ਬਾਬਾ ਹੋਰੁ ਖਾਣਾ ਖੁਸੀ ਖੁਆਰ।। ਜਿਤ ਖਾਧੈ ਤਨ ਪੀੜੀਐ ਮਨ ਮਹਿ ਚਲਹਿ ਵਿਕਾਰ।।
Dear mind,over indulgence in pleasure of various tastes will lead to pain, ill health and discomfort and mentally over consumption of information leads to brain fog and hampers decision making.
Let’s talk about our very own Kodra, Guru Nanak’s food – The Kodo Millet (Kodra in Punjabi)
It was harvested as a wild grain and gradually domesticated. Kodo originated in India and the earliest evidnce has been found at Adwa valley in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh and Rohtas district of Bihar dated 3000 YBP.
It has also been found in archaeological excavation in southern Rajasthan and Daimabad (Maharashtra) in the similar time period. About 2600 YBP, it had been cultivated from Mysore to Punjab.
Kautilya’s Arthashastra (2300 YBP) mentions cultivated Kodo as Kodharva and wild one as Daraka. Tamil Sangam literature mentions it as Varagu which was sown with Horse-gram. Kodo grows on marginal soils and can tolerate drought and partial shade.
Kodo rice is very rich in fibre (37%) and thus given to diabetics. It has 3 times more calcium than milled rice and is rich in antioxidants. Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer of Kodo in India.
Kodo millet is used to make several traditional foods. The most common examples of this are roti and mudde. Because millet protein lacks gluten, to prepare roti, millet flour must be mixed with hot water to gelatin-ize the starch.
To prepare mudde with kodo millet flour, the dough is steamed and then made into balls. Kodo millet may also be used as a substitute for rice when preparing dishes such as idli and dosa. This is done by mixing kodo millet and black gram in a 3:1 ratio, followed by wetting, grinding, and fermenting overnight.
Kodo millet may also be used to prepare ready-to-eat snack foods, prepared by popping or puffing.