Finger Millet Flatbread or Ragi Rotti

Finger Millet or Ragi has been a favorite with diabetics, because of the fact that it is rich in fiber, and upon consumption, blood sugar levels don't just instantly shoot up, but instead, it is all nice and slow. Ragi is also rich in iron, calcium, certain amino acids (that apparently are absent in most starchy grains), and of course protein. I also read somewhere that it helps relax you- so if you suffer from anxiety, or sleeplessness, or are just feeling the blues, try eating some Ragi. You will feel happy!

My paternal grandfather used to swear by Ragi mudde, and as far as I remember, often times dinner would be Ragi balls with a tamarind based soup. Tata would tell me to tear off a little ball, dunk it in the soup, place it in the mouth, and immediately swallow it. That was fun, really. I mean, the whole concept of not having to chew or bite food, but simply swallow, was so cool back then! And funnily enough, I quite liked that bland Ragi ball.

Another variation of Ragi that we were introduced to was Ragi rotti. This is basically Ragi flatbread, with added spices. It is super delicious! It is similar to akki rotti, the flatbread made with rice flour (Akki Rotti Recipe). In fact, I'd say that the recipe is the same, except that instead of rice flour, you use ragi flour.

Ingredients: 

1. Ragi Flour

Ragi Flour- sprouted ragi- even better! 

2. Onion- finely chopped

3. Green chillies- slit, or chopped

4. Cumin seeds- 1-2 tsp

5. Salt per taste

6. Water to make dough

7. A kadhai or wok, or a pan

8. Oil to cook

Method: 

1. Add onions, chillies, cumin, and salt to ragi flour and mix it up dry once, before adding water.

Ragi flour+onion+chillies+salt

2. Pour in water bit by bit, and begin kneading the dough, until you get a nice pliable dough. Similar to pizza dough.

Ragi rotti dough ready

3. Take a kadhai/wok or a pan, or both (like I do), pour a couple teaspoons of oil (you know your pan better- so if you think you need more oil, sure, go ahead. OR if you use a completely non-stick pan, well, skip the oil!). Then make a ball, as shown below:

Ragi ball 

4. Place this ball onto the oil in the pan, and start rolling it out with your fingers and palm of your hand:

Ragi rotti in the making

5. Now cover the pan with a lid, and get the heat going. The first 5 minutes on medium high, and the next 5-7 minutes between low and medium flame, to avoid burning.

Ragi rotti cooking in the pan

In the kadhai/wok

6. Switch off the stove, and that's it, Ragi rotti is ready to be enjoyed! You can eat it with coconut chutney, or chutney powder, or just plain as it is with some ghee or butter. YUM! You could even eat this with some rustic chicken or mutton curry- are you salivating yet? ;)

Eating off of the kadhai/wok- irresistible! 

Don't forget that butter! ;) 

I personally LOVE both varieties- akki (rice flour) and ragi (finger millet) rotti. Both kinds make me happy! You know your rotti is perfect when it is crispy on the first bite, and has this beautiful soft, chewy thing going on as you continue to eat........ SLURRRRRRP!

Uttapam

If you love dosas, you probably like uttapams too. Many blog posts ago, I had put up the recipe for this South Indian delicacy (Dosa Part 1 and Dosa Part 2). On Saturday, we had a Dosa party at home for a few friends, and it was quite a hit! I had made enough batter to last us a few days. Today the batter level went down by quite a bit, and when that happens, I know what to do- convert it into uttapam!

Ingredients: 

1. Dosa Batter

2. Onion, finely chopped

3. Green Chilies, either sliced or chopped

4. Coriander leaves/Cilantro, a bunch, finely chopped

5. Little bit of grated ginger

6. Tomato- chopped up- some people don't like it, but I love adding tomato to my uttapam

7. Salt per taste

8. Black ground pepper &/ Red chili powder

Method: 

1. Add ingredients 2 to 8 into the dosa batter, and stir it all up nicely with a ladle. You now have uttapam batter.

Uttapam batter

2. Take a ladleful of the batter, and pour it onto a hot pan (similar to how you would pour pancake batter), and then spread it out evenly. Add a few drops of oil around the entire circumference of the uttapam. Also a few drops in the center.

Uttapam getting ready

3. As you start seeing some browning at the bottom, flip the uttapam, so as to cook (and brown) the other side.

Browning on the bottom

Now browning the other side

4. That's it! Within 3-4 minutes, you'll have made the perfect uttapam, ready to be eaten with chutney, or just plain as it is. Oh, and a little bit of butter on top won't hurt! ;)

Uttapam! YUM! 

I like my uttapam to be nice and crispy. And so I let it stay on the hot pan longer. If you like it soft, don't brown it as much. Uttapam is a great way to utilize leftover dosa batter. Not to forget, it is yum!