Millets, Explained: A Complete Guide to the Ancient Grains

India grew millets for 5,000 years before rice and wheat took over our plates. Here is a working guide to bringing them back.

Know your millets

• Jowar (sorghum) — mild, versatile, the best gateway millet. Rotte, upma, salads.
• Ragi (finger millet) — calcium champion; 344mg per 100g. Porridge, mudde, dosa.
• Brown top — rare, delicate, gentle on digestion; one of the five "positive millets".

Three rules for cooking millets

1. Soak. At least 4 hours; overnight for whole millets.
2. Rest cooked millets 10 minutes, covered, before serving.
3. Start with one millet meal a day — your gut needs time to adjust to the fibre.

Small grains, big change.