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.

 

Ragi Mudde/ Finger millet balls:

Ragi Mudde is a Humble, day to day meal of Hassan, Bengaluru, Mysuru, Tumkur, Kolar region of Karnataka. As a coastal girl, I never used to like Ragi Mudde earlier. As time passed, I learnt to make perfect; please read as “suitable to our palate” mudde and tasty Bassaru palya to go with it. It is one of our family favourites too.

Ragi Mudde is rich in calcium, well balanced, wholesome, healthy food. Perfect meal for elderly, diabetics, weight watchers.

Making of mudde is a real art. It needs little patience and perseverance. Like preparation, eating is also a tactic. Instead of chewing, Ghee laden mudde should be swallowed by dipping it in veg or non-veg curry.

Mudde can be prepared in various ways, and each family has their method. Here, I am sharing how I make it.

Ingredients:

Finger millet / Ragi flour – 1 cup

Water – 2cups

Salt – one pinch( optional)

Cooked rice – 1 or 2 tbl spoons

Ghee – 1 tsp

Method:

-Take one saucepan or thick vessel, heat water by adding salt, ghee, rice.

-When water starts boiling well, keep it in a simmer, add ragi flour and keep one wooden spoon or steel spoon and close the vessel with leaving a gap to allow to escape steam.

-After 5 min, you could smell the cooked ragi. At this juncture, open the lid, start to move the spoon in a circular motion to cook further until you feel the dough doesn’t stick to your finger while checking and the aroma of cooked ragi fills the nostrils. It takes a reasonable amount of time ( from 5 to 10 min)

When ready, transfer the cooked dough to a wooden chopping plank or a wet steel plate. Immerse your hand in a bowl of water, start making the required sized ball by pinching the main dough.

-If you are serving immediately while serving, add ghee and serve. Otherwise, reserve all the balls in a hot box.

Note: -The colour of the Mudde depends on the Ragi flour. 

-For the vegan version, omit ghee and use any vegetable oil.

 

 

 

Steel cut Oats and lentil Dosa:

It is a no rice urad dal Dosa. I have used Steel cut oats  or broken Oats instead of rice and avoided rice fully in this batter. These oats are considered as cut pieces of original grain. It is healthy compared to quick cooking oats. It takes much longer time to cook but when it is soaked and ground, almost tastes like rice and you can’t figure out the difference. This is Gluten free, high in fibre, protein and iron. It is low in glycaemic index.

I have bought Kosh broken oats to try out my experiment and it is whole oat grains cut into smaller pieces. It looks like broken wheat. When it is cooked, tastes like our broken wheat with outer thick skin with nutty taste. Loaded with insoluble fibre which helps in our gut health as well. Because of its low glycaemic property, it is a very good option for diabetic people and its fibre level will help to keep them full for longer hours.

I have used my regular plain Dosa batter recipe. I simply avoided rice and added broken oats.

Ingredients:

Steel cut Oats – 2 cups

Urad dal – ½ cup

Methi – 1 tea spoon

Chana dal – 2 table spoons

Poha – 1 fist full (optional)

Salt

Method:

-Wash oats, urad dal, methi, chana dal twice and soak this with poha (if you are using) for 3 to 4 hours.

-Grind this soaked ingredient by adding soaked water little by little with added salt.

-Ferment this batter over night or 8 to 10 hours according to the climatic condition.

-When it is ready, mix nicely, adjust the consistency of the batter and start making dosas by heating iron griddle.

-Take one ladle spoon of batter, spread into thin Dosa, pour oil or ghee and roast on one side, then flip and cook the other side, remove and serve with chutney or sambar.

Barley Pongal:

Come Summer, our ancestors used to drink Barley water to keep their body cool. Otherwise Barley gruel or water is used mainly during illness- diarrhoea, urinary tract infection. As it is a natural diuretic, it increases urination and helps to flush out any toxins or infection causing bacteria from the body. Here I have used this super cool grain in making Pongal, south Indian breakfast dish.

Barley has two varieties, one is with outer cover which is called hulled barley and other one is more processed, without outer cover and is called De hulled or pearl barley. Compared to hulled, pearl is little less in fibre but cooks faster and is ideal for our day to day cooking.

Barley is known for its low glycaemic index, which makes it an excellent option for diabetics. Over all it is good for all and we can include it in our day to day cooking in one form or the other and take a benefit from this age-old grain for sure.

Although Barley is very good for health, it contains gluten and people who have sensitive digestive system or are allergic to gluten should avoid this grain.

Recipe is like this-

Ingredients:

Barley Rawa/ grits – 2 cups

Green gram/moong dal – 1 cup

Green chillies – 2

Ginger – ½ inch

Grated coconut – 3 table spoons

Ghee – (to serve)

Seasoning:

Ghee – 1 table spoon

Mustard – 1 tea spoon

Cumin – ½ tea spoon

Hing – ¼ tea spoon

Curry leaves – 1 spring

Method:

-Dry roast moong dal for 2 to 3 minutes.

-Wash moong and barley grits together and keep aside for a while.

-In the meantime, prepare for the seasoning.

-Take one cooker vessel, do seasoning, heat ghee, splutter mustard, add cumin, hing, curry leaves, chopped green chillies, chopped ginger (slivered) and fry for two min.

-Add water (around 8 to 9 cups) and boil. Add salt, coconut gratings and keep it for boiling.

-Add soaked dal and barley mixture and close the cooker lid.

-Cook for 3 whistles and switch off the gas.

-When pressure releases, open the cooker lid, give a stir and adjust the consistency.

-Pour a couple of spoons of ghee to enhance the taste or you can completely skip the ghee if you are into low calorie diet.

-Serve with coconut-ginger flavoured chutney.

 

Bell fruit –carrot and Bottle gourd juice:

Star apple, bell fruit, Jambi, water apple, what not? So many names for this tropical fruit. This abundantly grows in a hot climate and is loved by all.

I had mixed this tropical fruit with grated carrots and bottle gourd to make an early morning dose of nutrients.

juice_Fotor

Ingredient:

Bell fruit – 4 to 5

Bottle gourd – ¼ cup (grated)

Carrot – 1 (Grated)

Ginger powder – ½ tsp.

Water – 1 cup

Salt – ¼ tsp.

Any Sweetener – (if u need) I am using very little sugar free natura.

Method:

-Clean and slice the bell fruit.

-Blend bell fruit, grated carrot and bottle gourd, water, ginger powder, and salt. If needed, add any form of sugar and churn nicely.

-Sieve this mixture and collect juice. Your nutrition rich, power packed juice is ready, to kick start your day.