Samai-Sweet-Bread

#SamaiSweetBread :

#Samai or #SamaiArisi is called #LittleMillet in English. This cereal belongs to minor millet variety. The size of each grain of samai is the tiniest one among millet. That could be the reason to call it Little Millet in English. It is known as kutki in Hindi and Same in Kannada.

Generally millet are gluten free and non acid forming food.

100 grams of Samai [ Little millet ] has 7.7 gm of Protein, 7.6 gm of Fiber, 9.3 mg of  Iron [ 72% 0f daily value ] and 17 mg of Calcium. Other than these minerals it is also rich in Phosphorous [  220 mg 31 % of daily value ] and Magnesium.

To know more go to :  Nutrients of Millet

To know on samai go to : Samai Arisi

I am regularly using different types of millet in my daily diet. I have been making Pongal, Upma and sometimes mixed Rice from millet. But I wanted to try new tasty dishes from millet. Recently I made masala bread and it turned out to be a tasty delight. But the main drawback of the dish is that the dough has to be fermented for 6 - 8 hours. It requires pre-planning and the time involved happens to be longer. 

My mind was kept on thinking on how to make a sweet version of masala bread. When I made spicy masala bread and browntop millet bread, I learned that the cooked grains of millet acts as a binding agent for the dough as the cereals of millet are gluten free. And also fermentation of dough is necessary to make the dish soft & fluffy. First I ground soaked millet and cooked millet. Then allowed to ferment the whole night and steam cooked the next day morning. The taste was good and also the bread was soft. But my taste buds could find out slight sour taste. Then I tried with curd and baking powder to make a steamed sweet bread. The bread thus made without fermentation was palatable but the taste of curd was a drawback and also it wasn't come out soft.

When I was editing some posts from this blog, I came across the recipes of rawa Idli [ Sooji idli ] and broken wheat [ dahlia ] idli. One particular ingredient is being added to make rawa idli very soft. So I decided to combine the method of making Browntop millet bread and rawa Idly [ Sooji idli ]. The dish thus born surprised me and my husband. The dish brought out the aroma of that particular millet and the sweet was subtle and able to satisfy our taste buds. The taste  reminds us of our traditional sweet, Puttu. 

Kindly read on to know the magic ingredient that helped me to prepare a delicious Samai Sweet bread without fermentation.

The preparation involves two stages

• Soaking and grinding
• Steam cooking the prepared dough

Soaking Time                   : 2 hours

Preparation Time             : 15 - 20 mins

Steam cooking Time       : 15 - 18 mins

Ingredients :
3/4 Cup+1 Tbsp	Samai [ Little Millet ]
1/3 Cup	Coconut scrapings
1/4 Cup	Sugar [ adjust ]
1/4 Tsp	Salt
5 - 6	Dried Dates [ Raisins ]
8 - 10	Dried grapes [ kismis ]
2 - 3	Cardamom
a small piece	Nutmeg [ optional ]
1/4 Tsp	Cinnamon powder [ optional ]
1 Tsp	Fennel [ Sounf ]
1 Sachet [ 5 g ]	Eno Fruit salt

1/2 Tsp of ghee to grease the steaming vessel/pan.

Method :

Soaking and Grinding :

Take 3/4 cup of Samai in a vessel and wash once with water.

Soak in water for two hours.

Take 1 Tbsp of samai in a small bowl and rinse it with water once. Soak it with 2 Tbsp of water for 1 1/2 hours. After 1 1/2 hours pressure cook in a cooker for a whistle at HIGH and then reduce the flame to SIM and cook for 7 minutes.

Take out the cooked samai after the pressure cooker ran out of steam. Let it cool down to room temperature.

Then take soaked samai and 2 tablespoon of cooked samai in a mixie jar and blend together with little water into a coarse batter. Transfer into a big vessel. Add 1 Tsp of water into the mixie jar and clean to get the batter sticking on the inner surface of the jar. Add washed water also into the vessel containing batter.

Add sugar and salt. Mix well.

Preparing Dough :

Grease a flat bottomed shallow vessel/pan with ghee/oil and keep aside.

Finely chop dried dates [ raisins ] and set aside.

Take 1 Tsp of sugar, cardamom and nutmeg in a mortar and pound into a smooth powder with pestle.

Keep aside a small amount of chopped dried dates to decorate at the top. Add rest of them into the batter.

Now add fennel, cardamom-nutmeg powder, cinnamon powder [ optional ] and coconut scraping into the vessel containing batter. Mix well and then check the sweetness of the dough and if required add 2 to 3 Tsp of sugar.

The dough should be of idli maavu [ Idli batter ] consistency.

Finally add Eno fruit salt and mix well. The fruit salt produces lots of air bubbles in the dough and the volume of the dough slightly increases.

