Ragi(Finger Millet), Green Mung, Black Chick Pea Sevai(String Hoppers/Noodles)

Ragi/Finger Millet is one of the most nutritious and inexpensive food . This gluten free nutritious food is very easy  to digest right from infants to elderly people.  It is rich in calcium and protein and also have good amount of iron and other minerals. Ragi is a staple in my house but when something becomes staple, coming up with different varieties is mandatory to avoid boredom.  This is a very simple recipe but you need to have the special gadget to make the string hoppers. Paired with a side dish of veggies in coconut sauce, this makes a very filling and a complete balanced breakfast, lunch or dinner. So let us get on to this simple recipe.



Preparation Time – 15 Minutes

Cooking Time – 10-12 Minutes

Serves – 1 to 2



Ingredients



Ragi Flour – 6 oz

Green Mung Flour – 2 oz

Black chick pea flour – 2 oz

Salt – 1/2 Tsp or to your taste

Water – 20 oz

Coconut oil – 1 Tsp for greasing hands & greasing the idli mould



Method



1)  In a wide mouthed pan pour 20 oz of water and boil till the bubbles start coming.

2) Now add the salt and the flour little by little stirring using a thick ladle without forming any lumps.

3) Set this aside to cool.

4) Grease the idli mould and your hands with little oil and once the dough is little cold to handle. Place the dough in the string hopper mould(sevai padi) and squeeze it in the idli plates.

5) Steam cook for 10-12 minutes in medium heat and serve with some veggies in coconut sauce( I served with tomato kurma)

Events



Sending this to Shobha's Just 4 Fun Event

 

Also going to Only South Indian event hosted by Pari of Foodelicious.

 

Also sending this Srav’s Cooking Concepts- Vegan diet

 

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Ragi(Finger Millet) & Besan(Split Chick Pea Flour) Poori

Eliminating gluten from diet is a big thing, one has to miss out so many delicious dishes like Poori, Roti (Flat Bread), Fluffy cakes. But when on such kind of diet, one has to be very creative and come up with alternate for all these simple pleasures. This poori is one such thing, which I made a few months back. I wouldn't say it was soft, fantastic and fluffy. But if you on a no gluten diet, this is worth a try.  I normally restrain from fried foods and do it very occasionally, not because of any fat restrictions. Our only restrictions are carb and sugar, but when you fry foods most of the nutrients are lost. Coconut oil and ghee (clarified butter) or butter are only oils that are stable at high temperatures and don't turn into toxin and are good for frying. Indeed they are expensive and that is another reason, I shy away from frying and do it once in couple of months.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 20 Minutes

Serves - 4 to 6 (Depending on the size)



Ingredients



Ragi Flour - 1/2 Cup

Besan(Split Chick Pea) flour - 1/2 Cup

Ajwain (Bishop weed) - 1/4 Tsp

Salt - 1/2 Tsp or to taste

Water



Coconut Oil for deep frying



Method



1) Combine the ragi flour, besan, ajwain and salt.



2) Heat a wide mouthed pan and add coconut oil for frying and keep this in medium heat.



3) Slowly add water little by little and combine to make a stiff dough.



4) Pinch out four to 6 equal sized balls.



5) Press it slightly and dust it with little flour and keep on the palm of one hand and using another hand slightly keep pressing in all the sides till you get a thin circular shape.



6) Now put it in the hot oil and fry till one side is well cooked and using a slotted ladle turn to the other side and after that is also cooked, drain the excess oil and place it in paper towel covered colander.



7) Serve this hot with the side dish of your choice and enjoy. I served this with mung dal(bean), palak(spinach) & yogurt

Event Participation



1)  This low carb and high protein healthy Poori's goes to Fast Food not Fat Food event by Priya of Nowserving.

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Ragi(Finger Millet), Green Mung, Black Chick Pea Cutlet

A grain free, gluten free,  a super diet for people with diabetes, carb & weight watchers, easily digestible can be given for kids and even infants. Apart from all these very filling,  tastes very good, very versatile and very inexpensive. Can any food fall on these categories? Ragi or Finger Millet is the one that would fit all these description. This seed used as a grain is extremely nutritious one. Instead of just Ragi, I have combined Green Mung Flour and Black Chick Pea flour to make this as a well balanced dish with complex carbohydrate and protein. I make this often either by adding chopped raw onions and green chili or by combining mixed vegetables. The simple cutlet just with onion and green chili tastes absolutely great when compared to the latter.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 30 Minutes

