How to Cook With Sorghum
Sorghum is a protein-rich grain with a texture similar to millet. In the United States, farmers primarily grow sorghum to feed livestock. In Africa and Asia, people use it in dishes such as porridge, popped sorghum and bread. Sorghum is a good food for people who are sensitive to gluten -- a protein found in grains such as wheat, rye and barley -- since it does not contain gluten and can serve as a wheat substitute. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Sorghum "Rice"
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Combine one part dehulled sorghum grain with 2 1/2 to 4 parts water in a large pot. The amount of water needed will vary depending on the variety of sorghum. You can always add more water during cooking if the water dries up before the sorghum becomes soft.
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Cover the sorghum and let it soak for several hours or overnight. This will soften the grains, making it easier to cook.
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3
Place the pot of sorghum on the stove and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the water is absorbed and the sorghum has a consistency similar to cooked rice.
Sorghum Porridge
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Combine 1 cup sorghum flour with 1/2 cup water in a bowl.
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Cover the sorghum and leave it in a warm place for one to two days to ferment. You can skip this step if you don't want a fermented porridge.
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Bring 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a large pot, depending on how thin you want the porridge to be.
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Stir the sorghum flour mixture into the boiling water, then cook it for 10 to 15 minutes until it forms a smooth, thick porridge.
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Sprinkle the porridge with sugar before serving.
Sorghum "Popcorn"
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Heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a pot until it begins to smoke.
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Add a scant 1/4 cup of sorghum. Note that not all varieties of sorghum will pop well, so if it doesn't work you may need to try again with another brand.
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Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Leave the sorghum over the heat until the kernels stop popping.
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Tips & Warnings
You can substitute rice with sorghum cooked in the style of rice to serve with stews, stir-fries and other dishes.
Popped sorghum is known as "jawar" in India. It is a popular snack in East Africa and South Asia.
Because sorghum doesn't contain gluten, which is what gives yeast breads their texture, you can't substitute it for wheat flour in most bread recipes. You can, however, use it to make chapati, or Indian flatbreads.
References
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics: Sorghum and Pearl Millet Recipes
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics: Sorghum
- Alternative Field Crops Manual: Grain Sorghum (Milo)
- The Baltimore Snacker: Kitchen Experiments -- Popping Sorghum
- RecipeTips.com: Sorghum Flour
- Culinate: A Whole-Grain Glossary