Steam Cooking the dough :

Heat an idli maker with three cups of water on a stove over high flame. Place the steamer plate in the slot inside the idli maker.

Pour the prepared dough into the greased vessel and tap gently to spread out evenly.

Sprinkle chopped dates and kismis over the batter.

Place the vessel/pan with dough over the steamer plate once the water starts boiling in the idli maker.

Close the idli maker with its lid and cook for 14 minutes.

After 14 minutes open the lid.

Now insert a clean and dry knife or toothpick into the bread.

If it comes out clean then the bread is ready and remove the vessel from the idli maker.

If not steam cook for another 2 - 3 minutes.

Remove the steamed bread from the idli maker.

Keep over the kitchen platform or on a table to cool down. Allow to stand for ten minutes.

After ten minutes slice the prepared bread with a clean and dry knife.

The bread thus made is so soft and it may crumble and fall off if not careful.

Enjoy tasty tasty soft samai sweet bread!! 

mm... Ahaaa.... wow!! smelling great with coconut & samai arisi's aroma!!

The pieces can be stored in an airtight container after the pieces completely cool down to room temperature.

The bread remains good for a day.

Note :

Add only two tablespoon of cooked samai while grinding batter in the mixie. Otherwise the bread would become sticky. If some left over cooked samai is there then consume it with sambar, rasam or curd.

The bread can be prepared without adding coconut scrapings also. The same measurement of ingredients holds good.

You might also like to try

Samai Arisi Pongal [ Little millet Pongal ]	Broken Wheat Idli [ dalia Idli ]	Samai Arisi Thaengai Payasam
Samai spicy masala Bread [ Little millet Bread ]	Browntop millet Bread	Samai Methy Pancake [ Little millet methy pancake ]

For other Samai Recipes

Samai [ Little Millet ] Recipes

Millet Recipes

Millet Special recipes

Sweet Varieties

Samai-spicy-masala-Bread

#SamaiSpicyMasalaBread - #LittleMilletSpicyMasalaBread :

Scientific name : Panicum miliare

Tamil name       : #Samai or #SamaiArisi

Kannada name  : Same

Malayalam        : Chama

English name    : Little Millet

Hindi name        : Kutki

#Samai - #LittleMillet is gluten free and non acid forming cereal just like any other millet. It is rich in minerals like Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc and the fiber content is considerably higher than that of Rice and Wheat.

The nutritional composition per 100 gm of #Samai { #LittleMillet ] is as follows
Protein 7.7 g, Fiber 7.6 g, Iron 9.3 mg and Calcium 17.0 mg

The millet has to be soaked for a minimum of two hours before cooking to reap the health benefits fully. And also soaking the millet before cooking helps the body to absorb its nutrients well.

The dough has to be allowed to stand for a minimum of 6 - 8 hours to ferment. So pre-planning is necessary and the process has to begin well in advance.

There are four stages involved in the making of spicy masala bread

1. Soaking and grinding :

#Samai [ #LittleMillet ] has to be soaked for two hours. A small quantity of cooked samai is required to make batter. The soaked samai and cooked samai are ground together using a mixer grinder into a smooth batter. The batter should be thick just like idli maavu consistency and transferred into a vessel. 

2. Fermentation of the batter :

Sugar, curd and salt are mixed with the batter and allowed to stand for 6 - 8 hours or the whole night. 

3. Preparation of vegetable masala.

4. Combining fermented batter and masala to make dough. Then steam cooking in an idli maker.

Kindly keep in mind the time involved before beginning to make samai spicy masala bread:

Soaking Time          : 2 hours

Fermentation Time  : 6 - 8 hours

Masala preparation  : 15 mins

Steam cooking time  : 10 - 15 mins

Ingredients :
1 cup	Samai [ Little millet ]
3 Tbsp	Cooked Samai [ cooked Little millet ]
1/2 Tsp	Salt
5 Tsp	Sugar [ adjust ]
2 - 3 drops	Curd
1/4 Tsp	Baking soda
For Masala :
1/4 Cup	Cabbage chopped finely
1/4 Cup	Carrot grated
1	Onion chopped nicely
10 - 15	Curry leaves
1 Tsp	Oil
1/2 Tsp	Cumin seeds
To Grind coarsely :
10 - 12	Black pepper
1 - 2	Green chilly
1 Tsp	Cumin seeds
1 Tsp	Fennel seeds [ saunf ]
1/2 Tsp	Coriander seeds
8 - 10	Curry leaf
2 - 3 Tsp	Coriander leaf chopped
10 - 12	Pudina [ Mint ]
2 - 3 pods	Garlic
1/2 inch	ginger
1/4 inch	turmeric tuber

Gingelly oil [ sesame/til oil ]/ghee to apply

Method :

Suppose the plan is to make Samai spicy bread for breakfast,

then the preparation has to begin the previous day evening itself.

