Ragi flour / Finger millet flour idiyappam / Ragi Sevvai upma

 

 

Idiyappam/idyiappa/ nool-puttu or string hoppers is a  South Indian dish mostly had for breakfast. Some even prefer it for dinner. This is mainly prepared from rice flour though ragi variant is gathering steam now-a-days . 

 

Since,this is bland; spicy veg/non-veg gravy,kurma or vegetable stew is had as an accompaniment. I was too lethargic to prepare side dish for idiyappam,hence I tore the same into small pieces  and tossed it over a simple seasoning and relished it as ragi sevvai upma. 

Ragi Idiyappam

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS FOR IDIYAPPAM

RAGI FLOUR- 1 CUP

WATER- 2 CUP

SALT- ACCORDING TO TASTE

OIL- FOR GREASING

 

FOR THE SEASONING

 

SESAME OIL- 4 TSP

 

MUSTARD- 1 TSP

 

CUMIN SEEDS-1 TSP

 

SPLIT URAD DAL-1 TSP

 

CURRY LEAVES- 1 SPRIG

 

GREEN CHILLIES- 3 NOS

 

COCONUT GRATINGS- 1 TBSP

 

 

 

 

PROCEDURE

 

1. Dry roast ragi flour till nice aroma of the flour emanates. Take care not to burn the flour.Switch off the stove and transfer it to  another container.

2. In a pan boil two cups of water with a teaspoon of oil and salt and switch off.

3. Slowly add the boiling water to the roasted flour and blend well till the flour absorbs all the water.        This process should be done with the stove switched off.

4. After cooling,transfer the boiled flour to the muruku maker. Grease the idli plates with oil and slowly         press the muruku maker/mold and squeeze it to spiral shapes on the greased plates.

5. Fill the idli pan with water and steam the contents for 10 minutes and switch off. Steam without the         pressure regulator.

6.  Allow it to cool for some time. If you love to have it as idiyappam,then you can enjoy it with any         kind of side dish.

7. If you want to savour it as sevai upma,then prepare the seasoning and toss the torn pieces over it and serve.

 

8. To prepare the seasoning; add sesame oil in a pan.when it is hot add mustard.when it starts to     splutter,add split urad dal,cumin seeds,curry leaves,chopped onions,salt and fry till the onions        translucent. Add green chillies,torn idiyappam pieces,coconut gratings and mix well and serve.

                   

Ragi sevvai upma

Ambode : Karnataka style vade / vadai

 

 

Ambode : is a Karnataka style crispy deep fried snack. It is akin to the masala vadai prepared in the Tamilnadu sans garlic,fennel seeds and mint leaves. This vade is an integral part of wedding,feast and festival menu. During religious rituals,this vade is prepared without onions. My mom is an adept in preparing perfect,crispy ambodes. This is the first time,I tried this snack. My maiden attempt in Ambode turned out to be quite successful.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

GRAM DAL- 1 CUP

TOOR DAL- 1 TBSP

GINGER- 1 INCH

CUMIN SEEDS- 1 TSP

RED CHILLIES- 3 NOS

GREEN CHILLIES- 2 NOS

ONION- 2 NOS

 

CHOPPED CORIANDER LEAVES- 2 TBSP

 

CURRY LEAVES- 1 SPRIG

 

SALT TO TASTE

 

 

PROCEDURE

Soak gram dal,toor dal for 2 hours separately.

Retain a tbsp of soak gram dal for mixing. Drain the water from the lentils thoroughly. Now in a mixer jar,take both the lentils,ginger,red chillies,raw coriander seeds,cumin seeds to a coarse paste.

Transfer the ground contents to a wide bowl and chopped onions,salt,chopped coriander leaves,curry leaves and the retained lentils and mix well.

Take a plastic sheet and grease some oil. Now flatten the mixture on the sheet.

 

Heat oil in a pan. When it is hot enough,slide the flattened dough one by one gently in the oil. Fry on both sides till it turns crisp with golden brown hue.

