Ragi Idli

Ragi or Finger millet is one of the most nutritious gluten-free cereal grain. Traditionally in South India, it is taken in the form kanji or koozh /porridge along with milk. Despite the fact that it is highly nutritious, it is a long forgotten grain like the other millet varieties. With more and more people becoming health conscious, this grain is gaining popularity. Substituting a portion of white rice by this nutrient rich millet in idli/dosa batter is a good and smart way for healthy eating. The color of the idlis may not be appealing to the eyes, but definitely the taste is not compromised.

Ingredients:

Ragi /	1 cup
Idli rice	1 cup
Urad dhal	1/2 cup
Methi seeds	1 tsp
Salt	2 tsp

Method:

Soak the whole ragi seeds overnight or at least for a minimum of 8 hours.
Add methi seeds to urad dhal and soak it separately for 5 to 6 hours or overvnight.
Similarly, soak idli rice separately for 5-6 hours or overnight. (For convenience sake, I soaked all the three of them (ragi, idli rice and urad dhal) overnight.
Drain the water , add the whole ragi to a mixie jar and grind it to a batter . Add little by little water while grinding. The ragi takes a bit of time to grind it to a batter. So be patient and grind it in batches if needed.
Similarly, grind the idli rice and urad dhal separately.
Pour all the batter into one bowl. Add salt and mix well with a ladle. The consistency of the batter should be same as regular idli batter. It should not be too diluted as this will give flat idlis.
Ferment this for about 8 to 12 hours . The batter should rise to get a good texture and volume.
In the idli cooker/idli moulds, sprinkle some sesame oil or regular oil, pour the batter into moulds and steam cook in the similar way to regular idlis.
Serve with spicy chutney /Sambar/ Idli mulagai podi

Notes:

The ragi has to be definitely soaked overnight for better grinding and digestion.
Add variation to the above recipe by adding grated ginger, chopped green chillies, chopped vegetables to the batter after fermenting.