Navratri Fasting Food: Sama Ke Chawal or Barnyard Millet

Sama ke chawal or Barnyard millet is vastly used during Navratri fasting. It is a wild growing grain which is actually a seed not grain, a pseudo grain.

Complex carbohydrates and some protein makes it an ideal food for fasting days in North India where all grains and pulses are restricted during fasting. This salad recipe is easy to assemble if you have some cooked Sama ka chawal as you keep cooked rice some times. All healthy ingredients in this salad. After all fasting during Navratri is meant to detox and rejuvenate basically.

Ingredients

(2 servings)

boiled sama ke chawal (cooked just like rice) 1 cup

Cucumber chopped in small bits 1 cup

Carrots chopped in small bits 1/2 cup

Other vegetables you like raw or steamed, cut similarly

Coriander green chopped 1/2 cup

Mint chopped 2 tbsp

green chillies chopped to taste

extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp

lime juice 2 tsp

sendha namak (rock salt) to taste

roasted peanuts 1/2 cup

pepper to taste

Preparation

Boil the millet in double the quantity of water just like rice. I pressure cooked the millet with a pinch of salt. Cool it or refrigerate till you chop the vegetables.

Mix the Olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper and the chopped green chillies, give it a good stir and let it rest.

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Chop all the vegetables being used, and toss with the dressing. Now fluff up the cooked millet and mix with the dressing and vegetables. Toss the roasted peanuts too.Adjust seasoning and serve cold.

The salad keeps well for a few hours, so it can be a nice lunch box idea during your fasting days. To make it more interesting and protein dense you can add some cubed paneer.