Category Archives: Millet recipes

Breakfast time, Desserts, Millet recipes, Snacks

Ragi Ela Ada | Steamed Finger Millet snack | Vegan, Gluten free and Oil free

May 8, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

Click on the image to save the recipe on Pinterest

Kids’ schools have started after Eid holidays and days have started flying again. Waking up early, preparing their snack boxes, sending them to school, morning walk, cleaning the house, relaxing till they come back and after that hearing about their day at school, teaching them, walking again in the evening while they play outside, finally preparing for their next day at school and putting them to sleep.

Days are super busy but I would not want it any other way. I have realized being busy is actually great than sitting idle and overthinking. So it’s a blessing in disguise for me. ❤️

In midst of this, is cooking which I love and which brings me happiness. I listen to bhajans and songs while cooking which makes it so peaceful. Music is truly therapeutic. ❤️

Apart from breakfast, lunch and dinner, there is one meal of the day which is most difficult for me – Snack time. Finding a quick, healthy and tasty snack which the kids also love is very hard. So when I tried this Ragi ada inspired by my Kochi memories of the regular ada and it came out so well that we all loved it, I knew I had to share it with all of you too. ❤️

I don’t know why some people think Ragi is bitter. Ragi is such a tasty millet and I use it regularly in my cooking. It is tasty and very healthy too. Have shared all the recipes that I make using Ragi in the notes section towards the end. Do try and I think if you follow the recipe well, adapt it in your cooking, in few days, you will love Ragi too, just like we do. ❤️

Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { to make about 5 adas }

1 Cup = 240 ml

Banana leaves to make the ada

To make outer covering:

1 Cup Ragi flour ( finger millet powder)

Salt to taste

Approx 1 Cup hot water

To make inner filling:

3/4 Cup Jaggery

3/4 Cup freshly grated Coconut

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

Step by step recipe:

1. Dry roast Ragi flour ( do NOT add oil while roasting) on medium flame till you get an aroma of the flour and it changes colour to a darker tone.

Note: Even if you have roasted ragi flour with you, dry roast for few minutes as it enhances the flavour a lot.

2. Transfer it to a bowl. Add salt.

3. Now add hot water, little by little. Mix as you add water.

4. As you add hot water, little by little, after mixing, the dough will look like this. Do NOT add water after this.

5. Now the dough will be warm. Using hands, mix together to form a smooth and soft dough.

6. Now make the inner filling. Take coconut and jaggery in a pan. Heat it together on medium flame till the jaggery melts and coconut will stick to jaggery. Remove from flame. Add Cardamom powder. Mix well.

7. Now cut the banana leaf into rectangle pieces as shown. Clean it with water and wipe it dry.

Also divide the ragi dough into equal sized balls. If you have taken 1 Cup (240 ml) of Ragi flour, you will get 5 balls.

8. Take a ball of ragi dough and spread it using slightly wet fingers as thin as possible.

9. Take a spoonful of the filling and place it on one half side. Spread it on the half side using spoon as shown in the image below.

10. Fold the banana leaf while closing both the halves as shown.

11. Seal the edges of the dough using fingers so that the filling does not come out.

12. Repeat the same with the rest of the dough balls. Place it on a idli steamer.

13. Steam for 20 to 25 mins on high flame till the ada cooks thoroughly. Remove from flame. Allow it to cool for 5 mins.

14. Now peel off the banana leaf, discard it and enjoy the warm Ragi ela adas. 😍

Just look at the inside of the ada. Sweet, juicy and so delicious 😍

Notes:

* As you can see from the above picture, the ada is of the right thickness and also steamed fully. This is due to spreading the dough thin over the banana leaf and also steaming for atleast 20 mins.

* Even if you have roasted ragi flour with you, dry roast for few minutes to get perfect aromatic ragi adas.

* Do use only hot water while preparing the dough. It took me around 1 Cup hot water for 1 Cup Ragi flour. Add only 1/4 Cup at a time and mix well till you get the dough as in step number 4. Then mix using hands to form a smooth dough.

* Don’t add a lot of water while making dough. It will be difficult to spread if dough is too soft.

