sprouted ragi idli -powerhouse breakfast

I love working with whole grains a lot ,and Ragi or finger millet is one of them .Did you know?(well,I didn't) that sprouting ragi (finger millet )increases the bioavailability of it's iron to 88% comparable only to mother's milk and 8 times higher than cow's milk, visit this page I found while googling for sprouted ragi benefits:International research journal of pharmacy .Since knowing this information I'm making sure to sprout this wonder grain every time I use it in a recipe .These idlis are soft and supple and go great with tomato base gravy's or just enjoy with chutney powder .If you don't want to sprout the grain then just soak it as long as the other ingredients.

Ingredients:

whole ragi: 1 cup

idli rice :1 cup

urad dal: 1/2 cup

fenugreek seed:1/2 tsp

salt as per taste

Method :

• wash and rinse ragi thoroughly to remove impurities  .
• soak overnight (if not sprouting, then grind this to make a batter.)
• drain the water and transfer to a clean kitchen towel  over a strainer,cover and keep in a warm place for the germination to take place .This may take anywhere between eight to sixteen hours depending on the climatic conditions where you live in.
• once sprouts appear ,wash,rinse and soak the rice and urad+fenugreek seeds separately for four hours.
• now grind one by one the urad,then the ragi sprouts and finally the rice using a little bit of water at a time
• bring everything together,add salt and transfer to a  bigger vessel with enough room for the batter to rise
• let ferment for 8 hours or overnight ,if you enjoy a warm climate ,the fermentation may take place earlier than the above mentioned time frame
• next grease the idli molds and pour the batter ,steam cook for 8 to 12 minutes
• serve with your favorite chutney or idli podi .

Here is a quick video tutorial:

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Ragi (Finger millet) sweet and savory recipes

Hello everyone 

Long time ! It sure feels good writing about food . Today's recipe is for finger millet prepared in two different ways -sweet and savory .

Ingredient list :

• Ragi flour  1 cup 
• sugar  -as per taste 
• coconut shredded -1 tbs or more as per your liking 
• salt -1/3 tsp(more for saute)
•  black chickpeas -1 cup cooked 
• onion - 1 small size
• green chili -to taste 
• few curry leaves 
• 1 tsp oil

Method

1. Make a coarse mixture with the ragi flour + 1/3 tsp salt, adding little by little water at a time .If the water gets in excess then the mixture will get lumpy ,and if too little water is added then it will go dry so adjust the consistency carefully to that of a moist cornmeal. 
2.  add one cup of water in a pressure pan and place on medium high
3. arrange the mixture in an idli stand and steam cook for about 15 minutes in the pan(without weight )
4. Once the mixture is cooked it will give out a nice aroma and will turn into a darker shade. 

Preparing the puttu (sweet version)

• Take out a portion,add sugar and coconut.
• optional -add a little ghee
• serve warm .

Preparing the upma(savory version)

• chop the onions and green chili 
• saute in a pan with little oil adding 1/4 tsp of salt
• add the curry leaves 
• add the cooked black chickpeas and saute for about a minute 
• Finally add the cooked ragi and turn off the heat .mix well. 
• serve 

Here is a quick video tutorial:

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