Millet pulao with kodo millet (Varagu pulao) turns out perfect just like regular ones, taste, texture and flavor all perfectly balanced in this easy recipe.
Just swap rice with millet in your favorite pulao recipe and you have this healthy dish perfect for healthy lunch box and lazy one pot meal idea.
I have posted few millet recipes and with varagu, I posted varagu kanji and varagu adai.
Kodo millet (Tamil: Varagu; Hindi: Kodra; Telugu: Arikelu; Kannada: Harka).
This varagu pulav is one I tried latest to add on to the millet recipes. Thanks to Abhirami for the idea for this recipe.
When she handed over the millets, she was kind enough to share few recipes too and this is one among those.
Yet a lot of millet recipes and ideas are yet to line up every Friday, so stay tuned for the healthy recipes using millets.
I was bit doubtful to try this, but when I finished cooking and opened the cooker, I was so happy to see the fluffy pulao🤩.
And taste wise, no compromise as well when compared to the regular pulao. So if you are looking for different ways to include millets in you cooking, this is one to start with.
Health benefits
Here are some highlights (health benefits) of kodo millet:
- Nutritious and gluten free
- Richer in fiber and protein content.
- Lecithin in millet helps your nervous system stay healthy.
- Tasty - No difference in taste, so excellent healthy alternate for rice or wheat. You can replace any recipe using rice with kodo millet.
- Last but bot least it has antioxidant properties.
Instructions
- Heat a small pressure cooker firstly with oil/ ghee. In medium flame, add cinnamon, fennel, bay leaf. Do not let fennel change its colour. After that, add onion and give it a stir. Then, add ginger garlic paste.
2. Fry for a minute in medium flame. Add the chopped veggies, mint leaves. Furthermore fry in medium flame for about 2 mins. You can add a little salt for the veggies.
3. After that, add washed, drained millet to it and mix well. Let it dry. Flame should always in medium.
4. Then, add water, salt and bring to boil. Mix well and cook for a whistle in medium or low flame or in low flame possible for 12 mins.
My stove allows me to put the flame to lowest, so I kept for 12 mins in cooker, no whistle.
Serve hot with onion raita. Fluffy, tasty, flavorful pulao 😍
Serving suggestion
Goes well with:
Recipe card
Kodo millet pulao | Varagu pulao
Ingredients
- 1 cup Varagu Kodo millet
- 1 & ½ cups Water
- 1 cup Mixed vegetables Chopped Carrot, beans, green peas
- 1 Onion
- 1 teaspoon Ginger garlic paste
- 2 Green chilli
- 12 Mint leaves
- Salt as needed
To temper
- 3 tablespoon Ghee plus oil mixed
- 1 inch Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Fennel seeds soambu
- 1 Biryani leaf
Instructions
- Heat a small pressure cooker firstly with oil/ ghee.
- Then, in medium flame, add cinnamon, fennel, bay leaf. Do not let fennel change its colour.
- After that, add onion and give it a stir. Then, add ginger garlic paste.
- Fry furthermore for a minute in medium flame.
- Then add the chopped veggies, mint leaves.
- Continue frying in medium flame for about 2 mins. You can add a little salt for the veggies.
- After that, add washed, drained millet to it and mix well. Let it become dry. Flame should always in medium.
- Then add water, salt and bring to boil.
- Mix well and cook for a whistle in medium or low flame or in low flame possible for 12 mins. My stove has broad burner, allows me to put the flame to lowest, so I kept for 12 mins in cooker, no whistle.
Notes
- Use fresh ginger garlic paste for best flavor. Mint, fennel adds a nice flavor, so do not skip it.
- Do not fry in high flame at any stage as it will change the color of the pulao.
- Also while cooking the millets, let the flame be low to ensure even cooking.
AparnaRajeshkumar
I do often this . varagu generally fluff up well . Lovely millets.
jeyashri suresh
I love this pulao, recently exploring many things with millets. Quite interesting. Beautiful clicks
Divs
you have cooked the millet perfectly fluffy. love this pulao!
Mahalakshmi Sathiamoorthy
Shd definitely try ths one...looks differnt nd yummy too...healthy food
Aishwarya
tried this today. Came out very well. Also tried bisi bela with millers. both came out well and like you say no compromise on taste
Jinshi M
Nice....I think its really good for health.I usually go through ur receipes really wonderful.Can you tell me "Kodo millet " the name in Malayalam.
Raks anand
Sorry dont know 🙁
Sowmya Sundararajan
It's called koovaragu in malayalam Jinshi. Thanks for the info on Bhairavi naturals Raks. I was sourcing it from India all this while.
Jiju
Koovaragu is ragi, not kodo millet.
Sushii
Hi Arama, any other millets that you would suggest for making Pulav ??
Raks anand
Barnyard millet/ kuthiraivali or little millet (samai) will work.
DeviAnagha
I Tried this millets for breakfast as jaava