Serves - 4



Ingredients



Ragi Flour - 12 oz ( 1 + 1/2 Cup)

Green Mung Flour - 4 oz (1/2 Cup)

Kala Chana Flour - 4 oz (1/2 Cup)

Salt -1 Tsp or to taste

Coconut Oil - 2 Tbsp

Water - 30 oz (1 1/2 times the flour)



Chopped Raw onions  - 1 Cup

Chopped Green Chilies - 2 or to taste

Chopped Ginger - 1 inch piece



or



Combination of finely chopped and sauteed vegetables with salt -1 Cup(Carrots, Bell Peppers, Beets, Onions etc)



Method



1) Combine the Ragi flour, kala channa, green mung flour and keep it aside.



2) Heat a wide mouthed pan with water and once it starts boiling, add the salt and the combined flours.



3) Simmer and keep stirring thoroughly  till you a form a thick dough.



4) Set this aside to cool down, once the dough is cool enough to handle with hand, add the chopped onions, green chili, ginger pieces or the sauteed vegetables.



5) Grease your hands and combine the vegetables to make a well formed dough. You should be able to make a ball out of the dough and flatten it with your palm. If the dough is too thick and dry add little bit more of warm water.



6) Heat an Iron griddle and make patties out of this dough and cook on both sides by adding little bit of coconut oil and serve hot with some Onion Pickle.

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Ragi Urundai(Steamed Finger Millet Dumplings)

Do you know Ragi(Finger Millet) is the perfect food if you are looking for an alternate to Rice, Wheat, Corn etc as a staple. Easy to digest, gluten free, perfect for kids as well as adults. The best food for weight watchers, for people looking for low carb diet. The black chick pea (kala channa) and green mung bean are the best source of protein. A combination of all these three make the perfect breakfast along with some coconut chutney(coconut has fatty acids that provide both energy (nutrients) and raw material for antimicrobial fatty acids and monoglycerides (functional components)) and a glass of vegetable juice. Keeps you charged and full for hours.



Preparation Time - 5 Minutes

Cooking Time - 30 Minutes

Serves - 2



Ingredients

Ragi (Finger Millet) Flour - 12 oz

Whole Black Chick Pea Flour(Kala Channa Besan) - 4 oz

Whole Green  Gram Flour(Green Mung Flour) - 4 oz

Water - 2 1/2 cups (Around 2 times the flour)

Finely chopped coconut pieces - 2 Tbsp

Salt - 1 Tsp or more to taste



Tempering



Coconut Oil - 1 Tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Green or Red Chili - 1 or more to taste



Method



1) Heat a pan and add coconut oil, once the oil is hot add mustard seeds. After the mustard seeds stop spluttering add the asafoetida powder, chili, curry leaves and then the water.

2) Combine all the three flours and keep them ready.

3) Once the water starts boiling add the salt and the coconut pieces. Quickly but little by little add the flour to this boiling water while combining using a heavy spoon without forming any lumps.

4) Keep combining and let this sit in the stove till all the water evaporates and then switch off the stove.

5) Now transfer the cooked dough to a wide plate and let this cool completely.

6) After the dough is completely cooled, grease your palm with oil and make small balls using the center of your palm.

7) Place these balls in a greased bowl and steam it covered for 15 Minutes.

8) Serve these balls hot with chutney and enjoy.



Notes - You can buy ragi, green mung, kala channa. Wash, rinse and drain and sprout it. Once sprouted sun dry and till they become crisp and get them ground in bulk. Normally ragi alone is made into dumplings in some of the southern parts of India. But these dumplings have to be eaten when it is steaming hot and with a side dish sambhar(spiced lentil stew). The addition of the bean flours, softens the whole thing and the steamed dumplings don't get hard and stays the same way even for hours.

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Ragi Idli(Steamed Finger Millet Dumplings)

Finger millet/Ragi is an important staple food in parts of eastern and central Africa and India.

Ragi is praised for its unique diet for reducing weight (least fat containing grain) and also good for diabetes ,

hyper cholesterol and triglycerides. It is one of the most healthy foods due to to its rich content of nutrients.

Finger millet is especially valuable as it contains the amino acid methionine, it is also rich in iron and phosphorus.

Finger millet has high fibre content and the highest calcium content among all the food grains.

Generally, the whole grains are important sources of B-complex vitamins, which are mainly concentrated in

the outer bran layers of the grain.