* For 1 Cup Ragi flour, 3/4 Cup coconut and 3/4 Cup jaggery made the right filling for me. If you add a lot of filling, it will be difficult to seal the edges. So add only a spoonful to cover half of the ada.

* I have not made this without banana leaves. So can’t say the alternative to it. Spreading the dough on the leaf is easy and the ada turns aromatic too. So try to get the leaves if you can.

* These adas are best eaten soon after they are steamed but tastes yummy even after few hours too. So you can carry it in tiffin box and during travel too.

* A similar recipe with coconut jaggery filling is this Kerala style Nendrapazham nirachathu or stuffed Nendran Bananas..

Nendrapazham nirachathu

* I make many dishes using Ragi flour. You can check the recipes here:

Instant Ragi Rava dosa

Ragi Set Dosas

Instant Ragi Idlis

Ragi Urad Idlis

Ragi Malpuas/ Ragi Pancakes

Ragi Jaggery Ladoos

Ragi Butter cookies

Eggless Ragi Chocolate Cake

Dosa corner, Millet recipes

Instant Ragi Rava Dosa | Quick finger millet dosa

April 16, 2023 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 6 Comments

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Of all the millets, Ragi has been my favorite and I make so many dishes with it like dosas, idlis, ladoos, cookies and even a cake. But I had not tried a Rava dosa with it, partially because I am scared of such thin dosas which is tricky to get right.

But few months back, I had this sudden mood in the morning to try it for breakfast and imagine my happiness when it came out so perfectly. Hardly took me about 10 mins to make the batter and within 20 mins, our breakfast was ready. 😍

So now, whenever I have not soaked for regular dosas, ragi rava dosas are our breakfast. It has truly become a favorite ❤️ Not only is it filling but very tasty too specially due to the addition of onions, green chillies and coriander leaves in it.

Hope you all try and love it too. I have added all the tips and tricks to get it perfectly. If you still have doubts, you can comment below or message me on my Facebook or Instagram handle – ” Healthy cooking with Mitha ” and I will help. ❤️

Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes about 10 dosas }

1 Cup = 240 ml

1 Cup Ragi powder / finger millet powder

1/2 Cup Rava/ Sooji

1/4 Cup Rice powder

2.5 to 3 Cups Water ( to make thin batter )

1 medium sized Onion

3 Green chillies

3 Tbsp Coriander leaves

1 tsp Jeera or Cumin seeds

Salt to taste

Ghee or oil to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Take 1 Cup Ragi powder, 1/2 Cup Rava and 1/4 Cup Rice powder in a mixing bowl.

2. Now add salt and 2.5 cups water, mixing well with a whisk to form a lump free batter.

3. When the above batter is ready, start chopping onions, green chillies and coriander leaves. Thus the batter gets few minutes of rest too.

Now, add finely chopped onions, green chillies, coriander leaves and cumin seeds/ jeera to the batter. Mix well. Batter ready!

You can make dosas instantly with this batter. No need to ferment the batter.

4. Heat a flat dosa pan till it becomes really hot. Pour a ladle full of dosa batter over it such that it fills the pan.

Just as an example, I have taken two pictures to show how the batter should look in the pan for perfect Ragi Rava Dosa.

If batter is thick and needs more water : The dosa will be thick with less holes and will seem uncooked on the surface.

Not a perfect dosa.. needs more water in the batter.

If your dosa looks like the above one, add about 1/4 to 1/2 Cup water each time till the batter turns perfect.

Once the batter is of perfect consistency, the dosas will turn thin with full of holes like this.

5. Cover and cook on medium to high flame. Add ghee or oil on the sides of the dosa. After a while, the dosa will cook and the thin portions of the dosa will turn brown and crisp.

6. Remove it slowly using the spatula over the edges and then folding it. Repeat the same with the rest of the batter. Serve hot with a chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* I usually serve this dosa with either Amma’s tomato chutney as I have served in the above picture or Hing chutney. Both taste amazing with these dosas.

* For Hing chutney, grind together 1 Cup of Coconut with 3 to 4 Red chillies, 1 tsp Tamarind, 1/4 tsp Hing, salt to taste and little water to a smooth paste. I don’t season it. You can season it with mustard seeds and curry leaves fried in coconut oil.

