Vegan Foxtail Millet Veg Pulao Recipe

Foxtail millet is deceptively simple to cook. Once you get the millet:water proportion right, you’re all set for a super healthy pulao!

Foxtail Millet Vegetable Pulao is a dish with a rich history. Born in ancient India, pulāka in sanskrit means a ‘ball of rice’. Pulao was mentioned in the Mahabharatha, and taken to Europe by Alexander the Great. Interestingly, the first recipe for pulao was written by Avicenna, an ancient Persian physician!

Foxtail millet is deceptively simple to cook. Once you get the millet:water proportion right, you’re all set for a super healthy pulao! 🙂

Pulao is usually served with raitha. If you prefer a thin raitha, you could use whole coconut milk thambulli as a base. If you enjoy a thick, creamy raitha, peanut mylk is a better idea. Plant based mylks give you all the yumminess of milk without any of the cruelty or disease that comes with dairy milk. Enjoy!

Whole Food Plant Based Foxtail Millet Veg Pulao Recipe

Course: Course 3 (Grain Dish) at Lunch & Dinner Meals, Millet Dishes
Cuisine: North Indian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Foxtail Millet / Navane
1/2 cup Carrots chopped
1/2 cup Beans chopped
1/2 cup Capsicum chopped
1/2 cup Fresh Green Peas
1 stick Cinnamon
3 Cloves
1 Bay leaf

Veg Pulao Masala

1 Tomato chopped
2 tsp Mint leaves chopped
2 tsp Coriander leaves chopped
1 tsp Fresh Ginger chopped
1 tbsp Dhaniya / Coriander Seeds Powder
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder
1/2 tsp Jeera Powder / Cumin Powder
4 tsp Miso Paste

Veg Pulao Garnishing

1 tsp Coriander leaves chopped
2 tsp Coconut grated
2 tsp Nuts Almonds or Cashews
1/4 Lemon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak 1 cup foxtail millet for 30 minutes. Cook with 1 cup water. Make sure it does not get overcooked. Switch off the stove when it is 3/4th of the way cooked.
2. Boil carrot, beans, and fresh green peas with cinnamon, cloves and bay leaf and just enough water to cover half the vegetables. Once they are almost cooked, add capsicum. Let it cook for a couple of minutes, while you prepare veg pulao masala.

Veg Pulao Masala

1. Peel ginger. Blend tomato, dhaniya powder, and ginger to a paste.
2. Add this masala paste to the vegetable base and cook for few minutes.
3. Once it comes to a boil, add cooked millet and mix well. Close lid for few minutes and cook on low flame so that all the flavors are absorbed.
4. Once cooked, remove from stove, spread on a plate and let it cool completely.
5. Grind coconut with pudina leaves, jeera powder, black pepper powder, and miso paste. Mix into foxtail millet veg pulao.
6. Garnish with mint leaves and soaked nuts. Squeeze some lemon juice for some extra zing!
7. Serve fresh with Raw Vegan Raitha.

Plant Based Chef Pro Tips for Best Foxtail Millet Pulao Recipe

1. Add exactly the right amount of water to cook millets and vegetables for the right pulao consistency!
2. Experiment with other vegetables or greens like palak or methi for different versions of Foxtail Millet Vegetable Pulao.
3. If you like it spicy then slit green chili can be added to boiling vegetables. Make sure not to bite the chili!
4. Apart from raw vegan raitha, you could also serve foxtail millet veg pulao with Whole Coconut Milk Thambulli instead of buttermilk or Peanut Curds instead of dairy curds.

Nutrition Science Highlights for WFPB Foxtail Millet Veg Pulao Recipe

1. Why Miso Paste? Miso paste is fermented & salted soya bean paste. American Heart Association Maximum recommended maximum daily salt intake of 3.75 grams per person to minimise risk of high blood pressure, stomach cancer and chronic kidney disease. In addition to helping us restrict salt intake, replacing salt with miso paste also helps by neutralising the negative effects of salt by soya phytonutrients. You can easily make fresh miso paste at home by mixing 100 grams of cooked soya paste with 10 grams of salt, or 10 tablespoons of cooked soya paste with 1 tablespoon of salt. If making at home, ensure to use immediately, or freeze in batches to use later. Or, simply use 3.75 grams of salt or less per day per person and add 18 to 20 grams (dry weight) of soya beans in any dishes, spread through the day!
2. Why whole grains? Whole grains are healthier than refined grains such as white rice, refined flours, maida, rava, etc., as the bran layer is intact, with all its vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Whole grains have been found to be protective against a whole range of chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and lifestyle-related cancers.
3. Why cool grains? When cooked grains are allowed to cool on the counter or in the fridge, the starch crystallises to form resistant starch. This can be eaten by our good gut bacteria and also reduces the glycemic index (the rate at which glucose is absorbed), making the whole grain even healthier. For the same reason, parboiled whole grains can be used as well.
4. Why not tadka? Tadka, thaaLippu, oggaraNe. Tempering spices in oil is quintessential to Indian cuisine. This practice may have started as a compromise when whole nuts were unavailable, and indeed, is more common in inland, drier areas where nuts do not grow easily, all year round. You can enjoy the taste and fragrance, though, by just dry roasting the spices you require, without the oil, or even better, mixing spice powders directly into your dish!
5. Why nuts instead of oil? Whole foods are healthier than processed foods. When nuts are pressed and oil is extracted, fiber and phytonutrients are lost, along with many other nutrients. Therefore, whole nuts are much healthier than oils, whether cold-pressed or refined. In addition, they provide the oil content we need to absorb fat-soluble phytonutrients from other whole plant foods! This may be why nuts are used to garnish nearly every traditional Indian dish!