Millet upmas, pooris, and tikkis on Parliament’s new canteen menu

From jowar vegetable upma to ragi dosa to bajre ki tikki to bajra dosa, you name it, the new menu on the Parliament House canteens will have some delectable yet nourishing millet dishes to relish.

Reports said the menu was revised in line with the Centre’s move to promote the use of millets.

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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has made arrangements for serving the dishes made primarily with millet varieties such as ragi, jowar, bajra, rajgira and kangni to MPs, staff and visitors during the budget session starting January 31.
Dishes from across the country have found a place on the menu of Parliament canteens after

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday highlighted the benefits of millets during his Mann ki Baat programme.

Last month, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar organised a lunch made of only millets for parliamentarians during the winter session.

The United Nations declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, after the government of India brought forward a proposal in this regard and was endorsed by members of FAO Governing Bodies, as well as by the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly.

In Parliament canteens, health-conscious people can now have oats milk or soya milk, besides bajre ke raab (from Rajasthan) and ragi matar ka shorba (soup), bajra onion ki muthiya (Gujarat), ragi rava idli with sambhar, shahi bajre ki tikki (Madhya Pradesh) and jowar vegetable upma (Gujarat) as starters.

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The canteens will also serve Kerala’s ragi dosa with peanut chutney, Rajasthan’s rajgira poori with aloo ki sabzi and bajre/ragi ki roti and Gujarat’s bajre ki khichdi besides the normal menu.
Amaranth salad, korra millet salad, kesari kheer made of small millets and ragi walnut laddoo will also be served.

The move to serve millet foods comes as they are considered as the traditional cereals of India and are known for health benefits in various ways.

The International Year of Millets stands to provide a unique opportunity to increase global production, ensure efficient processing and consumption, promote a better utilization of crop rotations, and encourage better connectivity throughout food systems to promote millets as a key component of the food basket.

Also read: Want healthy meals but dislike millets and brown rice? Here’s a solution

(With inputs from agencies)