Ragi ball/ Ragi mudde

Ragi mudde/ Ragi ball – Karnataka special 

Ingredients: 

Finger millet/ Ragi flour – 1 1/4 cup 

Water – 2 glasses 

Wooden stick – 1 

Ghee - 3/4 tbsp

Instructions: 

       Take a large thick bottomed bowl with wide mouth. I am using a pressure cooker container. Pour 2 glasses of fresh water into it. Switch ON the flame. Mix a table spoon of finger millet/ragi flour into the water. Make sure that there are no lumps and let it boil. When the foam starts to build up on the surface, add ghee and stir well. 

       Lower the flame and add finger millet flour slowly into the boiling water. Keep stirring continuously until all the flour gets mixed into the water and binds well like a soft dough. Make sure that there are no lumps. Stirring continuously is a very important step to keep the dough soft and smooth. Also, ghee plays a vital role in not letting the mixture stick to the wooden stick or bowl, and, also enhancing the flavor of nutritious ragi ball. 

      Once the batter is mixed well, put the container on low flame and cover the lid. Let it cook for a minute or 2 until the steam starts to slowly build up. Switch OFF the flame. 

       Take a plate and slightly wet it with water. You may also use ghee at this stage but i prefer water. Remove the lid and dish out small portions of dough into the plate. Dip your fingers and palm in the water. This step is more or less like greasing to avoid the flour from sticking to the plate or your fingers. Since the dough is still hot or warm, dipping the fingers in water also helps to protect the skin from burning. Using your palm and finger tips, gently press the ragi dough over the plate from all sides to form a round ball. Follow the same process until all the dough is used up to make the ragi balls. Serve hot! Super quick and nutrient rich ragi ball is ready within minutes. 

TIPS:

TIP 1: This dish has to be served hot. If it gets cold, it will get harder to swallow and kids especially would make fun experimenting to play with it like a ball than eat :).

TIP 2: Always make sure that the dough is soft and smooth. If it gets harder, do not worry. Add some warm water and mix well to form a soft dough. As told in tip 1, thick and tough dough will get more harder when they get colder. Always serve hot.  

TIP 3: To avoid the issues mentioned in tips 1 and 2, you may use some broken rice or fresh cooked rice to make a soft dough. The ragi balls made from this method are much better even when they get colder. This type of cooking is mostly common in Andhra Pradesh. 

TIP 4: How to eat ragi ball? To avoid the dough from sticking to your fingers, always dip your fingers in the curry, gravy or ghee before you pinch small portion of dough for consumption. Dip this dough in the gravy completely covering all sides. Put it in your mouth, taste it and swallow it.

        Isn’t it fun to experiment with food? YES, Indeed :). You can finish eating it in a short time span as the chewing process is brought down, unless there are chunks of veggies. It also keeps you full most of the time thus avoiding any cheat pockets for junk food.  

        This is a staple food for many South Indians which keeps them fit and strong. It is generally served with lentil curry and some stir fried veggies. It goes very well with nati koli saru (slow grown chicken gravy).

NOTE: Finger millets are excellent source of natural calcium which helps in strengthening bones for growing children and aging people. Regular consumption of finger millet is good for bone health and keeps diseases such as osteoporosis at bay.

        Infact, doctors advice to start feeding infants with ragi malt starting at the age of 6 months. My twin daughters started growing well as soon as they were introduced to solid food and majority portion of their diet was ragi malt and mashed fresh fruits during infancy. You may also refer to my other videos on how to make ragi malt. Enjoy with family and friends. Do share your experiences to serve you better.