Ragi Idli/Dosai

Ingredients:

Whole Ragi Grain- 1 cup
(I sprouted these for added nutritional benefits. But it’s not strictly necessary)
Idli rice (parboiled) – 1 cup
Whole skinned Urad dal – ¾ cup
Methi seeds -1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Oil- to grease idli moulds (I used PAM oil spray)

Method:
1. After multiple washes, soak the Ragi for a day. Drain and let it rest for another day or two till you see tiny white sprouts.

2. Alternatively, you can skip the sprouting and just soak the ragi for 3-4 hours longer than you soak the rice.

3. Soak rice, whole urad and methi seeds in separate containers for 4-6 hours or overnight.

4. In a wet grinder or a mixie /blender, grind the urad dal till light and fluffy. A test for fluffiness is to keep a bowl of water and drop a tiny pinch of batter. If it floats, it is light enough.

5. Then add and grind the Ragi grains and Methi and finally the rice.

6. Take care that the rice should not be ground too smooth. It should be of rice Rava consistency. Alternatively, you can use rice Rava instead.

7. Take the batter in a vessel, fold in some salt to taste and leave it overnight to ferment. I found that the dough fermented really well, doubling up and overflowing the vessel. So take adequate precautions.

8. For Idli: Next morning, lightly stir the well-fermented batter. Grease Idli moulds and steam in a pressure cooker for 12-15 minutes till done.



9. For Dosai: You can make dosais with the same batter.

10. Ragi idlis/dosai can be served with a dollop of butter or ghee on top, along with the usual fixings on the side: sambar, chutney and/or Milagai Podi.