Sikya Kheer: A recipe from the Baiga tribes of Madhya Pradesh, made with wild crabgrass

Sikiya (Digitaria Sanguilanis) is a variety of wild millet harvested by the Baiga tribals of Dindori district in Madhya Pradesh. Its grains are even smaller than those of little millets and has a yellowish colour. The Baiga tribals prepare rice and kheer out of it.Currently, the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) based in Hyderabad is researching on Sikiya for nutritional analysis. This crabgrass finger millet, which has always been a part of tribal culture, has 12 per cent protein.