* Please take care of the ratio of Ragi powder to sooji to rice powder for perfect dosas.

* Also, the batter should not be thick and should be thin to get perfect dosas with holes in it. I have explained it with pictures above. You can read it.

* It took me close to 3 Cups of water to get the right texture of the dosas. It might take you few attempts to perfect these dosas.

* This dosa batter does not need fermentation. You can make dosas instantly.

* They come out well in non stick pans. If using cast iron pans, see that it’s seasoned well..else the dosa can stick to the pan.

* You can also add peppercorns and curry leaves to the batter.

* I refrigerate the batter if leftover and it does not change the texture of the dosas. Just adjust the water quantity in case the batter gets thicker on refrigeration.

* One more similar kind of thin dosa that I make is our own Konkani style Panpolos or Neeru dose. It is with rice and tastes so delicious.

* Other recipes with Ragi that I make always:

* Ragi Set dosas

* Ragi Urad idlis

* Instant Ragi Idlis

* Ragi butter cookies

* Ragi Chocolate Cake

* Ragi Malpuas

* Ragi Jaggery ladoos

* You can check all my ‘No rice dosa recipes’ including dosas with millets here –

No Rice dosa recipes Compilation

Dosa corner, Millet recipes

Kodo Millet Dosa | Soft and tasty Millet Dosa recipe

December 28, 2022 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 2 Comments

Dosa is our favorite breakfast and when we are spoilt for choices, how can one resist making it almost everyday. 😅 We Konkanis are famous for our unique yet delicious dosas and it makes me so happy to add yet another dosa, 34th variety on the blog. You can check all the recipes here – Dosa Corner.

I started making Millet dosas few years back and we loved the flavour very much. Combine it with your favorite chutney and you have a healthy, filling breakfast ready. ❤️

However, I have noted that Millet dosas are best had hot and can’t be packed in tiffin boxes as the texture changes. Also, it tastes the best when cooked in ghee instead of oil.

Kodo Millet is a lesser known millet variety but dosas made it with tastes really delicious, trust me on this. Once you start making it, you are sure to make it again and again..

Hope you all try and like it. Happy and healthy cooking ❤️

RECIPE: { Makes about 15 dosas }

Kodo millet is also known as Kodra (Hindi), Varagu (Tamil), Arikelu (Telugu), Harka (Kannada), Koovaragu (Malayalam)

Ingredients: { 1 Cup = 240 ml }

1/2 Cup Urad dal

2 Cups Kodo Millet

2 tsp Methi/ Fenugreek seeds

Salt to taste

Ghee to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash well and soak Urad dal, Kodo millet and methi seeds in separate bowls in atleast double the water for 4 hours.

2. Now discard the soaked water from Urad dal and grind it with methi (along with soaked water) till it turns into a smooth batter adding water little by little as required. Pour into a large vessel. Add drained Kodo millet into the mixer.

3. Grind the millet with little water to a smooth paste. Pour into the same bowl. Add salt and mix well with hands.

4. Keep in a warm place for 8 to 10 hours for the batter to ferment.

5. Make dosas either thick or thin. My kids like it thick while we like it thin. For making it thick , just pour a ladle of dosa batter and don’t spread much. For making thin, spread the batter over the pan. Add ghee and cook till the surface cooks. Flip and cook for thick dosas.

6. Repeat the same with the rest of the batter. Serve with a chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* You can refrigerate the leftover batter to make dosas later.

* I used Kodo Millet from Manna brand.

* Don’t discard the soaked methi water while grinding the batter. It is important to get a soft porous texture of the dosas.

* These dosas are best cooked in ghee and eaten hot.

* We love the dosas when made thin but kids like it thick. So make and see how your family prefers it.

* I served it with Hing Chutney. Grind coconut with red chillies, hing, tamarind paste, salt and little water to a smooth paste.

