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Who said millets can just be incorporated into savoury dishes? If you have gluten intolerance or you are building a sustainable lifestyle, it doesn’t mean you need to pay less attention to your sweet tooth. With the comeback of millets, the ancient grains, the possibilities for new and healthier recipes are endless.
Since the nutritional value of any millet is exemplary, there is a perfect ingredient to replace gluten from a dessert. If you want to make your indulgence guilt-free, you can try desserts that can be easily made with millet, that too, without hampering the taste. So, from barfi to malpua, here is a list of your favourite North Indian desserts that can be made with millets.
Millet Barfi
Barfi is a classic North Indian sweet that is made with a range of ingredients like dal, chana, milk, nuts, and so on. But if you want to add a healthier twist to your favourite barfi, you can make it at home using a mix of millets. Using grains like ragi, bajra, and jowar, you can make a dry mixture. Then roast the flours in ghee till fragrant, add condensed milk and mix well. Pour the mixture into a plate, and once cool, you can cut into squares and serve.
Ragi Halwa
Halwa is a beloved North Indian dessert. Being a highly versatile dessert, it can be made with a wide range of ingredients, including flours like wheat, suji, besan, and vegetables like carrot, beetroot, bottled gourd, and much more. For a gluten-free halwa, you can make it with finger millet, aka ragi. With just ragi flour, jaggery, ghee, and lots of chopped dry fruits and nuts, you can roast the mixture to get a fragrant serving of ragi halwa.
Mixed Millet Laddu
Laddu can also be made with either one of your favourite millet or a mixture of many grains. You can make a millet laddu, with jowar, ragi, bajra, etc. Start by roasting the flours with some ghee, and you can add powdered sugar or jaggery as per your preference. Add in cardamom and a few of your favourite nuts. Then, shape the mixture into balls, and your gluten-free dessert will be ready to savour.
Bajra Kheer
While the traditional kheer is made with rice, you can give the Indian dessert a gluten-free twist with bajra. To make the millet-based dessert, you can soak bajra and then cook it in milk till the grains are soft. Next, add sugar and simmer till you get the desired consistency. Finally, you can garnish it with chopped nuts like almonds, pistachios, and cashews before serving.
Ragi Malpua
Malpua is traditionally made with all-purpose flour. For a millet-based dessert, ragi is perfect to make the North Indian dessert without sacrificing the texture and taste. Just soak ragi flour with milk and some cardamom and let it ferment. Then, take small portions of the batter and deep-fry till golden brown. Finally, soak the fried malpuas in sugar syrup, and you’ll be ready to dunk in.
