Thumbs up to ragi, the unsung millet

Finger millet, popularly known as ragi in most parts of India, is considered one of the functional millets and a staple food. It is often used as an early baby food as well as for the elderly as it is easy to digest.

In addition to macronutrients like , protein and fibres, ragi is packed with micronutrients calcium, magnesium, methionine, lysine and amino acids.

Sakshi Gandhi, a nutritionist from Universal Diet Academy & Clinic, Mohali, Punjab, lists the many benefits of ragi.

• It keeps the satiety or the feeling of fullness for a long time
• help with weight loss as it has an essential amino acid called tryptophan which reduces appetite and gives a feeling of fullness for a long time)
• maintains blood sugar levels, which is beneficial for diabetics
• It is gluten-free: it can be useful for those with gluten intolerance
• It has low fat and is rich in unsaturated fat
• It is a good source of calcium, which improves bone health
• Sprouted ragi l fulfils Vitamin B12 needs
• It keeps the body warm and is regarded as a winter food
• It is helpful in constipation (as it is rich in fibres)

Does ragi suit all?

Who should avoid ragi or seek medical advice before including it in their diet? Here is a check list.

• Those with kidney issues like kidney stones, acute kidney failure, or those undergoing dialysis
• Those with hyperkalemia or increased levels of serum potassium, as ragi is high in potassium

Ragi is also not recommended for dinner as it takes a long time to digest.

Here are three tasty and nutritious recipes with ragi provided by Jayashree T Rao,  food blogger and recipe developer from Ballari, Karnataka

1. The breakfast: Quick ragi idli

The regular South Indian idli is a fermented cake (or dumpling)

made with a batter of rice and black gram. Here is a quick variation of an idli.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of finger millet flour
• 1 cup semolina (i.e., sooji/ rava)
• 1 cup sour curd
• fresh coriander (finely chopped)
• salt (as per taste)
• water as required
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• OPTIONAL: 1 carrot, washed, peeled and grated
• 1 onion, chopped fine

The preparation

For the batter

• Take ragi flour and semolina in a wide bowl
• Add salt and curd to it, mix well to a smooth, `dropping’ consistency, and keep the batter aside for at least half an hour
• Prepare a seasoning: crackle some mustard seeds in hot oil; add cumin seeds, cashew pieces, a few pieces of red/dry chilis and a few curry leaves
• When the seasoning cools, add it to the ragi-semolina batter
• Optionally, add the cut vegetables and chopped coriander
• Mix some water to adjust the consistency

For making  idlis

• Heat water in an idli steamer as recommended and put it on a low flame.
• Add and stir in baking soda to the batter (this is normally done just before cooking); and pour the batter into the idli plates/moulds.
• Steam the plates for 15 minutes on a moderate flame followed by five minutes of cooking on a low flame.
• Check to see if the idlis are done; Turn the stove off.
• Let the idlis cool in the moulds for 5 minutes; carefully ease the idlis out of the moulds.

Rao mentions some pointers to keep in mind:

• The curd should be sour
• Soon after adding baking soda, put the batter in the mould and keep it to steam

2. The dessert: Ragi halubai/Finger millet fudge

Ingredients

• 1cup ragi, whole grains
• 1cup jaggery
• 1cup fresh coconut, grated
• 2tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
• 5cups water
• 1/2teaspoon cardamom powder
• Cashews for the topping

Method of preparation

• Soak ragi for five hours
• Drain the water and grind ragi and grated coconut fine, occasionally adding a little water
• Strain this liquid through a sieve to get clear `milk’
• Grind the residue again with some water and strain it further
• Make jaggery syrup by adding a cup of water to jaggery in a pan and cook it on low flame
• Let it cool. Strain the jaggery syrup to remove any
• Heat the jaggery syrup and the clear extract of ragi  on a low flame
• Add some ghee to it and keep stirring continuously
• Add cardamom powder once it becomes a thick mass, without sticking to the pan). Mix it well and allow it to cool for  five minutes.
• Grease a plate with ghee. Spread the cooked ragi fudge on the  and let it
• Cut it into small squares, garnish them with roasted cashews

Note:  Pick and clean the ragi grains well before use. Wash it multiple times with water.

3. The crisp savoury: Ragi chakli / chakkuli

Ingredients

• 1 cup ragi flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/4 cup roasted gram flour
• 1 tablespoon hot oil
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon sesame seed
• Salt to taste
• Water as required for mixing
• Oil for frying

Preparation

• In a bowl, take ragi flour, rice flour, gram flour, chilli powder, sesame seeds, salt and mix well.
• Add butter to this and mix it well into the flours with fingers. Make a pliable dough with a little water. The dough should neither be too hard nor too soft
• Heat oil in a frying pan
• Grease inside a chakli mould and put some dough and press it to make roundels or chaklis
• They can be pressed directly into the oil, or made on butter paper and gently slid into the oil
• Deep-fry the chaklis to golden brown colour uniformly on both the sides. Use tissue papers to drain excess oil. Store the cooled chaklis