Pav Bhaji by Millet Marvel prepared with millet and whole wheat flour
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Are you someone who feels chaats, cakes and breads taste the best when made with refined flour? I do. However, when I met Dr Bharath Reddy, a cardiologist at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, to understand his pet project, Millet Marvel, I had to —unwillingly — take a bite of a piece of cake that did not have refined flour. After the first bite, Dr Bharath said, “This cake is made with millet and wheat flour and is sweetened with jaggery powder.”
After the piece of cake came a couple of cookies. The cake and cookies flattered my refined-flour-loving palate.
Dr Bharath added, “This is how we want to prevent children from shying away from food prepared with millets. Millet Marvel is working to develop recipes that will help consumers incorporate millets in our everyday diet.”
Millet Marvels was founded in 2020 by Dr Bharath, who also happens to be a movie artist. It has been a promising start-up committed to making millet-based food products that are both delicious and affordable, therebya changing the way India eats.
Pani puri by Millet Marvel prepared with millet and whole wheat flour
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Dr Bharath said, “Foraying into millet chaats and unveiling India’s maiden Millet Experience hub at Don Bosco Nagar, Hyderabad is a big milestone for our team. The Hub will offer the country’s first-of-its-kind millet chaat developed in association with Indian Institute Millet Research (IIMR) and NUTRIHUB, the global centres of excellence in millets.”
Dr Bharath points out that Millets has been an ancient staple diet and stands out as a superfood. “Despite all the talk about millets, consumers still complain about feeling bloated, indigestion etc. This happens due to the lack of knowledge of treating millets before consuming them. We don’t just actively push millets. We, as a team, aim to educate consumers as well; that is as important as selecting the right food.”
Explaining the processes of treating millet before consuming it, Bharath said as consumers we must understand major and minor millets. Minor millets such as kodo and little foxtail are soft and easy to cook, so it is best to begin with them. “Soak all millets for a minimum of 10 hours. Then drain the water in which it is soaked and wash again. The process of soaking softens the top two layers, helping it release helpful nutrients.”
Why millet chaat
The Millet Marvel team
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
What better route than chaat to get young people to warm up to millets? “No one refuses a pani puri. Traditional Indian street food is a hit with all age groups. Our millet chaat includes pani puri, bhel puri and sev puri. We took a lot of time to get the right consistency and taste. The flavour and taste remain authentic. The final product makes us happy.”
Saying so, he presented millet pani puri and pav bhaji. The bread was soft and had a nutty aftertaste. It wasn’t dense or coarse. The puri in the pani puri was crisp. The team’s hard work paid off, said Dr Bharath. Millet Marvels claims to be the sole restaurant chain in India that upholds a ‘no whites’ policy.”