Fragrant Millet Pilaf Recipes

VEGGIE PILAF

Steps:

• Peel the onion and finely slice with the garlic, then peel and halve the carrot lengthways and finely slice at an angle. Pick the parsley leaves and put aside, then finely chop the stalks. Drain the chickpeas.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, wide, non-stick pan on a medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and parsley stalks, along with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then cook gently with the lid on for 10 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally.
• Pour 300ml of water into a small pot, then add the stock concentrate and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.
• When the vegetables have softened, add the turmeric. Then add the rice. Finely grate in the lime zest and squeeze in the juice, stirring regularly.
• Roughly chop and add the apricots along with the chickpeas, then pour in the hot stock. Bring to the boil, simmer for 2 minutes, then cover with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat down to medium-low and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Turn off the heat and leave the pan to one side, with the lid on.
• Meanwhile, put a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, scatter in the pepitas and toast until lightly golden.
• Decant the yoghurt into a small bowl. Make the harissa into a paste with 2 teaspoons of water, then swirl through the yoghurt.
• Fluff up the rice with a fork, then divide between plates. Sprinkle the pepitas over the pilaf, then finely chop and scatter over the parsley. Serve with spoonfuls of the spicy yoghurt.

MIXED GRAIN PILAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil and butter in a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add mushrooms. Raise heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in all of the grains. Cook, stirring often, 12 minutes. Stir in stock; bring to a boil.
• Cover, and transfer to oven. Bake until grains are tender, 40 to 50 minutes (check after 40 minutes, but don't remove lid before then). Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
• Add grains, and stir well, coating them with oil. Cook, stirring often, for about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in stock, and bring to a boil. Cover pot, and put in oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (check after 30 minutes; remove lid and cook a little longer if grains need to be softer). Fold in chopped herbs. Drizzle with Marsala wine. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
• To reheat: Place the pilaf mixture in a buttered, ovenproof casserole. Do not fold in the herbs or add Marsala. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve. When ready to serve, bring the pilaf to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle with Marsala. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the top of the casserole, and butter it. Place the parchment on the pilaf, butter-side down. Place in the oven until heated through, about 30 minutes.

FRAGRANT MILLET PILAF

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Mix the millet, coriander and cinnamon into the saucepan; saute for another minute or two, stirring constantly. Stir in the saffron threads, salt, pepper, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes.
• While the millet simmers, prepare the tofu: Cut the tofu into small cubes about the size of peas. Place the tofu in a saucepan, and cover it with the white wine. Add the shallots and the garlic. Place the pan over medium-high heat until the wine comes to a simmer, then turn the heat to low. Simmer the tofu for 10 minutes or until the wine is reduced by half.
• When the millet has simmered for 30 minutes, add it and it's cooking liquid to the tofu. Mix in the corn and the orange rind. Stir well, then cover the pan and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
• Stir the tomatoes into the millet. Season with salt and pepper, then spoon the millet pilaf onto plates. Garnish with the chopped green onions and serve.

HOW TO COOK PERFECT MILLET ON THE STOVE

Steps:

• Place the millet in a sieve and rinse well with cool water. After that you can either start by toasting the millet if you want a deeper, roastier flavor to the finished dish, or skip that step. If you want to toast it, place the rinsed millet in a wide bottomed saucepan and heat over medium heat for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the millet turns golden brown and starts to smell fragrant. Then add the water or broth, salt and butter. Or simply combine the liquid with the millet, butter, and salt in a saucepan.
• Give the mixture a good stir and turn the heat up to high. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to the liquid is at a simmer and cover the pot. Cook for about 15 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed, keeping the pot covered until you start checking towards the end of the cooking time. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, with the cover still on, for 10 more minutes.
• Remove the cover and fluff the millet with a fork, much like you would fluff rice. Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve hot.