Give this vegan millet in saffron broth a try and discover a new favourite dish that’s both healthy and delicious. With its aromatic saffron broth, nutrient-rich ingredients, and delightful textures, it’s a recipe that’s worth making over and over again.
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Why You’ll Love Vegan Millet Recipe in Saffron Broth
Need a side dish that is simple yet flavourful? A side dish that will mop up any sauces or big flavoured mains? This vegan millet recipe is for you.
The infusion of saffron threads into the vegetable broth creates a fragrant and luxurious base for the millet, imparting a subtle yet distinct flavour that elevates the entire dish.
Millet is a highly nutritious grain packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Combined with fresh herbs like cilantro and parsley, as well as heart-healthy nuts like pistachios and almonds, this recipe offers a well-rounded and wholesome side dish.
Love the nutty taste and the simplicity of the ingredients. Great to bring a potluck or to have for a festive occasion.
This recipe is also vegan and gluten free, perfect for any dietary preferences and restrictions.
What is Millet?
Millet is a small-seeded cereal grain that belongs to the Poaceae family, commonly known as the grass family. It is one of the oldest cultivated grains in human history and has been a staple food in many parts of the world, particularly in Africa and Asia.
It is naturally gluten free, making it an excellent grain choice for people with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance.
There are several types of millet, including pearl millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, finger millet, and barnyard millet. Each variety has slightly different characteristics. For this recipe, we have selected the pearl millet.
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Do You Need to Soak Millet Before Cooking?
Soaking millet before cooking is not strictly necessary, but it can be beneficial for several reasons. For this vegan millet recipe, we did not soak the millet overnight.
Soaking millet for a few hours or overnight can significantly reduce the time it takes to cook. This is particularly helpful if you are short on time. It also helps the millet cook more evenly, resulting in a softer and fluffier texture. It can also enhance the grain’s natural nutty flavour.
Rinse the millet to remove any dust and debris. Then cover it with water and let it soak for at least 2 hours or overnight.
When you’re ready to cook the millet, drain the water and toast it in a dry pan for a few minutes.
Place the toasted millet in a saucepan and add 1:1 ratio of water or broth. You don’t need as much liquid since it has absorbed so much water during the soaking process.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10-15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the millet is tender.
Remove from heat and let it sit, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Tried and tested method that works every time and we applied the same way in our purple kale millet salad.
Recipe Overview
Flavour/Texture: The saffron threads infuse the broth with a rich, aromatic, and slightly sweet flavour that adds a touch of luxury to the dish. Saffron has a unique, delicate taste that can be described as a blend of honey and hay.
Toasting the millet before cooking brings out its natural nutty flavour, which complements the saffron beautifully. Combined with the nuts, this gives the millet recipe a slightly roasted, earthy taste.
The cilantro and flat-leaf parsley add a fresh, vibrant flavour to the dish, providing a nice contrast to the warm, nutty millet and aromatic saffron.
Properly cooked millet has a light and fluffy texture, like couscous or quinoa. It should be tender but not mushy, with individual grains that are distinct and separate.
The toasted pistachios and almonds add a satisfying crunch while the chopped herbs provide leafy goodness.
Ease: If you are not familiar with how to cook millet, just follow the instructions step by step. Once you get it, cooking millet is a breeze. The rest of the ingredients are nice and easy to manage.
Time: This millet recipe takes about 12-15 minutes in the saffron broth followed by off the heat, steaming time to allow it to fluff. Prepare the rest of your meal during this time.
Ingredients
These are the ingredients you need for vegan millet recipe:
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Pearl millet: If you can’t find millet in your regular supermarket, head to a Middle Eastern, fine food or whole foods grocer. If you have leftover millet, you can always use it to make creamy millet porridge for breakfast.
Vegetable broth: Either homemade or ready-made vegetable broth will work. This brings so much flavour to the millet.
Saffron threads: A decadent ingredient indeed but so worth it. It has such a complex flavour and has earthy, sweet, bitter, and honey-like undertones.
Cilantro & flat-leaf parsley: Roughly chop, and feel free to be generous. I love the freshness of the herbs stirred through the millet side dish.
Pistachio & almonds: Providing some good fats and crunch to the millet recipe. Excellent pairing with the herbs too.
Olive oil: Nicely stirred through the whole side dish so it isn’t too dry and maintains its fluffiness.
Variations and Substitutions
Different herbs: As this is a simple millet side dish, you can mix up the herbs to your liking. Use mint and basil for a more Mediterranean flavour, or dill and chives for a lighter, more refreshing taste
Alternative nuts: As with the herbs, you can change up the nuts, too, which is especially useful if you have some in the pantry that you need to use up. Try walnuts and pecans for a richer, slightly sweet flavour, or sunflower and pumpkin seeds for a nut-free option with added crunch.
Additional vegetables: If you want to make it a meal on its own, add roasted vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, or zucchini. Alternatively, you can also add sautéed spinach or kale for added greens and nutrients.
