Samai is little millet, kutki in Hindi and same in Kannada, a fine-grained dry-land grass domesticated in India. It has the smallest grain of the common Indian millets. It is a crop of the Eastern Ghats, the Javadhu and Kolli hills of Tamil Nadu, and tribal areas of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Older Indian books call it Panicum miliare.
- Botanical name
- Panicum sumatrense Roth
- Family
- Poaceae
- Tamil
- Samai
- Hindi
- Kutki
- Sanskrit
- Kangū-bheda
- Parts used
- Grain after cooking
- Habit
- Little millet; English millet is a shop word
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise Samai
It is a slender, tufted annual grass, usually knee-high or a little more, with narrow leaves.
The flower head is an open, drooping panicle of fine branches.
The grains are tiny, oval and shiny, grey to straw-coloured, smaller than proso millet grains.
Proso millet, panivaragu, is taller with hairier leaves and clearly larger grains.
Foxtail millet has a dense, bristly, tail-like head instead of an open one.
Traditional use of Samai
Kitchen
Samai is cooked like rice, or made into samai pongal, curd rice, upma and payasam.
Tamil food practice
Kitchen
In Odisha and Madhya Pradesh tribal homes, little millet is cooked as rice or gruel.
Eastern and central Indian tribal food practice
Farming
It is sown on rain-fed hill slopes with the monsoon and harvested in about three months.
Eastern Ghats farm practice
Modern notes on Samai
The grain is gluten-free and supplies fibre, iron and protein.
Archaeological finds in Gujarat and the Deccan show little millet was grown in India over four thousand years ago.
Interest has revived since the 2023 International Year of Millets, with ready-to-cook samai sold in cities.
Samai safety
It is a safe food when cleaned and cooked. Its tiny grains often carry fine grit, so wash well.
Ecology and sourcing
It tolerates drought, poor soils and short rainy seasons.
It is mostly self-pollinating.
It is grown mostly by small and tribal farmers rather than in large fields.
Related plants
Also in Poaceae
Questions about Samai
What is samai in English?
Little millet.
Is Samai the same as proso millet?
No. Proso, panivaragu, has larger grains.
Is Samai gluten-free?
Yes.
How long does Samai take to cook?
About fifteen to twenty minutes, like rice.
What is kutki?
A Hindi name for little millet.
Sources
- Panicum sumatrense Roth — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q1308043 (Panicum sumatrense)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.