* You can check all my Millet recipes here –

Millet Recipes Collection

* You can all my “No rice” Dosa recipes here –

No Rice Dosa recipes Compilation

* You can check all my dosa recipes here –

Dosa Corner

Idli Stand, Millet recipes

Jowar Idlis | Idlis with Urad dal and Jowar flour

September 21, 2021 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 4 Comments

Had been wanting to add this recipe on the blog since long and so glad I am finally writing this today. As mentioned in my last couple of blogs, my daughter’s school has started. So after sending her in the morning and finishing breakfast for the rest of us, I get some free time to do what I love to do. ❤️

So I have been making some fun reels on Instagram combining my kids’ videos and pictures with my favorite songs in the background. Love how they come out. ❤️ You can check them in my Insta handle @healthycookingwithmitha if you want. Some cute memories from my life. 😍

After my daughter comes in the afternoon, I get busy with feeding her, helping her with her homework and also taking tuitions for a boy who comes for an hour every evening. Love teaching the boy and I am learning so much new from the current syllabus too. Post that follows my outdoor walks and playtime with the kids which refreshes me a lot. Early dinner and a good 8 hours sleep too which gives the required rest to my body. This is how my day passes nowadays and enjoying it a lot. ❤️

Coming back from my life to these idlis 😀, after Ragi flour, Jowar flour has been accepted well by my kids and these idlis are what I make regularly for them. They turn out super soft, really tasty and are very nutritious as well. Hope you all try and love it. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes about 20 idlis }

1 Cup Urad dal ( I use split ones )

2 Cups Jowar flour/ Sorghum flour

About 1 Cup water to make the batter

Salt to taste

Step by step recipe:

1. Soak 1 Cup Urad dal in enough water for about 4 hours. Drain the soaked water and grind using fresh water to a smooth paste. Add as little water as possible while grinding. Pour into a large preferably steel vessel.

2. Now add 2 Cups Jowar flour into the batter.

3. Now add about 1 Cup water and make a thick batter free from lumps. The amount of water to add depends on the consistency of the Urad dal batter. I make a very thick Urad batter. So it takes me 1 Cup water to bring the batter to thick consistency. Add salt, mix well with hands and keep aside covered for fermentation for atleast 8 hours.

4. After fermentation, pour the batter into greased idli moulds.

5. Steam for 20 mins or till a knife inserted in the center of the idli comes clear.

6. Serve hot with a chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* I make a simple ginger chutney with these idlis. Grind about 1 Cup Coconut with 3 green chillies, a small piece of ginger, a tsp of tamarind paste, salt and water to a smooth paste. Season mustard seeds and curry leaves in coconut oil and pour over the chutney. Mix well.

* The ratio of Urad to Jowar flour is perfect for me as I grind in mixie. For those of who grind in grinder, you may need a little bit more of the Jowar flour as in grinder, the Urad batter is more.

* An important tip while making these idlis is to NOT add much water both while grinding the Urad dal and also while mixing the Jowar flour. Add water to make a thick batter, thicker than dosa batter. If made a thin batter, the idlis don’t come out as fluffy but you can still make dosas from it.

* This batter can also be used to make dosas.

* I also make Jowar flour dosas. You can check the recipe here – Jowar flour dosas.

* These bhakris from Jowar flour also come out very tasty – Jowar Vegetable Bhakri

* For all Millet recipes – MILLET RECIPES

* For all Idli recipes – VARIETY IDLI RECIPES

Dosa corner, Millet recipes

Ragi Set Dosas | “No rice” soft dosas

April 10, 2021 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 7 Comments

When I had posted the Ragi Urad idli recipe, I had got many queries about if it can be made as dosas too. Though I do make dosas with that batter, there is a way I make my Ragi dosas which come out as soft as restaurant style set dosas and I thought it was high time I share it too.

If not for my readers who continually keep asking me queries and request for recipes, I will not be inspired to post them. Most of my day passes in household chores while juggling between two kids, one seeking my attention to draw for her ( my daughter 😬) while the other clinging to me like fevicol ( my son 😄). The only thing that keeps my sanity are these daily shlokas, bhajans and songs which I have made as playlists on youtube and keep them in the background whole day. They give me strength in my motherhood battles and otherwise too. Music is really my life. ❤️

So here is the most requested dosa by my readers. They come out very soft and my kids are huge fans of it. My daughter used to call it chocolate dosa as a toddler and even now, in spite of knowing it’s ragi, still calls it the same. 😃 Ragi is a very healthy millet and this is one of the best ways to include it in your diet. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes about 20 dosas }

3 Cups Ragi flour / Finger millet powder/ Nachni ka atta

1 Cup Urad dal (I use split ones)

1/2 Cup Poha/ flattened rice (thick or thin, white or brown)

Salt to taste

Ghee or oil to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Wash well and soak Urad dal for about 4 hours. Drain water completely. Add about 1 Cup water and 1/2 Cup poha (washed) and grind to a smooth paste. Add to a large preferably steel vessel.

