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Millet
Sept 29, 2005 10:31:03 GMT -5
Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Sept 29, 2005 10:31:03 GMT -5
Barnyard or Japanese millet (Echinochloa frumentaceae L.), is a domesticated relative of the seed, barnyard grass. It is grown for grain in Australia, Japan and other Asian countries. In the United States, it is grown primarily as a forage.www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/millet.html
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Millet
Sept 29, 2005 10:32:57 GMT -5
Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Sept 29, 2005 10:32:57 GMT -5
HistoryBarnyard millet is the fastest growing millet and its origin is probably in eastern India. PresentBarnyard millet (Japanese millet or billion dollar grass) is mainly grown as a forage grass in the USA and Japan. It is also grown in India, Japan and China as a substitute of rice when paddy fails. Biological CharacteristicsThis type of millet is the fastest growing of all millets and produces a crop in six weeks. In the United States it can reach up to eight harvests per year as a forage crop. Barnyard millet is an erect plant 60-130 cm tall with panicle inflorescence made up of 5-15 sessile branches. Spikelets are brownish to purple. Seeds are slightly longer than wide and bigger than wild barnyard grass seeds. AttributesAs every kind of millet, barnyard millet is an appropriate food for patients intolerant to gluten causing celiac disease. Seeds of the crop are nutritious. Barnyard millet can produce ripe grain in 45 days from the sowing time under optimal weather conditions. Barnyard millet does not suffer from major fungal disease and is valuable fodder plant. FoodSmall seeds of barnyard millet are processed on groats that are used for preparation of different types of porridges. Soil, Climate and Temperature RequirementsThis crop prefers lighter and drier soils well supplied with micro and macronutrients. Generally barnyard millet can be grown under different conditions in warmer regions but the highest yields (50 times higher than in poor growing conditions) are reached on good fertile soils, which shows its certain adaptability. www.vurv.cz/altercrop/b-millet.html
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Millet
Sept 29, 2005 10:39:05 GMT -5
Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Sept 29, 2005 10:39:05 GMT -5
Why Eat It The smallest of our familiar grains, millet surpasses whole wheat and brown rice as a source of some B vitamins, copper, and iron. Its protein content varies greatly, depending upon the variety, but, in general, it is similar to that of wheat. Like most grains, however, millet is deficient in the amino acid lysine, so its protein availability is enhanced when it is eaten with beans or other legumes, which are rich in lysine. Millet is usually tolerated by people who are allergic to wheat. An easily cultivated, fast-growing grain, millet was an important food in Europe in the Middle Ages, but it was supplanted by other grains, such as barley. However, it has long been a staple in North Africa, where it probably originated, and it is widely consumed in India, China, and Asia as well. In India and Ethiopia, finely ground millet is made into flatbreads called roti and injera, respectively. (Millet has no gluten, and so cannot be used for raised breads.) In the United States, millet is known principally as feed for birds and poultry. However, pearl (pearled) millet, which is the major type grown for human consumption, can be found in health-food stores and some supermarkets, always hulled and usually in whole-grain form. The tiny, pale yellow or reddish orange beads of millet can be cooked like any other grain. Occasionally, you may also see cracked millet sold as couscous (though the packaged couscous available in North America is most often made from semolina). Preparation Simmering: Use 1 1/2 cups liquid to 1/2 cup of grain. If the grain is kept covered and undisturbed while simmering, it will be fluffy and separate, like rice. However, if it is stirred frequently and a little liquid is added from time to time, the millet will have a creamy consistency, similar to mashed potatoes. If you saute millet first, as for a rice pilaf, the cooking time will be cut in half. Cooking time: about 25 minutes. Steaming: This method is most frequently used with cracked millet to make couscous. Soak the grain in water for about an hour, then steam it (traditionally, over a pot of simmering stew). Cooking time: 30 minutes. Nutrition Chart Millet/1 cup cooked Calories 286 (other nutrition info at link) www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/foods_view/1,1523,72,00.html
