A Singaporean Indian restaurateur has predicted that Indian restaurants around the world will increasingly offer dishes made with millet flour due to its health benefits and appeal to busy urbanites.
The UN has declared 2023 as "The Millet Year," and the restaurateur, who has 40 years of experience in the maritime industry, believes that this initiative has strong support from the Indian government on a global level.
“There is a growing trend of eating healthy food, especially among busy executives in bustling cities, and millets as well as other such cereals, I believe, shall be widely accepted as organic food with many health benefits,” Capt. Inder Jit Singh, the 60-year-old owner of the Yummy Punjaby (YP) restaurant said.
Singh has expressed interest in introducing various flour breads made with millet and other multi-grains. He emphasized the importance of these ingredients, as highlighted at the Global Millets conference in New Delhi.
Despite facing numerous obstacles as an SME, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Singh managed to maintain his passion for over a decade. He noted that Indian restaurants worldwide are likely to offer more millet-based dishes in the future due to the health benefits of these multi-grains, which are particularly appealing to busy urbanites.
He has already been serving "missi roti with saag" for 11 years and it is “loved by many” he said.
Singh highlighted that millets are rich in fibre, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. They also possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which are beneficial for cardiovascular health and diabetes.
These health benefits make millet-based dishes increasingly popular among busy urbanites worldwide.
Singh, who has 25 years of experience in the maritime industry, has built a global network and wants to introduce more North Indian cuisines to his restaurant. He also encourages his staff to be creative and innovative in their cooking.
In addition to their millet chapatis, the Punjabi restaurant plans to introduce 'makhan', the famous white butter churned from milk cream. The owner, Singh, has innovated his own version of sarson saag, a traditional Punjabi dish, using local green leaves available in Singapore.
Singh focuses on serving truly yummy, healthy, and traditional Punjabi cuisine, staying close to nature and avoiding artificial lifestyles.
With inputs from PTI
The event was hosted by Kalpesh Solanki, Group Managing Editor of Asian Media Group and President of the 100 Club. 