2. Now take ragi flour in another bowl. Add water, 1 cup at a time and whisk well to remove lumps. It takes me 3 Cups water to 3 Cups Ragi flour for it to come to a thick batter.

3. Add this to the Urad dal batter. Add salt and mix well using hands. Cover and keep at room temperature for fermentation for 8 to 12 hours. Might take longer during winters.

4. Heat a dosa pan and pour a ladle of the batter on the center of the pan. No need to spread this dosa. Cover and cook one side first adding ghee or oil.

**Sorry for the dull picture. Kitchen lights** 😬

5. Flip and cook the other side too. Remove and repeat the same with the rest of the batter too.

Notes:

* You can store the rest of the batter in the refrigerator and use it the next day. The texture of the dosas are soft even the next day.

* You can use thick or thin Poha, brown or white poha, does not make any difference. It gives it the softness in the dosas.

* If due to any reason you can’t eat poha, just skip it and add 1 tsp Methi instead along with Urad dal. Grind it to smooth paste. It will give soft dosas too.

* For making idlis, you can check this Ragi Urad Idli recipe. Comes out very well.

* I served these dosas with Hing Chutney. Just grind 1 Cup Coconut with a pinch of Hing powder, 4 long red chillies, 1 tsp Tamarind paste, salt and water to a smooth paste. You can season the chutney using mustard seeds and curry leaves if needed.

Other Ragi dishes that I make regularly:

Instant Ragi Rava dosa

Instant Ragi Idlis

Ragi Urad Idli

Ragi Ela Ada – Steamed Ragi sweet snack

Ragi Butter cookies

Eggless Ragi Chocolate Cake

Ragi Malpuas

Ragi Jaggery ladoos

Idli Stand, Millet recipes

Barnyard Millet idli | No rice Idli recipe

April 5, 2021 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 2 Comments

What does breakfast mean to you? I am sure we have our own choices when it comes to breakfast dishes. For some, it may mean just to have a cup of tea or coffee with toast or a bowl of cornflakes with milk or even just fruits to start the day while for some it may be a typical Indian style breakfast (guess for who? 😬😆). I realized the importance of breakfast during our trip to Singapore and Thailand few years back.

The hotels we were staying had an amazing in-house restaurant serving “free” buffet breakfast (make my trip deals 😄) every morning of our stay. The first couple of days, I was super excited looking at the magnificent spread of assorted breads, freshly baked aromatic cinnamon buns and raisin rolls (fav fav ❤️❤️), croissants lathered with butter, tasty mashed potatoes with kidney beans, variety of fresh fruits and juices along with a live counter of the most delicious waffles. These were among the vegetarian options and I remember, I was more excited than my daughter to see the goodies. 😍😬

But that excitement lasted exactly for two days and after that, I started craving for my idli – dosa – chutney – poori – bhaji – upma – poha and that made me realize where my food roots belong too. For me, breakfast meant this and I could never survive on continental style of breakfast for long (unless it was the only option to stay alive of course 😂😂). We were lucky that both Singapore and Thailand had many Indian options available and we would have a second “proper breakfast” there daily. Some fun memories those are! 😄

Coming to today’s post, this is what my kind of breakfast looks like. Idlis made with Barnyard millet and Urad dal with coriander leaves chutney. Filling, healthy and so so delicious. Once we eat it, we get fueled up for the day and there are no snack pangs in between which is very necessary not only for weight loss but also to avoid junk food binge.

Click on the image to Pin the recipe on Pinterest.