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Millet
Sept 29, 2005 12:36:34 GMT -5
Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Sept 29, 2005 12:36:34 GMT -5
稗 hin Japanese millet Echinochloa esculenta (A. Braun) H. Scholz 黍 kibi common millet, proso millet Panicum miliaceum L. subsp. miliaceum 粟 awa foxtail millet, Italian millet Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv. At the Saito Festival, people give thanks for what they hope will be a rich and successful harvest of the five staple grains—wheat, rice, beans, awa millet, and kibi millet. The participants pay homage to the five grains by wearing five different colored tasuki (long strips of cloth which tie back the flowing sleeves of their kimono) in an impressive procession that marches through the town.www.japan.com/travel/cities/mibaraki.php
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Millet
Mar 21, 2007 11:14:29 GMT -5
Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Mar 21, 2007 11:14:29 GMT -5
This might be handy for travel ... Millet and Rice Balls www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/65/Millet_Balls52216.shtmlNow if I can only find "Instant Millet Porridge" outside of Australia ... Xiao Mi Zhou (Millet Porridge) www.recipezaar.com/176786What a minute, how about "Instant Millet Gruel" ... INSTANT MILLET GRUEL tc55.com/list.asp?ID=548(there's just something "so right" about eating gruel for breakfast at war ...) Millet-Sweet Potato Congee www.recipezaar.com/113224millet congee
exhilarated I felt after my morning exercise came home to heat the leftover of millet congee I ate one piece after another without breaking the congealed surface all of sudden something rooted in deep memory jumped to the first place
millet congee, you reminded me of my grandma a great woman on my mind since i was delivered in this world when she had passed away, I was just about six or seven years old yet my life so far has been imprinted of the memory of my grandma ...my.opera.com/Che%20tongtong/blog/show.dml/96142Japanese CongeeOkayu is the name for the type of congee eaten in Japan. Okayu is still considerably thicker than congee produced in other cultures. For example, a typical Cantonese style congee uses a water to rice ratio of 12:1, but okayu typically uses water to rice ratios of 5:1 (zen-gayu) or 7:1 (shichibun-gayu). Also, its cooking time is short compared to other types of congee; okayu is cooked for about 30 minutes, while Cantonese congees cook for an hour or more. Okayu may simply consist of rice and water, although salt is often added for seasoning. Beaten eggs could be beaten into it to thicken it into gruel. Toppings may be added to enhance flavour; negi (a type of green onion), salmon, roe, ginger, and umeboshi (pickled ume fruit) are among the most common. Similarly, miso or chicken stock may be used to flavor the broth. Most Japanese electric rice cookers have a setting for okayu. In Japan, okayu is popularly known as a food served to the ill, occupying a similar cultural status to that of chicken noodle soup in America. Because it is soft and easily digestible, okayu is the first solid food served to Japanese infants; it is used to transition them from liquids to the thicker rice dishes which constitute much of the Japanese diet. It is also commonly eaten by the elderly for the same reasons. A type of okayu called nanakusa-gayu (七草粥, "Seven Herb Porridge") is traditionally eaten on 7 January, as a way of using special herbs that protect against evils, and to invite good luck and longevity in the new year. Moreover, as a simple, light dish, nanakusagayu serves as a break from the many heavy dishes eaten over the Japanese New Year. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congee
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Saionji Shonagon
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Millet
Mar 21, 2007 21:20:53 GMT -5
Post by Saionji Shonagon on Mar 21, 2007 21:20:53 GMT -5
Now if I can only find "Instant Millet Porridge" outside of Australia ... Next time I'm up in El Cerrito I'll see if the Ranch 99 market carries such a thing - assuming I can read the labels. Do you have Whole Foods in your part of the country? I should think that you might get millet there.
