Ragi Keerai Adai

Finger Millet + greens savory pancakes

Prep time : 20 min              Cooking time: 7-8 min for each              Serves: 4

  Most of Indian staple carb food is starch-loaded and rich in calories and little else. But not millets. Called coarse grains, they provide a host of other benefits apart from being a source of starch. To quote from various sources on the net,

1. The bran layers of millets are good sources of B-complex vitamins (especially niacin, B₆ and folic acid)

2. They are rich in iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc and phosporus

2. They have a high fibre content

3. They are gluten-free

4. They are very versatile and can be made into a variety of indian foods like dosa, vermicelli, kanji, malt, ragi balls, roti, etc

5. Since they are quite filling, they help control intake and in turn, help in diet control. So it is recommended for diabetics as well.

6. They are quite cheap and abundantly available in India (which is the highest producer of millets in the world)

And to canvas a little more, ragi (called finger millet) has the highest calcium content and lowest fat content among all grains. You would have surely come across this grain in the markets:

So try replacing rice or wheat based meals with millet based (can be jowar, bajra, ragi, etc whichever is easily available in your region) as often as you can.. That too, not using store-bought biscuits and cakes made out of the refined flours of these millets. Try using whole grain flour directly to make some very tasty dishes.. Like the adai here which has added nourishment from greens as well. Don't get put off by the colour of the adai.. I can vouch that once you try it, you are going to make it often :) Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

Ragi flour - 2 cups (around 250gm)

Rice flour - 1/4 cup OR dosa batter - 1/4 cup (I prefer the latter)

Greens of your choice - 1 cup (after cleaning, washing and finely chopping) - murungai keerai(drumstick leaves) are my favorite

Onion - 2 medium, finely chopped

Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch, finely chopped

Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 2-3 tbsp

Method:

Heat 1-2 tbsp oil in a kadai and add the onion. Saute till it becomes transparent. Add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Add the chopped greens and coriander leaves and mix well. Let cook for 3-4 minutes. Dont add water. You could close the kadai with a lid for a couple of minutes to let the greens cook faster but open stir fry gives the best flavours and the onion remains crunchy too this way.. Put off the flame and let this mixture cool. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix ragi flour and the dosa batter (or rice flour) with required amount of salt and water to form a batter of slightly thicker consistency than for dosa. Mix the cooled greens mixture into the batter thoroughly. The batter will look like this:

 Heat a dosa tawa/griddle and maintain flame in medium high. Pour a ladleful of batter and spread slightly. Drizzle with oil and cover with a lid. This adai needs a little more time to cook than normal adais. Once the colour of the entire top surface changes uniformly, flip it over and let cook well for 3-4 minutes. Serve hot with milagai podi/idli podi or a chutney of your choice. It can even be eaten as it is without any sides. This makes a good, filling breakfast.