I learned this combination from my dearest Vinaya Prabhu Akka who is an inspiration for me. Her site is a treasure trove of amazing vegetarian recipes and I am so happy to have tried this idli and chutney from her recipe collection. She is not only very talented but also encourages all of us so well that we are indebted to her for her love and support. ❤️❤️

The food group that we belong to, whose admin Vinayakka is, turns 1 and we are dedicating a day to her recipes. So this is my contribution, a tribute to her for being such a wonderful person and managing the group so well. We are one big family now and it’s all due to her. Hope you like my post, Akka. ❤️

These idlis come out so soft that you cannot say it does not have rice at all. My kids loved them so much that on their request, I made them on 2 consecutive days last week. Such is the flavour combo of this idli- chutney.

Do try them and you will surely love it. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

Thank you so much Vinaya Prabhu Akka for the recipe. 🙏

RECIPE:

Adapted from: Vinaya’s Culinary Delights

Ingredients: { Makes about 26 idlis }

1 Cup Urad dal (I used split ones)

1 1/2 Cups Barnyard Millet

Salt to taste

{ Barnyard Millet is called Varai in Konkani, Kuthiraivali in Tamil, Sanwa in Hindi and Kavadupullu in Malayalam }

Step by step recipe:

1. Soak Urad dal and Barnyard millet separately after washing them well for about 3 hours.

2. Now drain water from the Urad dal completely and grind with about 1 cup water to a smooth paste. Add drained Barnyard millet to it.

3. Grind to a slightly coarse paste. Add to a bowl along with salt. Keep for fermentation at room temperature for about 8 hours or overnight.

4. While making idlis, pour into greased idli moulds. Please note that the batter does not rise much like regular idli batter but idlis do come out soft. So don’t worry if the batter has not risen after fermentation.

5. Steam in idli steamer for 15 to 20 mins or till done. A knife inserted in the center of the idli should come out clear and free from wet batter.

6. Allow it to cool slightly and then remove from the moulds using a knife or back of a spoon. Serve with a chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* I served them with Roasted gram dal and coriander leaves chutney. Tastes amazing with this chutney.

* Do not grind the Barnyard millet smoothly. Just keep it slightly coarse to get perfect texture of the idlis.

* The fermented batter does not rise much. But don’t worry about it. The idlis will still be soft.

* The original recipe of idlis were made in grinder while I made in mixer. But still the ratio of Urad to Barnyard millet gave me very soft texture of idlis.

* I used Manna brand of Barnyard millet as it is readily available here in Qatar. For readers living here, I buy them from Lulu hypermarket or Grand hypermarket in Wakra.

Here is my Compilation of all my no rice dosa recipes.

Dosa corner, Millet recipes

Little millet dosa | No rice dosa

February 1, 2021 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 7 Comments

Just finished sending off my little girl to school (she has classes every alternate week) and before my son wakes up in a while, I thought of finishing off this blog. As soon as he wakes up, all he would want is to cuddle me and sit like that for an hour (Wish I could share a picture of that scene 😍) until he gets hungry, asking me to go make “bobbo” (dosa) for him. 😄 This tiny man of mine is such a loving one that I call him my “lover boy”. 😍 Seriously, the way he hugs me, holds me and kisses me, I feel so so loved. I realize how these moments matter in our lives and how kids can brighten our day by their sweet gestures. ❤️

Talking about gestures, as you can see from the picture of the dosa, my daughter is holding the plate. It was supposed to be my usual (boring 😁) kind of click until this girl saw her Amma clicking in the regular way and being the typical Aquarian (An unique sign ❤️) that she is, said, ” Amma, let me hold this and see, how many likes you will get for your blog!” 🤣🤣

She is a huge fan of vlogs and loves making videos herself. Looking at her interest at making videos, I wonder from where she has got this. I can’t imagine facing camera and dread taking even my pictures, let alone videos. 😂 But the confidence in which she presents herself, talking with so much enthusiasm, makes me feel proud of her. Atleast she is not camera shy like me and loves herself. Hope she can be a YouTuber like she wishes to be in future. ❤️

So here’s the little millet dosa presented by my soon to be 6 year old daughter. You can never say it is made of millets and tastes just really delicious. A great way to add the healthy millet in your diet. Hope you all try this. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { About 10 to 12 dosas }

1 1/2 Cups Little millet (Kutki/ Saamai)

1/2 Cup Urad dal (I use split ones)

1 tsp Fenugreek seeds (Methi)

Salt to taste

Ghee or oil to cook the dosas

Step by step recipe:

1. Soak Urad dal with Methi in a large bowl for about 4 hours. Also soak little millet in another bowl for 4 hours.

2. Now drain water from both completely. Grind Urad dal- Methi with about 3/4 Cup water to a smooth paste. Pour in a large vessel. Now add the soaked millet with about 1/4 Cup water in the mixer.

