Be a RAGI-MUFFIN!

My first encounter with ragi was at a yoga ashram in my teens. I had grown up on white rice, white bread and chapatis, and had never had this dark grain. Seated on the floor, and eagerly waiting to be served, I mistook the large ragi ball (mudde) for a giant gulab jamun! A disappointing mirage indeed! It was only 20 years later, that I discovered my love for this beautiful grain thanks to our home cook.

It is a powerhouse of nutrients — Ragi is rich in calcium, gram for gram, it has three times the calcium content of milk! This makes it the best for vegan and dairy free diets. It is also recommended for good bone health. Rich in fibre and protein, this gluten-free supergrain helps lower LDL cholestrol, regulates blood sugar, is high in iron and helps weight loss.

If mudde isn’t appealing enough try a porridge, roti or dosa. You could even sprinkle ragi flour into chapati atta, pancakes and baked goodies like muffins. For kids – a ragi malt sweetened with jaggery goes down quite easily. It’s best to introduce millets in a child’s diet for its overall goodness.

Ragi Dosa

Ingredients

• Whole ragi 1 cup
• Urad dal ½ cup
• Brown rice ½ cup
• A few drops per dosa of Virgin coconut oil

Method

• Soak all three ingredients overnight.
• Grind into a batter, cover and ferment at room temperature for six hours.
• Make dosas on a cast iron pan and enjoy them fresh and crispy with chutney and potato filling!

Ragi Porridge

Ingredients

• Ragi flour/sprouted ragi flour ¼ cup
• Pumpkin/sunflower seeds 1 tbsp
• Raisins 1 tbsp
• Coconut sugar 1 tsp (optional)
• Water

Method
Add Ragi flour, a little water to a saucepan and heat on a stove while stirring. After it forms a uniform paste, add more water to make it into a porridge consistency. Add seeds, raisins and coconut sugar, and heat for three to four minutes. Serve warm.

Ragi Idli

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1/2 cup urad dal
• 1/4 cup ragi
• 1 tsp methi seeds
• Rock Salt to taste

Method

• Soak brown rice, urad dal, ragi and methi seeds overnight. Add a required amount of water, grind into a fine paste and keep aside. Ferment for atleast six hours. Add rock salt to taste.
• Grease idli plates and pour batter into them. Steam them for 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove idlis and serve hot with chutney, chutney powder and sambhar.

— Recipes courtesy Namu Kini, co-founder and CEO of an organic food company, is a mom and triathlete based in Bengaluru.