Maize recipes: makki ki roti, upma, khichdi and porridge

Almost every maize recipe on this page starts with makki atta, and two habits decide whether it comes out soft or pasty. In the upma, roast the flour in a little ghee first and pour the water in hot: the roast cooks out the raw cereal taste, and hot water stops the flour from clumping. For the roti, knead the flour with warm water and pat the dough with wet hands, never roll it: makki atta has no gluten and a rolling pin cracks the dough, so the flat of the hand shapes it. Buy whole maize kernels when you want to boil them whole, and flour for everything else. Per 100 g, the flour gives 334 kcal, 8.80 g of protein and 12.24 g of fibre (IFCT 2017), so the 40 g in one roti is 133.6 kcal before ghee. Store the flour airtight in a cool, dry place.

The maize recipes Indian homes start the day with are fast: the flour cooks in minutes, and neither dish needs an overnight batter.

Makki upma (maize upma)

Maize flour roasted in a ghee tempering with mustard, cumin, curry leaves, onion, ginger and green chilli, then carrot and green peas, hot water stirred in, steamed covered and rested off the flame; three bowls in about 25 minutes, one bowl about 235 kcal. Full method: makki upma.

Makki porridge

Whisk 1/2 cup of makki atta into a little cold water, pour the slurry into 2 cups of boiling water and cook, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes. Sweeten it with jaggery and a spoon of ghee for breakfast, or finish it savoury with salt and a splash of buttermilk.

The makki atta recipes that carry a main meal are two: the hand-patted roti and a maize khichdi.

Makki ki roti

The hand-patted flatbread: warm-water dough rested ten minutes, patted flat on a damp cloth, cooked on a hot tawa until brown spots appear and finished with ghee; three rotis in about 35 minutes. One roti of 40 g of flour is 133.6 kcal before ghee; the recipe's tablespoon of ghee takes it to 179 kcal, and it is eaten with sarson ka saag, white butter and jaggery. Full method: makki ki roti.

Makki khichdi

Soak 3/4 cup of whole maize kernels overnight, pressure cook them with 1/4 cup of moong dal and 3 cups of water for 6 to 7 whistles, until a kernel crushes easily between two fingers, then temper ghee, cumin and hing and stir it through with salt. The 3:1 cereal-to-pulse split is the ratio NIN recommends for good quality protein; serve it with curd.

Makki atta mixes into batters and presses into thin breads, so the flour goes further than the roti; product pages list tortillas, flatbreads, porridge, cakes and muffins among its uses.

Maize tortillas

Knead 1 cup of makki atta with warm salted water, rest for 10 minutes, press each ball thin between two sheets of plastic and cook on a hot tawa for about a minute a side; fold them around beans, paneer or vegetables.

Makki muffins

Whisk 1 cup of makki atta with 1/2 cup of curd, 4 tbsp of oil or melted ghee, 4 tbsp of jaggery powder, a pinch of salt and a pinch of baking soda, spoon into a greased tin and bake at 180 °C for 20 to 25 minutes. For the flour itself, COWBERRY's is stone-ground and India Organic, USDA & EU certified, and its whole maize kernels come from cow-based farming in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The dishes above land differently, mostly by what goes in with the flour. A makki roti of 40 g of flour is 133.6 kcal before ghee and 179 kcal once the recipe's ghee share goes on; two rotis without ghee are 267 kcal. A bowl of the upma recipe is about 235 kcal with 4 g of protein, 26.4 g of carbs, 12.3 g of fat and 5.4 g of fibre, most of the fat from the ghee. The plainest maize recipe of all is boiled maize: 40 g of dry grain, boiled until tender, gives 133.6 kcal with 4.9 g of fibre and no added fat, and a cup of makki atta (120 g) is 401 kcal. Boiling takes in water, so a cooked katori weighs more than the 40 g of dry grain behind it, with the same 133.6 kcal. The makki nutritional value per 100g page has the full tables.

For a daily plate, pick the dishes that are flour and water with a spoon of ghee: roti, boiled maize, unsweetened porridge and a dal-based khichdi. NIN counts fibre-rich foods, whole grains among them, as improving satiety, and maize's 12.24 g of fibre per 100 g sits in that list; what tips the scale is ghee, jaggery and second helpings. Maize's GI of 73 sits in the high band, so the same measured portions with dal or curd are the sensible pattern if you track blood sugar, and your doctor or dietitian sets the count of rotis. The is makki good for weight loss and is makki good for diabetes pages work out the portions. For the grain behind the recipes, its names and storage, the makki (maize) hub has the rest.

How makki ki roti is made?

Makki atta is kneaded with warm water, rested for ten minutes and patted flat with wet hands on a cloth or plastic sheet, then cooked on a hot tawa until brown spots appear and finished with ghee. There is no rolling pin in the method, because the gluten-free dough would crack; the flat of the hand does the shaping. The full step-by-step is on the makki ki roti recipe page.

How to eat makki ki roti?

Fresh off the tawa with sarson ka saag, white butter and a piece of jaggery; dal or curd beside it makes a full meal. Serve the rotis warm from the cloth they rest under, and put any leftovers back on a hot tawa to reheat.

Can makki roti be eaten in summer?

Yes, there is nothing in makki roti that limits it to one season. The classic plate is sarson ka saag with white butter and jaggery; in summer, swap the saag for dal, curd or a sabzi and drink water with the meal.

Does makki atta have gluten?

No. Maize is none of the three grains the NHS names for gluten — wheat, barley and rye — so makki atta itself carries none. Cooks who avoid gluten on medical grounds should check the pack they buy.

Is makki good for weight loss?

Yes, if it fits inside a calorie deficit: a roti or a katori of boiled maize (40 g dry) is 133.6 kcal before ghee, and its 4.9 g of fibre is in the fibre-rich list NIN credits for satiety. Ghee and the number of rotis decide the rest; the is makki good for weight loss page gives the portion sizes.

Can makki roti cause gas?

It can. The flour holds 12.24 g of fibre per 100 g, and one person's comfortable portion is another's gassy evening. Start smaller and see how the meal sits; if the gas persists or hurts, take it to your doctor or dietitian.