The Minapa or Dibba Rotti is an Andhra delicacy. A thick, savoury pancake with a crisp crust, it can be had for breakfast or as an accompaniment to a main dish. In this recipe, the traditional homemade rice rava (made from coarsely ground rice) is replaced with little millet rava.
Future of Food, a comic produced in English and Kannada, is set in 2035. An exercise in imagination, it asks what hopeful, localised futures look like for communities—especially rural and indigenous farmers in India—who are often excluded from these imaginations because of the nature of innovation and technology.
Muthiyas are a classic Gujarati dish made by steaming and frying dough into fist-shaped dumplings, from which they derive their name. They are usually eaten for breakfast, or as a snack. Here, they are made with jowar flour.
The dhokla is a Gujarati staple, usually made by steaming a fermented batter of gram flour, semolina, and spices. In the past, however, dhoklas were often made with a variety of lentils, grains—including millets—and even vegetables like spinach and green peas. While Shreya follows her mother’s instructions here, she adds her own twist by using proso millet in this hand-me-down family recipe.
Poha is a breakfast dish eaten across large parts of central and western India. Traditionally made with flattened rice flakes, poha is usually cooked with onions, green chillies, and peanuts. Regional variations ensure that it tastes just a little different if you have it in say, Indore, Pune, or Ahmedabad. This version, which replaces the rice with jowar flakes, is just as satisfying.
Pithas are a festive delicacy in Odisha—a kind of pancake usually made with rice, and stuffed with fillings like jaggery, lentils, and grated coconut, just to name a few. It is a versatile food, lending itself to different styles of preparation (steamed, fried, pan roasted), different shapes and sizes, and different fillings. Here, the pitha is made using foxtail millet flour, stuffed with mutton, and slow-cooked in banana leaves to create a hearty lunch.
Ganji Annam is a rice porridge from Andhra Pradesh that is traditionally made by fermenting cooked rice overnight, with additions like yoghurt, carom seeds, and slit green chillies. Here, the rice is substituted with foxtail millet to make a filling breakfast that is as easy on the stomach and it is comforting.
Kutki, if cooked carefully with enough water, turns out fluffy like rice. Its taste is nutty, with a deep, earthy flavour. During the short season when green chickpea shoots are still young, the rice is paired with a saag prepared from its tender shoots.