NOTE :

 

The purpose of retaining a handful of soaked lentil, is for imparting crispy texture.

While grinding lentils,make sure that there is no water. You can add a 2 tsp for if your blender gets stuck. Because the thicker the batter,the crispier the ambodes.

If you aren't adding onions,then add asafoetida for the flavour.

Temperature of oil is of paramount importance for getting crispy,crunchy texture . Hence,always maintain medium flame while frying a y kind of snack.

If the ground mixture turns soggy,then you can either add gram flour or rice flour for binding.

RAGI MOR KALI

 

 

Mor kali is an authentic dish from the Tamil Brahmin cuisine. Kali translates to porridge in Tamil. This dish,is mainly had for breakfast. The other variant of this kali is prepared with rice flour. I find this millet version to be more flavorsome and healthy too. Of-late I have seen this kali,prepared from other millet flours. Sour buttermilk is the key ingredient in this dish and mor is the Tamil word for buttermilk. On cooling,this porridge thickens in consistency and it can be cut into squares. Mor milagai too is a vital seasoning ingredient. Mor milagai is sun-dried green chillies. This chilli lends a nice,unique aroma. But I was running out of the same hence substituted it with red chillies 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

RAGI FLOUR- 1 CUP

 

SOUR BUTTERMILK- 2 CUPS

 

WATER- 2 CUPS

 

SALT TO TASTE

 

ASAFOETIDA- 3/4 TSP

 

 

FOR TEMPERING

 

SESAME OIL- 1 TBSP

 

CURRY LEAVES-1 SPRIG

 

RED CHILLIES- 3 NOS

 

MUSTARD- 1 TSP 

PROCEDURE

In a wide bowl,take ragi flour,sour buttermilk,salt,water,asafoetida and whisk to a smooth mixture and keep it aside.

Heat sesame oil in a pan. When it is hot enough,add mustard seeds. When it splutters,add curry leaves,broken chillies and fry.

Lower the flame and transfer the ragi flour mixture and keep stirring in mild heat.

At one point,the mixture begins to thicken and leaves the sides of the pan. The colour of the flour changes to dark brown.

At this stage,switch off the stove.

Grease a plate with oil and transfer the cooked flour. Allow it to rest for twenty minutes.

Cut the kali to squares and serve.

 

DAL TADKA : PUNJABI STYLE

 

 

There  are varied methods of preparing dal- tadka. I stumbled upon this Punjabi style dal tadka in one popular websites. I followed the recipe to the T and result was amazing. This dish is a versatile accompaniment as it goes well with idli,dosa,puri,chapati,phulka,paratha and rice too.

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

GRAM DAL- 1 CUP

TOOR DAL- 1 CUP

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/2 TSP

OIL- 1 TBSP

ONION- 2 NOS

TOMATO- 2 NOS

GREEN CHILLIES-1

GINGER GARLIC PASTE- 1 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 1 TSP

KASOORI METHI- 1 TSP

GARAM MASALA- 3/4 TSP

CORIANDER POWDER- 1 T

 

SALT TO TASTE

FOR SEASONING (Tadka)

OIL- 2 TSP

MINCED GARLIC- 1 TSP

MINCED GINGER- 1 TSP

RED CHILLI POWDER- 1 TSP

PROCEDURE

Soak both the lentils for 2 hours and then steam the soaked lentils for 8-9 whistles to get mushy consistency.

Heat oil in a pan and crackle cumin seeds. Add chopped onions,salt and fry till the onions turn translucent. Now add in the ginger garlic paste,chopped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes turn mushy.

Now add garam masala powder,coriander powder and fry till the raw smell of the powder evades. Add kasoori methi and fry for a minute and switch off

Transfer the cooked lentils over the sauteed ingredients and simmer in mild heat for a couple of minutes and switch off.

Prepare the seasoning and add to lentil mixture and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.