3. Grind the millet to a smooth paste too. Add this to the Urad dal dal paste. Add salt and mix well with hands.

4. Keep covered at room temperature for about 8 hours. Might take longer during winters. Always love to look at the well fermented batter in the morning. 😍

5. Now heat a dosa tawa and pour a ladle of dosa batter. Spread using behind the ladle like regular dosas. Add ghee or oil and cook till the dosas turn crisp.

6. Remove and serve with a chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* As can be seen from the picture, I have used Manna brand of Little millet which is readily available here, in Qatar. For readers’ from Qatar who ask me the source, I got them from Lulu hypermarket, Barwa City. Also available in Grand hypermarket, Wakra and all Lulu outlets.

* This dosa comes out crispy when cooked one side till the underside turns brown.

* Making this dosa with ghee adds such a wonderful flavour to this dosa.

* You can check all my Millet recipes in this Millet recipes Collection.

* You can also check my No rice Dosa recipes collection.

Desserts, Millet recipes

Ragi Jaggery Ladoos | Easy to make healthy ladoos

January 25, 2021 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 9 Comments

I can’t believe till some time back, I thought making ladoos were the most difficult among sweets. Now, if you give me 15 mins, I can make ladoos for you. 😄 That’s the change which practice has brought in me. Now I can understand the real meaning of “Practice makes a man perfect”. Though not perfect by looks (I am reaching there 😬), these ladoos come out looking like ladoos 😂 and tastes so delicious that my kids love it a lot. So I thought it was worth sharing with all of you.

Hope you all try these healthy and delicious ladoos. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: {Makes about 12 ladoos}

1 Cup Ragi or finger millet powder

3/4 Cup Jaggery powder

1/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp Ghee

2 Tbsp Raisins

Step by step recipe:

1. Heat 2 Tbsp Ghee in a pan and add 2 Tbsp Raisins. Fry till the raisins puff up. Remove to a bowl.

2. Now melt 1/4 Cup Ghee in the pan and add 1 Cup ragi flour. On medium flame, saute the flour in the ghee. Saute till the ghee and ragi flour combines well.

3. Now, keep sauteing on medium flame till the mixture comes together as shown below. It will take about 6 to 8 mins. The mixture turns aromatic and raw smell of the flour goes away.

4. Remove it in the bowl where we had put the raisins. Also add 3/4 Cup jaggery powder.

5. Mix well and allow it to cool slightly. When it still warm, bind to make ladoos. I am attaching some pictures that I took when making these ladoos. Hope it helps all of you.

**Keep it in your palm and open close your fingers. Keep doing it till it forms round shape.**

6. Repeat the same with the rest of the mixture. Enjoy the ladoos!

Notes:

* Store in a moisture free container at room temperature. Stays well for atleast 2 to 3 days. Mine gets finished off before that.

* Don’t reduce the amount of ghee or you won’t be able to bind the ladoos well.

* Add little ghee to the mixture and on your palms if you find it difficult to form ladoos.

* Do remember to saute the ragi flour well in the ghee so that there is no raw taste in the ladoos.

* You can add cardamom powder too if you like.

* Substitute ragi flour with wheat flour to make Churmundos or wheat flour ladoos. They come out delicious too.

* These ladoos are very soft when freshly made but turns hard as they cool down and tastes much better when kept for little while.

You can check all recipes with Ragi that I make regularly like Ragi idlis, Ragi dosas, Ragi cake, Ragi cookies, Ragi Malpua in this Ragi recipes collection.

