital organs. Foxtail millet cleans our
nerves. Kodo millet repairs the bone marrow, while the Brown top millet has the
capability to clean from head to toe.
• If Siri dhaanya are mixed and cooked, no part of the body will get cleansed
sufficiently.
On any day – Only one Siri dhaanya variety should be taken
All healthy people should eat the same Siri dhaanya grain for two consecutive days
• One should eat only one variety of Siri dhaanya 2-3 times a day (as per the
hunger needs). This should be done for two consecutive days. Thereafter, another
variety must be consumed for the next two days. After eating all the 5 varieties of
Siri dhaanya over a period of ten days, the first type of Sir dhaanya must be taken
again (from 11th day onwards), and so on as a cycle.
With Siri dhaanya, one can happily prepare various food items
like Idly, Dosa, Rotis, Pulihora, Pulao, etc.
Siri dhaanya to be taken for different ailments
Please refer to Chapter # 10 to know more the specific Siri dhaanya and Kashayaa to be taken for specific ailments.
Cooking of Siri dhaanya – for those who have Health problems/issues
If one has any serious health problems, then they should eat Siri dhaanya in the
form of Fermented Gruel/ Porridge only. This is because Gruel has healthy bacteria
that immensely improves digestion and absorption of nutrients, and strengthens the body’s immunity against diseases. Even for those who are healthy, it is good to have the Siri dhaanya in the form of Gruel, once or twice a week.