Ragi Mudde (Finger Millet Balls)

Ragi (Finger Millet) is a cereal which is very rich in protein and minerals and we must include this in our regular diet. I have found a new permanent place for Ragi in my pantry :) Its original taste and texture itself is so good that you need to work very little around it to make it taste yummy. Various dishes can be made out of this humble grain. It is said to be originated in Africa and has been cultivated in India from past 4000 years.  It's an ancient grain where new age era has kind of forgotten its importance. This dish is called Ragi mudde/Ragi Sangati/Ragi Kali etc and is popular with rural folks of Karnataka, no doubt they are very healthy and strong people :) It can be served with spicy curries like sambar, chicken curry etc or even buttermilk. Ragi dosas and Ragi rotti are my other favorite dishes.

Let's get to the Ragi Mudde recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ragi flour (finger millet) 
• 2 cups water 
• salt to taste (1/4 tsp) 
• 1 tsp ghee
• 1 green chilli chopped

Optional tempering:

• 1 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp fried gram dal (phutani)

 Preparation:

• Bring water to a boil in a vessel. Add salt and ghee, stir it once. Add ragi flour, close the lid and cook for 1 minute on a med-low flame.
• Now reduce the flame to low, add chopped chillis, and now with a flat mouth wooden ladle stir the ragi flour in water in quick circles mixing it together till no lumps are seen. Keep stirring/whipping till you get to a paste consistency. (stir for good 3-5 minutes) Close the lid and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes.
• In the meantime make the tempering/tadka which is totally optional (I wanted more flavors :)), heat ghee, add mustard seeds, once it splutters add gram dal stir quickly and pour it over ragi mixture.
• Mix everything nicely and switch off the gas. Let the mixture cool down a little bit till your hands can handle it. Grease your hand with little ghee and make bite size small balls from ragi mixture. 
• You can serve it dipped in buttermilk or sambar or chicken curry. Pour more ghee over it:) It tastes yum! It's actually swallowed as whole (mudde meaning lump) and not chewed. But I cut it and eat with the curry :) That's just me heeee

PS: I have Sambar Curry in the picture!

njoY! happY cookinG!!

Health Benefits: 
Where do I begin :) It is high in protein and minerals. Helpful in controlling diabetes, keeps one younger for a long period(cross-linking of collagen), reduces bad cholesterol, also has anti-microbial properties and has been found to act against a number of bacteria including Bacillus cereus, which causes food poisoning, Salmonella sp., which causes a typhoid-like fever etc