In my memory first time I tried Ragi was in Bangalore when I started working,
though my Mom says she used to feed Ragi Porridge while I was a baby.
I do remember my younger brother with "Ragi Porridge" all over his face and everywhere around when fed with the same while he was a baby.
In Bangalore we used to share our food during lunch time in office and once my good friend and colleague who's from Karnataka promised us to bring lunch for the whole team, Food is going to be authentic she said and the particular dish "Ragi Mudde" other wise called Ragi Ball , she'll be bringing is a Kannada delicacy. " Ragi " being the largely grown crop in Karnataka.
she said it can be had with any Non - Veg curry like chicken or Mutton , but she'll bring Sambar with it as that's how vegetarians prefer it.
Excitement to taste an authentic dish and its interesting looks attracted me so much that I didn't wait for anybody's permission to dig in to it. Took my first " Bite "
Wait a minute did I say " Bite " OH NO.....
It got pasted everywhere inside my mouth :(
not being able to open my mouth I didn't know how to react,
noticing my facial expressions like how a " Kathakali " artist does , she understood what I did and said its not supposed to be chewed , its just to be swallowed along with the curry.
OH BOY....
Y didn't I wait for her instructions.
now you know why I say I am Impatient.
"Ragi Mudde" is a store house of various nutrients,
no wonder the Former Prime Minister of India "Deve Gowda" urged for having the same prepared and shipped from Karnataka to the Capital,
but only thing is that you shouldn't chew it :)
Health Benefits of Ragi are wide, other than reducing Cholestrol and Blood Pressure
some of its nutritional benefits include reducing Anxiety & Stress as Ragi being a rich source of Antioxidants mainly Tryptophan & some Aminoacids - fights damage causing free radicals in the body hence reducing oxidative stress.
Ragi is an excellent plant source of Iron hence helps to reduce Anaemia due to low hemoglobin levels.
Also its highly recommended for Lactating mothers.
Only issue I have with Ragi was how to make it appealing as I didn't like its taste :(
though I very much want to have it because of its health benefits , tried mixing Ragi flour with Atta to make Chapathi , which is not a bad Idea then tried this recipe which is almost similar to the recipe they have in the Ragi Flour cover which they sell in the Indian store.
For People like me and many other who doesn't like the taste of Ragi , do try this recipe as its good for our health, lets make it a point to cook highly nutritional food stuffs at least once in a week, like Green leafs , Soya , organic vegetable salads , freshly squeezed organic fruit juices and high fibrous grains/flours like Ragi ,Oats ,Quinoa etc.
Here's is how I made Ragi Dosa , it was good , but should enjoy it while its hot.
Ingredients
Ragi Flour - 3/4 cup (May use Whole Ragi instead)
Rice Flour (Fine) - 1/2 cup (May use Idli Rice instead)
Split Urad Dal / Husked Black Gram - 3/4 cup
Cooked Rice (White or Brown) - a hand full (Little less than Half cup)
Fenugreek Seeds / Methi Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1 Tbsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1/4 to 1/2 cup(Approx , adjust as you need , try grinding with less water as possible , and add water just to make grinding easier)
Oil or Ghee - few drops for each Dosa's.
Method
* Wash and soak Urad dal & Fenugreek seeds in water for 3 hour's (split Urad dal doesn't need more than 3 hour's soaking time, if using whole Urad dal, Idli rice instead of rice flour and whole Ragi - do increase the soaking time)
* Grind the soaked dal & Fenugreek along with Rice flour, Ragi flour and cooked rice , adding little water to it initially(add more water little at a time to make grinding easier) keep in a warm place to ferment for 6 to 8 hour's depending on the climate.
(I kept it overnight to ferment, during winter , its better to place it in your preheated to Warm - Oven to help ferment it better - make sure your oven is not too hot to cook the batter :)
or else boil water in a deep vessel , when it starts to boil ,switch off the heat ,cover with a lid and place this batter - bowl on top of the lid , keep it in a comparatively warm place to ferment)
* The next day add sugar and salt to taste , stir , pour a ladle full of batter over a heated Dosa pan , spread with a spoon , drizzle few drops of oil , flip when one side is done and cook the other side for a minute.
* Serve with any Chutney or Sambar.
A very healthy and nutritious , equally tasty Ragi Dosa - ready to be served.
Ragi is recommended for weight watchers as it helps reduce and maintain your weight, high amount of fiber in Ragi combines with water, to keep your stomach fuller for longer period.
Its health benefits are so many that I am not able to conclude this post
:)
Cheers
TN
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