Spices and aromatics: Want to spice it up? Add a pinch of turmeric to the broth for additional colour, or add cumin and coriander seeds during the dry toasting stage for an earthier and warm flavour.
Saffron substitute: If saffron is simply too expensive or you’re unable to find saffron threads, replace it with turmeric. It won’t provide the same flavour but will give a similar golden hue. Safflower can also be used as a less expensive alternative for colour.
Vegetable broth: Use water with a vegetable bouillon cube if you don’t have vegetable broth. For non-vegans, chicken broth can also be used.
Olive Oil: If you don’t want to use olive oil, use avocado oil for a neutral taste.
Instructions
Step by step instructions for how to make vegan millet recipe:
Rinse the millet to remove dust and debris.
In a small saucepan, dry toast the millet for about 2-3 minutes.
Add vegetable broth and most of the saffron threads. Leave some threads for garnish.
Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover with the lid and let it cook for about 13 – 15 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed.
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Remove from the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Remove the lid and fluff with a fork.
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Chop the herbs and nuts.
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In a mixing bowl, add the millet, herbs, nuts, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix until well combined.
How to Make This Side Dish Perfectly [Expert Tips]
Saffron threads: The quality of saffron significantly impacts the flavour and colour of the dish. Opt for saffron threads instead of the powder for the best results.
Perfect toasting: Dry toasting the millet is crucial for enhancing its nutty flavour. Stir constantly to avoid burning, and toast until you smell a pleasant, nutty aroma.
Proper broth ratio: Ensure you use the correct ratio of liquid to millet (2 cups of broth to 1 cup of millet). Too much liquid can make the millet mushy, while too little can leave it undercooked.
Resting time: Allowing the millet to rest after cooking helps it absorb any remaining moisture and become fluffier. Don’t skip this step for the perfect texture.
Fresh herbs: Use fresh cilantro and parsley for the best flavour. Be sure to select herbs that are sprightly and bright green. If they are looking a bit limp, they’re no good.
Seasoning: Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Remember, the vegetable broth may already contain some salt, so taste before adding more.
What To Serve with this Side Dish
What to serve with vegan millet recipe? Try these delicious main dish recipes:
In keeping with the vegan theme, try these vegan meatballs with mushrooms and aromatic seasoning. A tender seitan steak cooked on a grill or this stunning vegan mushroom and walnut wellington, would make for an excellent dinner party.
Frequently Asked Questions
Millet is typically not eaten raw as it can be difficult to digest and doesn’t have a pleasant texture or flavour in its uncooked state.
If you need a substitute for millet, several other grains and pseudo-grains can be used.
You can try farro, bulgur wheat, couscous, barley, quinoa, amaranth, sorghum or even brown rice.
The high cost of saffron is due to the intricate, labour-intensive process of harvesting, the large volume of flowers required, the short blooming season and the need for skilled labour and specific growing conditions.
Additionally, ensuring high quality, proper storage, and handling further contribute to its expense.
This vegan millet recipe in saffron broth is a celebration of flavours and textures. The nutty, fluffy millet perfectly absorbs the aromatic saffron broth, while the fresh herbs and crunchy nuts add layers of complexity and satisfaction.
The side dish is both comforting and exciting, making it a perfect addition to any meal.
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Vegan Millet Recipe in Saffron Broth
Ingredients
Instructions
- Rinse the millet to remove dust and debris.
- In a small saucepan, dry toast the millet for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add vegetable broth and most of the saffron threads. Leave some threads for garnish.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover with the lid and let it cook for about 13 – 15 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Remove from the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and fluff with a fork.
- In a mixing bowl, add the millet, herbs, nuts, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix until well combined.
- Put in a serving plate or bowl and garnish with saffron threads and any leftover herbs
Notes
- As this is a simple millet side dish, you can mix up the herbs to your liking. Use mint and basil for a more Mediterranean flavour or dill and chives for a lighter, more refreshing taste.
- As with the herbs, you can change up the nuts, too, which is especially useful if you have some in the pantry that you need to use up. Try walnuts and pecans for a richer, slightly sweet flavour, or sunflower and pumpkin seeds for a nut-free option with added crunch.
- If you want to make it a meal on its own, add roasted vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, or zucchini. Alternatively, you can also add sautéed spinach or kale for added greens and nutrients.
- Want to spice it up? Add a pinch of turmeric to the broth for additional colour or add cumin and coriander seeds during the dry toasting stage for an earthier and warm flavour.
- If saffron is simply too expensive or you’re unable to find saffron threads, replace it with turmeric. It won’t provide the same flavour but will give a similar golden hue. Safflower can also be used as a less expensive alternative for colour.
- No vegetable broth? Use water with a vegetable bouillon cube if you don’t have vegetable broth. For non-vegans, chicken broth can also be used.
- If you don’t want to use olive oil, use avocado oil for a neutral taste.
Nutrition
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