R Is For…. Ragi Dosa, The Husband’s Way

I never even tasted finger millet aka ragi before I got married, as astonishing as this fact sounds to me today. Growing up in Ahmedabad, ragi just wasn’t very common, and we never spotted any bags of it on the shelves of departmental stores. Even if we had, I doubt I would have loved the grain then, as much as I do now. I believe ragi is something that needs to be cooked just the right way, for one to fall in love with it, and that is something that my family and I were clueless about then.

Post marriage, I was introduced to ragi in all its myriad forms – rotis, dosas, mudde, cakes, and what not. Of course, considering that ragi is staple food in Karnataka. The husband would make a mean ragi dosa some nights for dinner, and that is how my love affair with the grain started. I began experimenting with the grain – and the flour – more and more, slowly realising just how good it is for the body. Now, ragi is a staple in our home kitchen, a regular addition to our grocery list.

Today, I am going to tell you about the husband’s style of making ragi dosa, something that I love to bits. Please keep in mind that there are scores of ways of making this dosa, and this is just one way to do so. This is my favourite way, though, so I really hope you will try this out.

Ingredients (yields about 8 dosas):

1. 1 cup ragi flour (Sometimes, I sprout the grains myself and then get them ground in a flour mill; sometimes, I buy the flour ready-made)
2. Salt, to taste
3. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4. 1 tablespoon oil + oil to make the dosas
5. 1 green chilly, chopped very, very finely
6. 1/2 cup curd (sour curd is better)
7. 5-6 curry leaves
8. A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
9. 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera)
10. 1 ladle of regular dosa batter OR about 1/4 cup of rice flour
11. 1 small onion, finely chopped

Method:

1. Take the ragi flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt to taste, curry leaves (torn), finely chopped green chillies, cumin, regular dosa batter OR rice flour (whichever of these you are using), asafoetida and curd.
2. Heat the 1 tablespoon oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds, and let them pop. Add this tadka to the ragi flour in the mixing bowl.
3. Mix well, adding a little water at a time, till the batter reaches a consistency that is neither too runny nor too solid. Let the batter rest for about 10 minutes.
4. Heat a dosa tava till drops of water dance on it. Then, turn the flame to medium, pour a ladleful of the ragi dosa batter in the centre of the tava, spread it out, spread a teaspoon of oil around it, and sprinkle some of the finely chopped onion on top of the dosa. Cover the dosa with a plate, without disturbing it. Let it cook for about a minute, and then uncover and flip the dosa over. Cook on the other side for a minute. Transfer the dosa to a serving plate.
5. Make dosas out of all the batter in a similar fashion.
6. Serve hot, with chutney of your choice, though these dosas do not really need any accompaniment.

Simple, quick and healthy, right?

Do you like ragi dosas? Do you make them at home? What is your special technique?

Notes:

1. This recipe is my entry for the letter R, for the Alphabet Cooking Challenge.
2. This is one of the recipes that I promised to give you guys a long, long time back. Better late than never, eh? 🙂

 

Advertisement