The Millets Mama: How chef Anahita Dhondy is making millets cool

Chef Anahita Dhondy, a prominent figure in the culinary scene, has dedicated her career to promoting the consumption of millets. Born into a Parsi family, she began her journey in the food industry by founding SodaBottleOpenerWala (SBOW) in 2013. Her first book, The Parsi Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Memory, featured family anecdotes and recipes like fried boomla and ravo.

Dhondy's introduction to millets came about a decade ago, when she met Pallavi Upadhyaya, who runs the organization Millets for Health. Upadhyaya shared the basics of millet preparation, such as cleaning, choosing between flour and whole grain, soaking, and cooking techniques. Inspired by this knowledge, Dhondy created an entire millet menu at SBOW in 2015, marking a first of its kind in the culinary world.

Throughout her career, Dhondy has maintained a balance between her personal and professional life. Currently pregnant with her second child, she juggles her responsibilities as a mother, content creator, and author of her second book, The Grain Kitchen. Her mother, Nilufer Dhondy, was a home chef and baker, instilling the love for cooking in her daughter from an early age. By the age of 14, Dhondy was certain that she wanted to become a chef, a decision her parents initially found surprising but eventually supported.

After completing her studies at the Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad, Dhondy worked at Taj Mansingh, Delhi, before moving to Le Cordon Bleu in London. Although her time in London did not lead to the desired career path, she continued to promote millets through The Chefs' Manifesto, a global group of chefs advocating for sustainable kitchens. She cooked millet dishes at the UN in New York, California, and across Europe, and started #MilletMonday on Instagram to share unique millet recipes.

Dhondy's ragi taco, made using ragi flour and atta, is an example of her efforts to make millets more appealing. She encourages people to incorporate millets into their breakfast or lunch to reap the benefits of slow-releasing energy. Her recently published book, The Grain Kitchen, initially focused on millets but later expanded to include other grains.

The book also features a berry pulao, a dish she included to cater to a wider audience. Despite her busy schedule, Dhondy remains committed to her passion for millets and continues to explore new projects, including restaurant consultancies, FMCG research, and her own catering business.