Preparation Time – 25 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30 Minutes

Serves – 4 to 5

Ingredients

White Urad Dal –1/2 Cup

Ragi Flour – 1 1/4 Cup

Salt – 2 Tsp or more to taste

Water

Method

1) Rinse and drain Urad dal till you get a clear water. Now soak in enough water for 2-3 hours.

2) Using a blender grind the urad dal adding the soaked water little by little till you get a smooth fluffy batter.

3) Mix the Urad dal batter, Ragi flour and Salt and mix them thoroughly.

4) Leave it over night for the batter to ferment nicely, on cold winter days switch on the oven light and leave

the batter inside the oven overnight. The heat from the light will make the batter to ferment.

5) Now use cooking spray and grease the idli plates, thoroughly combine the fermented batter and pour the batter

in the greased plates and steam them for 15 minutes on medium heat in a pressure cooker or pan till they are cooked.

9) Serve hot with sambar, the Ragi Idlis taste best when they are hot.

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Ragi & Urad(White Lentil) Dosai/Crepe

Finger millet/Ragi is an important staple food in parts of eastern and central Africa and India.

Ragi is praised for its unique diet for reducing weight (least fat containing grain) and also good for diabetes ,

hyper cholesterol and triglycerides. It is one of the most healthy foods due to to its rich content of nutrients.

Finger millet is especially valuable as it contains the amino acid methionine, it is also rich in iron and phosphorus.

Finger millet has high fibre content and the highest calcium content among all the food grains.

Generally, the whole grains are important sources of B-complex vitamins, which are mainly concentrated in

the outer bran layers of the grain.

Preparation Time – 25 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30 Minutes

Serves – 4 to 5

Ingredients

White Urad Dal – 1/2 Cup

Ragi Flour – 1 1/2 Cups

Green Chili – 2 or more to taste

Ginger – small piece

Curry Leaves - handful

Salt – 2 Tsp or more to taste

Oil – 2 Tsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 Tsp

Asafoetida – pinch

Oil

Water

Method

1) Soak Urad Dal for 2-3 hours. Rinse, drain and grind to fine paste adding ginger, green chili and curry leaves.

2) To this ground Urad Dal, add Ragi flour,salt and enough water to make a thin batter slightly thin

than Pancake batter.

3) Heat a pan, add oil and then mustard seeds and asafoetida and once the mustard seeds stop spluttering

add this to the dosa batter.

4) Heat an iron griddle, once it is hot take a ladle full of batter and make a thin circle and pour a tsp of oil

around it. Once it is well cooked, flip and cook the other side too.

5) Once both the sides are well cooked serve it hot with Chutney or Sambar of your choice.

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Ragi Sweet Appam

Finger millet is actually a seed which is much more superior to rice or wheat in
nutritional terms, providing highest levels of calcium,antioxidants, phytochemicals and high
levels of dietary fiber which makes it easy and slowly digestible. This slow digestion is very useful for
people with diabetes as it does not cause any sugar highs. The bulkiness of the fiber and the slower
digestion rate makes us feel fuller for a longer time. Black Chick Pea & Green Mung bean are very
good source of protein, iron and dietary fiber. This is very ideal for carb watchers, kids and people
on gluten free diet.

Preparation Time – 10 minutes

Cooking Time – 10 to 15 Minutes

Serves - 2

Ingredients

Finger Millet(Ragi Flour) – 6 oz

Whole Green Mung Bean Flour – 2 oz

Whole Black Chick Pea Flour – 2 oz

Jaggery powder - 1/3 cup or to taste

Banana – 1

Elaichi powder – pinch

Coconut(Small Chopped pieces not grated) - 1 heaped Table spoon

Salt – pinch

Water

Oil/Ghee(Clarified butter) - 2 tsps

Powdered Chia/Rice Flour – 1 Tbsp (This addition is to prevent the batter from sticking to

your cook ware, Chia and rice flour both will do its job perfectly)

Method

1) Add little bit of water to the jaggery and heat it till all the jaggery dissolves. Switch off and let this

cool for few minutes.

2) Meanwhile slice the banana and make a puree and add it to the jaggery.

3) Add elaichi powder, salt and the coconut pieces to the dissolved jaggery.

4) Now combine all the three flours and add the jaggery mixture to this and add enough water to make

Idli batter consistency and add the powdered chia.

5) Heat the appam pan and add drops of oil in each of them and then pour the batter. Cover it and

let it cook till one side is completely cooked.

6) Now turn it and leave till the other side is cooked.

7) Serve it hot and enjoy.

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