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Millet
Mar 21, 2007 22:02:16 GMT -5
Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Mar 21, 2007 22:02:16 GMT -5
Do you have Whole Foods in your part of the country? I should think that you might get millet there. Yes I do and yes they do. 99c a pound. Millet is used as a type of birdseed. Know those little parakeet treats made of seed, honey, and glue? That's millet. Brown the millet like you would sesame seeds. There will be a little popping like minature popcorn. Boil water - about 3.5 parts water to 1 part millet. Put in the millet, stir, and cover and simmer. I cooked mine uncovered but the water boiled away before it was done. So I added more and soldiered on. It took about 35 minutes and I let it rest 5 or 10 more. Bland, bland, bland. I used a bit of brown sugar and salt to spice it up. It was a little like rice, a little like couscous, a lttle like cream-of-wheat, a little like grits. I can understand why aussies add milk. Very filling, though. I might use instant grits as a food facsimile.
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Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Millet
Mar 21, 2007 22:14:43 GMT -5
Post by Saionji Shonagon on Mar 21, 2007 22:14:43 GMT -5
Bland, bland, bland. I used a bit of brown sugar and salt to spice it up. It was a little like rice, a little like couscous, a lttle like cream-of-wheat, a little like grits. Sounds like a proper stick-to-the-ribs meal though - and I'm a lifelong oatmeal eater. If I locate an instant in any of the Asian markets out here, I'll let you know.
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Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Millet
Apr 3, 2007 20:33:37 GMT -5
Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 3, 2007 20:33:37 GMT -5
I found Chinese sweet potatoes at the new Nob Hill Food market that opened in my neighborhood. And millet. I think I'm gonna try to make this one this weekend and will report on the results. I also have some umeboshi in the fridge, so I may try flavoring it with that as well. Porridge with pucker power!
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Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Millet
Apr 12, 2007 20:07:46 GMT -5
Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 12, 2007 20:07:46 GMT -5
This one sounded intriguing, so I shopped with it in mind this week. I chose to toast the millet on a cookie sheet in the oven, then rinsed and strained it through a dishtowel. The recipe uses about half a decent sized sweet potato. The Asian sweet potato I acquired at Nob Hill Foods has a rosy skin and the inside is as hard and yellowish white as an unbaked Idaho. I also went with two slices of ginger instead of one because I LIKE ginger. I completely forgot about the cinnamon stick while shopping, so I added a generous shake of powdered once the mixture started setting up. The final result is, not surprisingly, the texture of couscous. Toasting lent the millet a nutty flavor that's quite pleasant. If you are expecting this to be really sweet, it's not. It's nowhere near as sweet as commercial flavored oatmeals, for example. It's much subtler. The flavor of the sweet potato itself is very delicate and the millet sucks up the ginger, cinnamon and honey very thoroughly. I would imagine that one could be more generous with the proportions of the flavorings if one wanted for a sweeter result. For that matter, a different variety of sweet potato, carrot (which can cook up quite sweet) or even apple, might be interesting if one wanted to experiment. This recipe cooks up into enough millet to serve six. I loaded up the leftovers into a plastic container and slammed the lid on while still hot to see if the resulting condensation will keep it from turning into adobe - because, of course, I was cooking for one. Cooking time is under an hour. I would imagine putting the millet in water before bedtime to soak would reduce cooking time significantly. In case anyone was wondering, it's sufficiently sticky one can easily eat it with chopsticks. And yes, it is VERY filling.
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Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Millet
Apr 13, 2007 8:41:23 GMT -5
Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 13, 2007 8:41:23 GMT -5
....I'm still full....
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Millet
Apr 13, 2007 10:07:13 GMT -5
Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Apr 13, 2007 10:07:13 GMT -5
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Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Millet
Apr 13, 2007 10:16:44 GMT -5
Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 13, 2007 10:16:44 GMT -5
Still full....
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Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Millet
Apr 13, 2007 17:40:37 GMT -5
Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 13, 2007 17:40:37 GMT -5
Not quite so full. Might actually be able to eat lunch around 4:00 PDT.
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Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Millet
Apr 15, 2007 20:16:23 GMT -5
Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 15, 2007 20:16:23 GMT -5
Pease porridge in the pot, four days old.
Opened the refrigerated container and discovered that the millet had caked but was moist and even had some small "puddles" of liquid on the top. I broke it up with a spoon, put some in a bowl and microwaved it for a minute. Still good, still edible, improved with a dash of powdered cinnamon and a squirt of honey.
I may have to try this one out on my campmates at Beltane.....
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