The best tips for macrobiotic millet cooking
How to cook millet, how to prepare good macrobiotic millet whole grains?
The millet cooking is a little problem for some macrobiotics. Because millet gets bitter sometimes, sometimes not. I have realised it does depend on the type of millet you are using. There are more millet types like: Pearl millet, Foxtail millet, Proso millet (also known as common millet, broom corn millet, hog millet or white millet), Finger millet and many others. The most common millet in the kitchen is Pearl millet. To get rid off the bitter taste it’s recommended to wash scald the grains with hot water. You pour the boiling hot water onto the millet grains and then you pour this water out. By this, the millet will release the bitter factors into the hot water. But some people say, that by this, you are giving away also all kinds of vitamins and minerals. And I personally think it’s true. I was personally trying many millet manufacturers and cooking all kind of millets, until I found the one that is very tasty and not bitter. But I am also ok with the bitter taste anyway, I like it too, so it’s all relative. But if you are the person that don’t like millet because of the bitter taste, try the hot water tip, even if it would lead to some degree loss of vitamins and minerals (you can still compensate them in other meals) and enjoy the millet taste with your dishes. Or try to find the right millet type, that is not bitter after cooking.
The cooking of millet in general is done like this. You rinse the millet grains in the water, at least 3 times. And cook with 2 - 3 times of water (preferably spring nature water) and pinch of salt, or if not using the salt, you can add seaweeds like Kombu or my preferable seaweed with millet are Arame or Hiziki. I am cooking millet in pressure cooker with 2x of water for 30 minutes if cooked millet alone. But very often I mix millet + whole brown rice in the various ratios, most usually 70% rice + 30% millet and cook them together for 45 minutes. Many people say, that millet is cooked in 15 minutes. But according to macrobiotic rules, all grains are cooked longer time and it has own special reasons like the proper energy (yin/yang) flow for example.
If you are not cooking in the pressure cooker, I would suggest to use 3x of water and cook for 40 minutes.
But the practice will teach you the most. You will learn how many water to use and how long to cook, to get the best taste for you and your family members. We are all different, and we need also a little bit different styles of cooking times and water proportions.
The millet is considered as the yang kind of whole grain and also alkaline. Many other grains are acid forming. Also buckwheat is alkaline and very yang. For this reason, millet is ideal for using with sweet (yin) sort of foods. It’s great for preparing of desserts or sweet dishes like sweet gruel. You can simply mix the cooked millet with a little of malt in the mixer, you will get very delicious cocktail. Or you can bake in the cooked millet with grated apples (or any other fruits). You can blend the cooked millet with amasake for your breakfast dish and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds. Or you can use millet for more complicated desserts. It’s just very appropriate because its alkaline, yang quality.