NAVANE VEGETABLE VANGIBATH - Spicy Vegetable and Foxtail Millet

NAVANE VEGETABLE VANGIBATH  
For quite sometime now the food world is abuzz with the millet mantra. Millets are gluten free, high in fiber and are rich in antioxidants. Navane or Foxtail millet is one of the positive grains/ millets which have been in use since thousands of years. It helps in balancing the cholesterol levels and aids in good digestion. It has a low glycemic index and thus it is an excellent diabetes manager. We are basically  rice eaters and we started including Ragi and Sorghum long ago. Of late we have been switching over to other millets too  for their immense health benefits. Millets can be cooked into traditional dishes without having to compromise on taste. 
Here is a recipe for Navane Vegetable Vangibath using Vangi ( brinjal) and other vegetables with Navane / Foxtail millet. 

INGREDIENTS
Foxtail millet/Navane/Tinai - 1 cup
Brinjal,Onion,Capsicum and Carrots ( Chopped) -1 1/2 cups
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Sesame oil - 2 tbsps
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Juice of 1/2 lime
Vangibath powder - 1 tbsp
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE VANGIBATH POWDER
Sesame oil - 1/4 tsp
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Bengal gram dal - 2 tbsp
Black gram dal - 1/4 tsp
Red chillies ( Byadagi variety will give a rich colour and add to the flavour) - 12
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Cinnamon - 1'' piece
Cardamom - 1
Cloves - 4
Dried coconut gratings/copra - 1tbsp
TO PREPARE THE POWDER
1.Heat oil and add cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and fry till you get a pleasant aroma.
2.Add the dals and the chillies and roast till they become crisp and golden in colour.
3.Add asafoetida powder and fry for half a minute more.
4.Allow to cool and grind into a powder adding dry copra.
Store the powder in an airtight container and use when ever needed. We will need only one tablespoon of this powder for this recipe.
TO PREPARE THE NAVANE VEGETABLE VANGIBATH
1. Wash the millets thoroughly and drain them.
2. Add 2 cups of clean water, cover with a lid and allow it to soak for one hour.( Soaking grains helps in easy digestion and enables optimum absorption of nutrients. It also decreases the cooking time.)
3. Chop the vegetables finely and keep them separately. Keep the chopped brinjals immersed in water to prevent it from blackening.
4. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds.
5. When the mustard seeds splutter add curry leaves followed by chopped onion.
6. When the onion turns glassy add turmeric powder and asafoetida.
7. Stir in  carrots, cover and cook on low flame till  al dente.
8. Add the drained brinjal and stir. Cover and cook till they are half done.
9. Finally add the chopped capsicum and salt.
10. Stir fry till all the water evaporates.
11. Blend in the Vangibath masala powder, switch off flame and then mix in the lime juice. 
COOK THE FOXTAIL MILLET
1. Cook Navane in the same water used for soaking.
2. Add a drop of oil and bring it to a boil.
3. Decrease flame,cover and cook for ten minutes,stirring now and then.
4. When it has absorbed all the water switch off flame.
Cover it and let it cook in its own steam for a few more minutes and then fluff it up using a fork.
TO MAKE THE NAVANE VEGETABLE VANGIBATH
1. Add the fluffed up millet to the prepared vegetable.
2. Mix uniformly so that the spice coats each and every millet, using a spatula.
 3.Cover the NAVANE VEGETABLE VANGIBATH with a lid to seal the flavours in.
 Enjoy the flavoursome and spicy NAVANE VEGETABLE VANGIBATH with a cup of thick yogurt.

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