In other words, the actual preparation has to be done 8 - 10 hours before

Previous day Evening :

Take 1 cup of samai in a vessel and rinse with water.
Add 2 cups of water and soak for 2 hours.

In the meantime pressure cook 1/4 cup of samai [ Add double the amount of water to the amount of samai taken ] in a cooker, just the same way as the rice is being cooked. 

After two hours combine soaked samai and cooked samai in a mixer grinder jar.

Grind into a smooth batter adding little water.

The batter should be of idli maavu consistency.

Transfer into a big vessel. 

There should be enough space above the surface of the batter 

as the volume would increase due to fermentation.

Add sugar, salt and curd. 

Mix well and close the vessel with a lid. 

Keep the vessel at a warm place in the kitchen to aid the fermentation.

The next day morning :

The batter has raised up and the upper surface seems to be slightly curved like a ball. This is due to fermentation.

Also when the batter is gently stirred with a ladle, lots of air bubbles are visible. This shows that the batter has fermented well.

Masala Preparation :

Coarsely grind all the ingredients given under 'To grind coarsely' using a mixie.

Set aside.

Heat a kadai with a teaspoon of oil.

Crackle cumin seeds once oil starts fuming.

Immediately add onion and saute for half a minute.

Then add chopped cabbage and 2 pinches of salt.

Stir well and close the kadai with a lid to cook cabbage soft.

After the cabbage becomes soft add coarsely ground masala mix and salt.

Stir well till its raw smell goes off.

Finally add grated carrot and mix well.

Transfer into a bowl and let the prepared masala cool down to room temperature.

Steam cooking :

Grease shallow plates/bowls with oil and set aside.

Heat Idli maker with 3 cups of water on a stove over high flame. Place the steamer plate inside the idli maker.

Now combine the fermented batter and masala mix together adding baking powder. Mix well. 

Pour the prepared dough into the oil greased plate till 3/4th of its height.

Tap the plate gently to evenly spread the dough.

Like this keep the plates/bowls ready with prepared dough.

Arrange them over the steamer plate once the water starts boiling in the idli maker.

Close the idli maker and cook for 12 - 15 minutes.

After 12 minutes insert a clean and dry knife from the top through the bread. If the knife comes out clean then the bread is ready.

Take the plate out from the idli maker.

If the knife comes out with dough sticking to it then cook for another 3 - 5 minutes.

The time taken to cook the dough depends on the volume of the dough filled in the plate/bowl.

In the same way steam cook rest of the dough in batches.

Apply 2 -3 drops of ghee/gingelly oil over the surface of the bread to avoid drying up.

Wait for five minutes to cool down considerably.

Loosen the sides using a clean and dry knife.

Then gently remove the bread from the plate and place it on another clean & dry plate.

Cut into pieces.

Tasty N spicy Samai masala bread is ready to relish.

No need of any side dish or chutney.

It can be enjoyed either hot or cold as an evening snack with hot coffee.

It can also be relished for breakfast.

You might also like to try

Samai Arisi Pongal [ Little millet Pongal ]	Samai Arisi Upma [ Little millet Upma ]	Samai Arisi Thaengai Payasam
Kuthiraivaali Sundal [ Barnyard millet Sundal ]	Samai Mudakathan dosai [ Little millet mudakathan dosai ]	Samai Methy Pancake [ Little millet methy pancake ]

For other Samai Recipes

Samai [ Little Millet ] Recipes

For spicy accompaniments

Chutney Recipes

Ideas for breakfast and dinner

Tiffin Recipes

For different varieties of Appam

Appam Varieties

Appam-from-Samai

#AppamfromSamai #AppamfromLittleMillet :
#Samai [ #SamaiArisi ] is known as #LittleMillet in English.
Scientific Name   : Panicum miliare
Its name in different languages
Tamil                     : Samai or Samai arisi
Malayalam            : Chama
Kannada                : Same
Telugu                   : Sama
Hindi                     : Kutki

#Millet varieties are gluten free and non acid forming cereals.
They are rich in minerals and vitamins.
The nutritional composition per 100 gm of #Samai { #LittleMillet ] is as follows
Protein 7.7 g, Fiber 7.6 g, Iron 9.3 mg and Calcium 17.0 mg
The fiber content of Samai is higher compared to that of rice and wheat.

The millet has to be soaked for a minimum of two hours before cooking to reap the health benefits fully. And also soaking the millet before cooking helps the body to absorb its nutrients well.

