Pearl Millet (Kambu) Flour

Kambu flour is the summer grain of Tamil Nadu, ground and ready to use. Kambu koozh with buttermilk and small onions on a hot afternoon, a kambu dosa on a weekday, or a roti mixed with wheat flour. Called bajra flour or bajra atta in the north and kambu maavu in Tamil, it is the same pearl millet either way. Ours is whole ground with the bran left in, milled fresh in small batches with no bleaching or additives. If you would rather soak and grind your own, our kambu millet is the same grain unground.

Why kambu maavu

• One of the higher iron grains among the millets, at roughly 8 mg per 100 g, so it is a useful part of an iron rich diet
• Rich in fibre and protein, digesting slowly and keeping you full
• Naturally gluten free, suitable for wheat free cooking
• Source of magnesium, phosphorus and B vitamins
• Traditionally eaten through summer, cooked as koozh or kanji and served cool with buttermilk

Buy it small, use it fast

This matters more with kambu than with any other flour we sell. Pearl millet carries more fat than most grains and its natural enzymes keep working after milling, so ground kambu turns bitter far quicker than ragi or rice flour. Whole grain keeps for months, flour does not. Buy the 500 g pack rather than stocking up, keep it airtight, refrigerate it in hot weather, and smell it before you cook. A sharp or bitter note means it has turned.

How to use it

• Kambu koozh, cooked and fermented overnight, served with buttermilk, onion and pickle
• Kanji, cooked fresh and thin for an easy summer drink
• Roti and adai, mixed with wheat or ragi so the dough holds. Our flour and batter mix range has ready blends that save the guesswork
• Dosa batter, mixed with rice and urad
• Upma and porridge, cooked thick with water or milk

South Indian households have traditionally served kambu cool through the hot months, as fermented koozh rather than as a hot roti. Our instant congee mix range covers the same habit if you want it ready to cook.

Kambu is usually the second or third millet people bring into a rotation, after ragi. If you are planning the week, this guide to the types of millets is a good place to start.

Sold in fresh 500 g packs at the listed kambu maavu price, as part of our range of Pure Organic foods.