Sorghum and Pearl Millet Recipes
Composite Flour Recipes
Baked bread (20% sorghum/pearl millet
flour: 80% wheat flour)
Recipe makes 2 x 500g loaves
Steamed bread (30% sorghum/pearl millet flour: 70% wheat flour)
Recipe makes: 2 x 76g loaves.
Biscuits (cookies) (50% sorghum/pearl millet flour: 50% wheat flour)
Recipe makes 35-40 cookies.
Sorghum/pearl millet rice (100% dehulled sorghum/pearl millet grain)
Boil or steam grain until tender (20-40 minutes).
When sorghum is used, it is often soaked in water overnight and cooked the following morning using the same water. Sometimes fermentation occurs. As a result, the soaked grain will become whiter and will keep longer compared to grains that have not been soaked. Soaking may also reduced cooking time.
Serve with meat or vegetable sauce or stew.
In many countries a thin porridge is traditionally prepared from wet-milled pastes or dry-milled flour using either dehulled or nondehulled grains. (Millet is not often dehulled because its grains are small). Sometimes the grains are roasted, bleached in tamarind water, or germinated prior to dehulling and grinding into flour. The porridge may be fermented or not fermented. It is usually served for breakfast or to new mothers and young children.
Other composite flours of sorghum/cassava, sorghum/millet, and sorghum/millet/cassava can also be used in making porridge in a similar manner.
Texture. Thinness or texture of the porridge varies depending on flour particle size. Often a combination of finely and coarsely ground flour is used. Flour agglomerations may be added to alter the texture of the porridge.
Flavor. Flavor may vary depending on whether the porridge is fermented or not, and on whether the flour from which the porridge was made had been milled from roasted or germinated grain. Seasonings, sugar, sesame, lemon, or sour milk may also be added to improve flavor.
Quality. In general, a light color, smooth, free-flowing creamy consistency, and bland to sour flavor and aroma are preferred depending on the region and process used in preparing the porridge. Color preferences vary according to the color of flour normally available in the region. Dark, lumpy, grainy, or watery products with a raw starch, bitter, rancid, or off-flavor (due to tannins in hull or undercoat, or mould developed during storage) are not desired.
Breakfast porridge (100% sorghum/pearl millet flour)
Recipe serves 2-3 people.
Kenya. Uji wa mtama is often made with mixtures of 2 parts maize or cassava flour to 1 part of sorghum or millet flour. The hulls in sorghum or millet flour give the desired product colour. Millet is preferred.
Tanzania. Uji is often seasoned with sugar, salt, milk, or lemon juice. A very finely milled white flour is used.
Uganda. Obungi bwa kalo is made as above using about 4 cups of banana juice instead of water and sour milk is not added. Usually millet flour is used.
Obushera is a thin porridge made from germinated grain. A malted coarsely ground sorghum flour (made by adding ash and water to the grain, germinating the grain overnight, washing off the ash, drying and grinding the grain) is often used. Porridge is frequently seasoned by adding a generous amount of sugar, orange or lemon juice, mashed banana, sesame paste, or milk.
Edi is a nonfermented version of obushera.
India. Ambali is made as above, but without sour milk
Stiff porridge sadza (100% sorghum/pearl millet meal)
Stiff porridge is made in the same way as thin porridge but a greater proportion of meal is used. The same comments about the flour used for thin porridge apply here. In some countries a finely milled flour is used, and in others coarsely milled flour or a combination of course and fine flour is preferred. The flour may be made from roasted, germinated, fermented and/or dehulled grains. As is the case with thin porridge, stiff porridge may be made from other flour combinations.
Serve hot with meat, green vegetables, or stew for lunch or supper.
Fermented and nonfermented beverages are often made using darker sorghum and pearl millet varieties. To make beer, the grain is germinated, dried, pounded into flour, and mixed with water to ferment.
Fermented drinks (commercial mixes)
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