Like most new Moms, I was looking for different foods to feed my baby beyond the basic rice cereal and apple puree. A good deal of searching on the internet, and I cam across something called ragi flour. I had never heard of it before; I don't think anyone in our family has used it ever! After reading about the health benefits of ragi, I was intrigued and wanted to try it for my son. Another internet search ensued, this time for recipes made with ragi flour!
That is how I bumped into this Ragi Idli recipe on chef Sanjeev Kapoor's site and thought it was worth a try! However, this is my first attempt at making ragi idlis, so I have tweaked the original recipe a little to suit my little one's taste!
If you'd like to know if your baby is ready for millets, check out this post.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Finger millet flour (Ragi Flour)
- 1/2 cup Split skinless black gram (dhuli urad dal)
- 1 cup Semolina(suji)
- Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 10-12 Curry leaves
- Salt to taste
- A pinch of Baking Soda
Method
1. Grind the black gram with a little water to a smooth paste. Add the semolina to the black gram paste and mix well.
2. Add the ragi flour to the semolina-black gram mixture and combine everything together. Cover the bowl and keep it in a warm place to ferment for 8 hours.
3. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add mustard seeds and wait till they splutter. Add curry leaves and saute for a few seconds.
4. Add this tempering to the fermented batter along with salt and baking soda and mix well.
5. Heat sufficient water in a steamer. Grease idli moulds with some oil. Pour a ladleful of batter in each mould, place in the steamer, cover and steam for 12-13 minutes.
6. Wait for the idlis to cool before removing them from their moulds.
These idlis are really easy to make, but they need to be planned ahead, since you need to consider the time required for fermentation. They're soft and yummy, and will go well with any dip of your choice. For a kiddie party, you can make regular idlis and ragi idlis in mini idli moulds and serve along side a variety of dips. These are perfect for breakfast, lunchboxes as well as an after school snack. Versatile and healthy - this is the perfect snack that keeps both Moms and kids happy!
Author
Kanika has a Masters in computer science and is now a stay at home mom to a cute little boy, Onish. She loves to cook and tries new and yummy recipes to get her fussy toddler to eat healthy.
Lots of Love,
