Ragi Roti
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Ragi (aka. finger millet and nachani), which is known to be rich in nutrients and beneficial to Diabetics, is best enjoyed as Ragi Roti. Ragi roti’s soft and crisp texture combined with taste and flavor of curry leaves, coriander leaves and onion makes it one of tastiest healthy breakfast recipes you can ever have. Its preparation is also simple; first dough is prepared by mixing ragi flour with green chilies, curry leaves, coriander leaves and onion, and then rotis prepared from dough are shallow fried until crisp. Unlike traditional Indian roti and paratha recipes, ragi roti recipe requires patting down dough ball into thin layer instead of rolling it out with rolling pin, which gives it a unique texture. This Ragi Roti Recipe explains this entire process with step by step photos and uses innovative Aluminum Foil technique that helps prevent sticking and makes entire process simple.
| Ingredients: |
| 1 cup Ragi Flour |
| 1 medium Onion, finely chopped |
| 1 Green Chili, finely chopped |
| 2-3 Curry Leaves, finely chopped |
| 3-4 tablespoons finely chopped Coriander Leaves |
| Oil, for shallow frying |
| Warm water, as needed |
| Salt to taste |
| Butter, for spreading |
Directions:
- Take ragi flour, finely chopped onion, finely chopped green chilli, finely chopped curry leaves, finely chopped coriander leaves and salt.
- Mix all ingredients well.
- Gradually add warm water to the mixture.
- Knead soft pliable dough (softer than chapati dough) while adding water as required. Cover it with a lid and keep aside for 15-20 minutes to settle. Divide dough into 3 equal portions.
- Take a square piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil or banana leaf or plastic sheet. Drizzle few drops of oil over it and spread it evenly. Place one dough ball over it.
- Grease your fingers with water and then pat the dough.
- Pat it as thinly as possible (keep it slightly thicker than roti or chapati). Make few holes as shown in photo. This allows steam to easily escape and makes roti crispy.
- You can also make the roti on parchment paper (as shown in the photo).
- Heat roti tawa or non-stick tawa over medium flame. Sprinkle few drops of water and wait for few seconds until it dries. Smear oil on the surface of tawa. (Do not forget to repeat this process before making each roti.) Transfer patted roti on to the surface of tawa by keeping parchment paper/foil upside. (If you are using a plastic sheet, take the roti on your palm, gently peel the plastic sheet and then transfer roti to tawa. Do not allow plastic to touch hot tawa.)
- Peel off the parchment paper gently.
- Spread 1-teaspoon oil around its edges and holes with the help of a spoon.
- Let it cook until bottom surface turns dark in color; it will take around 1½-minutes.
- Flip it over another side, spread the oil around its edge and cook for a minute or until it turns dark brown.
- Transfer to a serving plate and spread butter over it. Repeat steps 6 to 13 for remaining dough portions.
- Serve ragi roti with coconut chutney or pickle. It tastes best when served hot.
Tips and Variations:
- If it is hard to pat the dough, make dough little softer by adding water and kneading it again.
- Use only warm water for kneading the dough. Do not use cold or hot water.
- You can also pat the dough directly on tawa instead of patting it on parchment paper/aluminum foil. Place a portion of dough in the middle of tawa. Pat it gently with fingers and spread into as thin and round layer as possible. Immerse your fingers in a bowl of water in between the process. This prevents dough from sticking to your fingers.
- Flip the roti gently to prevent it from breaking.
- Add 1/3 cup grated carrot, 1/4 cup grated capsicum, or other preferred vegetables while mixing (in step-1) to make vegetable ragi roti.
Taste: Lightly spiced with soft and crisp texture.
Serving Ideas: Serve nutritious ragi roti with coconut chutney and ghee. It can be served with your choice curry or sambar for lunch or dinner.