Everyone thinks that #Appam is widely done only in Kerala.
But #Appam with #CoconutMilk is a favorite combo in Tamizh cuisine. The batter [ dough ] preparation  completely differs from Kerala style.
Boiled rice, raw rice, fenugreek [ #Venthayam ], black gram and thuvar dal are soaked and then made into a batter [ dough ] either using wet grinder or mixie. The batter [ maavu ] thus made has to be fermented for a whole night or six to eight hours before making appam over a dosai kal or appachatty.

This time for a change and also to consume millet in a new way I have included Samai [ LittleMillet ] to prepare appam. I have reduced the quantity of boiled rice and included samai instead of raw rice.

Here I have used whole black gram with its skin. Whole blackgram [ muzhu ulundu ] and Feugreek [ Venthayam ] takes 6 to 8 hours to get soaked completely. So we have to plan accordingly. If you want to grind in the evening, then soak them in the morning itself and if you are planning to grind in the morning, then soak the previous night itself.

In general I have been using a wet grinder to grind maavu for Idli, Appam and dosai. This time I used mixie to grind batter [ maavu ]  as the quantity of soaked items happens to be less.

Ingredients :
1 1/2 Cup	Samai [ Little millet ]
1/2 Cup	Boiled Rice [ Idli Rice ]
2 Tsp	Black gram [ Muzhu ulundu ]
2 Tsp	Fenugreek [ Venthayam ]
2 Tsp	Thuvar dal [ Thuvaram paruppu ]
2 Tsp	Salt

Gingelly oil [ sesame/til oil ] or groundnut oil to make appam

Method :
I have planned to grind in the morning after breakfast.

Previous night :
Take fenugreek [ venthayam ] and whole black gram in a small vessel. Wash two or three times and add 3/4 cup of water. allow to Soak the whole night.

Morning :
As soon as you get up in the morning, before making tea or coffee for the day soak boiled rice, samai and thuvar dal in a vessel after washing thoroughly.
After finishing breakfast take soaked black gram and fenugreek in a mixie jar with little water.
Run the mixie for 2 minute.
Open the jar clean the sides and add little water and run for 2 - 3 minutes.
Again open and add some more water and grind.
Like this grind them till the maavu becomes fluffy.
It takes around 10 - 12 minutes to grind black gram and fenugreek mixture.
Transfer the maavu into a big vessel.

Now take samai, boiled rice and thuvar dal in the same mixie jar.
Add 1/4 cup of water and grind into a smooth paste.
In between stop mixie, open the jar, clean inside surface of the jar and if necessary add little water and then resume grinding.
Finally add salt and run for few seconds.
Transfer into the same vessel containing fenugreek- blackgram maavu.


Mix well with hand.
The batter [ maavu ] consistency should be just like dosai batter.
Close the vessel with a lid and keep it undisturbed either on the kitchen platform
or at a warmer place in the house to ferment.

It takes around 6 - 8 hours to ferment and ready to make appam.
After fermentation the batter raises up and sometimes spilled over if the vessel in which the batter has been kept is small.

Making Appam over Dosai kal [ Dosa kal ] :

Heat Dosai kal on a stove over medium flame.
Take a small clean cotton cloth of 3*3 cm and fold it four or five times.
Soak that folded cloth in little oil and apply over hot dosai kal.
Keep two ladle full of appam batter [ appam maavu ] at the center of the dosai kal.
Spread evenly by the back of the ladle and make a perfect circle.
Close the dosai kal with a lid.
Allow to cook.
Open after a minute.
If the appam looks golden here and there and along the rim, take out appam using dosai ladle.
If not, again close the kal with lid and cook for some more time.
No need to flip and cook the other side.
Transfer on to a plate.
Again spread oil using the cloth and make another appam.


Relishing :
Unbeatable accompaniment is Jaggery mixed Coconut milk as I told in the introduction.

Or Have with Coconut Chutney

or with Idli milagai podi

or with spicy Wet Garlic red chutney.

Or Enjoy with any chutney of your choice.


Note :
To prepare jaggery mixed coconut milk :
Extract milk from coconut scrapings.
Add jaggery, a pinch of salt and Cardamom powder. Mix well.




You might also like to try

Samai Arisi Pongal [ Little millet Pongal ]	Samai Arisi Upma [ Little millet Upma ]	Samai Arisi Thaengai Payasam
Kuthiraivaali Sundal [ Barnyard millet Sundal ]	Samai Mudakathan dosai [ Little millet mudakathan dosai ]	Samai Methy Pancake [ Little millet methy pancake ]

For other Samai Recipes

Samai [ Little Millet ] Recipes

For spicy accompaniments

Chutney Recipes

Ideas for breakfast and dinner

Tiffin Recipes

For different varieties of Appam

Appam Varieties