Ragi Rotti:

Ragi rotti, either you love it or hate it. It is one of the healthiest meals in the Mysore-Bangalore region. Unlike a dosa, where the fermented batter is poured and swirled, we pat the pliable batter by hand.

Even though it was a part of the rural part of Karnataka or in traditional cooking, it has now got its due credit by being considered “Superfood”, diabetic-friendly, calcium-rich, gluten-free, and what not!

Ragi rotti with peanut/Huchellu(Niger seeds) chutney is a healthy and authentic breakfast in Bangalore.

The Rotti and chutney, which I learnt from a couple of my friends, then adapted to make my version, according to my family requirement is here,

Ingredient:

Ragi/ finger millet flour – 2 to 3 cups

Cooked rice – ½ cup

Grated coconut – ¼ cup (optional)

Chopped onions – 2 to 3 (medium size)

Chopped green chillies – 2 to 3

Chopped coriander leaves – ½ cup

Chopped Curry leaves – 2 tbl sp

Chopped pudina – 2 tbl sp (optional)

Salt

Hot water – as needed.

Method:

-Take one wide steel bowl, dry mix everything from ragi flour, cooked rice, chopped green chillies, onions, coriander, curry leaves, pudina, coconut gratings and salt.

-Make a pliable dough by adding sufficient boiling hot water.Keep it aside for 5 to 10 minutes to absorb the seasoning and soak.

-When you want to make rotti, take one piece of banana leaf or butter paper.

-Take a little rotti dough in your moist hand, and start patting in a circular motion by wetting your hand in the water now and then.

-Make 3 or 4 holes here and there if you want the crispier version. Sprinkle one teaspoon of oil over this patted rotti and keep it ready.

-Heat iron skillet and cook oil sprinkled rotti by putting upside down on it. After 2 to 3 minutes, peel off a banana leaf or butter paper.

-Sprinkle little oil over it and flip. Cook and serve hot with peanut chutney or Huchellu chutney.

Note:

-Keep one bowl of water at a reachable distance to dip your hand in-between.

– wetting your hand will help avoid the dough sticking to your fingers while patting.

 

Mango Truffle Cake:

It is a ritual at our home to make mango stuffed chocolate cake every year when king of fruit is in season. This year, I had a lot of over ripe mangoes and wanted a way to utilize it in this cake itself. I tried mango sauce as a topping and it worked out wonderfully and kids gang liked it too.

Truffle cakes are melt in the mouth chocolate and cream cakes but when fresh fruit is added as a stuffing between the layers it tastes rich with a natural fruit flavour. I normally prefer less cream or high calorie stuff when I am baking for my family and friends. If you are looking out for healthy options for truffle cakes, this recipe is for you.

Now we will see the procedure, how I went ahead –

First – For the chocolate cake:

Ingredients:

Very fine semolina – 1 ¼ cup (Known as Chiroti Rava)

Ragi / finger millet flour – ½ cup

Cocoa powder – ½ to ¾ cup

Baking powder – 1 tea spoon

Baking soda – 1 tea spoon

Eggs – 2

Butter – 100 grams

Sugar – ¾ to 1 cup (if you want less sweet use ¾ th cup)

Milk – ½ cup

Instant coffee powder – 1 tea spoon

Hot boiling water – 1 cup

Method:

-Pre- heat oven @ 180 °C and line a baking tin with butter paper.

-Take one bowl, prepare dry mixture. Take semolina, Ragi, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda by using wire whisk or you can sieve all these twice or thrice.

-In another bowl we will prepare wet mix, beat egg one by one, add milk, sugar, butter and beat until frothy.

-Boil water, mix in coffee and pour this into wet mix and once again beat and make a homogenous mixture.

-Now fold in dry ingredients by using wooden spatula. Don’t over mix this content.

-Pour the batter to lined baking tin, bake for 40 minutes in a pre-heated oven.

-when it is done, remove, cool and keep it ready for stuffing.

Second – Mango filling:

Ingredients:

Mango – 1 or 2 (depending on the size)

Icing sugar – 2 tea spoons

Method:

-Peel the skin, hold the mango flat on your left hand. Mark so many cuts in horizontal and vertical manner and make tiny square pieces. Finally squeeze the seed to extract remaining pulp.

-Add icing sugar or sugar powder, mix nicely and keep this in the fridge until you are done with the sauce making and slicing the cake.

Third- Mango sauce for dressing or to drizzle:

Ingredients:

Mango – 1 or 2

Icing sugar – 1 or 2 tea spoons

Butter – 1 table spoon

Juice of Lemon – 1 tea spoon

Method:

-Remove outer skin of mango, chop and make a puree.

-Take one sauce pan, add mango puree, butter, icing sugar, lemon juice and boil it nicely and switch off the gas.

Fourth: Now Comes the assembling part:

Step 1: Take the cake (completely cooled one) and slice it horizontally. You will get 2 discs.

Step 2: Take out mango filling, equally spread this on one of the flat disc.

Step 3: place another halved disc on mango filling.

Step 4: If you like mango, go ahead and pour the sauce as a dressing to cover the top of the cake and slice it or you can drizzle the sauce while serving as well.

NOTE:

-One can use 2 cups of All purpose flour as well in place of 2 combined flours OR Use 1 ½ cup of All purpose or whole wheat and ½ cups of Ragi as well.

– To substitute eggs, use flax gel and recipe is here.

-I have used is ¾ cup of brown sugar. Cake was less in sweetness and it tasted more like coffee and was chocolatey.

-You can use less or more chocolates according to the quality of brand which you use.