Ragi Set Dosas

Instant Ragi Rava Dosas

Instant Ragi Idlis

Ragi Urad Idlis

Ragi Ela Ada

Ragi Butter cookies

Eggless Ragi Chocolate Cake

Ragi Malpua

All Millet Recipes

You can also check my 15 mins healthy sweets recipes collection.

Dosa corner, Millet recipes

Bajra Moong dal dosa | No rice dosa

January 20, 2021 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 4 Comments

As I had mentioned in my last post of Aloo Corn Bharta, my friend Ashwini Kulkarni sends me different healthy recipes that she makes and this dosa was one among them. These don’t contain rice but comes out so crispy that the texture is just like restaurant dosas. And it contains the healthy bajra or pearl millet too with protein rich lentils. So in all, a healthy and tasty breakfast option.

When I posted the Bharta, Ashwini commented on the post which touched me a lot. Would like to share the comment with all of you. She said, ” Thank u so much Mitha. Yes even u r blessing for me. Have made so many of ur recipe which my family eats happily. My mom always says that a lady who feeds everyone happily is a ANNPURNA. U DO it through ur blog and our group. Am sure ur family is blessed to have it. Best wishes and love always.” ❤️

It took me back to my teenage days when I used to be condemned by some of my relatives for not knowing how to cook, not doing household chores while questioning my mother over my upbringing (the saddest part as Amma has cried many times due to it). I have also been condemned for not being beautiful (by their standards) and that I will have a difficult life post marriage. That had let me to not believing in myself and always thought myself as not good looking or even good for nothing (some sad but true memories of my childhood which I can never forget).

And now, when Ashwini compared me to Goddess Annapurna, I felt I could never get a greater compliment. ❤️🙏 I can finally tell that looks don’t matter at all and girls who don’t know how to cook before marriage need not be the same later too. In fact cooking is just a basic skill which can be learnt at any age by anyone. There is no rush for it. And your character is what defines you in life, not your looks.

Just shared my deepest feelings with you all. I am sure all of you must have experienced this in some way or the other and can relate with me. Thanks for reading. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { Makes about 10 dosas }

1/2 Cup whole Bajra (pearl millet)

1/2 Cup Moong dal

1/2 Cup Urad dal

Salt to taste

Ghee or oil to cook the dosa

Step by step recipe:

1. Soak Bajra, moong dal and Urad dal together for about 4 to 5 hours. Drain water and add to the mixer.

2. Add about 1 and 1/2 Cups water along with salt and grind to a smooth paste. Pour into a large vessel preferably steel.

3. Keep for fermentation at room temperature for 8 to 10 hours.

4. For making dosas, heat a dosa pan and pour a ladle full of dosa batter. Spread like you spread regular dosas. Add ghee or oil and cook till the underside turns brown.

5. Remove and serve with a chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* I serve this dosa with coriander leaves chutney. Just grind coconut with coriander leaves, curry leaves, ginger, salt and water to a smooth paste. Season mustard seeds and curry leaves in oil and pour over the ground chutney. Mix well.

You can also check my “No Rice” dosa recipes collection.

Dosa corner, Millet recipes, Snacks

Jowar Vegetable Bhakri

January 15, 2021 Healthy Cooking with Mitha 3 Comments

I have mentioned before that I always believe in following our age old traditional recipes for a healthy lifestyle. So when I found a youtube channel through food groups named NK Food & Lifestyle by Mr Krishnamurthy Setty sharing similar beliefs as mine, I felt happy and subscribed instantly.

I don’t follow many channels just for the sake of it, but only those whom I really feel are worthy enough (I am choosy that way 😄). This channel is in Kannada language showcasing Uttar Karnataka dishes, which makes me even more interested being from the south part of Karnataka. All their recipes are unique, simple and healthy, making me want to try that time itself.

This Jowar Bhakri, which they call as thalipittu was tried following their video, even though I chose to make it as thick ones rather than thin as my kids prefer that way and it’s easier too (for the busy mommy me 😀). My kids, specially my 2 year old son loved it so much that he became a fan of it. Can you believe this has radish too in it which goes into the tummy in a secret way 😁. We all loved it very much. A must try recipe for sure!

On a side note, I read something which made me think a lot (me and my best friend – my thoughts 😅). I was reading about how we should be kind and supportive even to strangers as we don’t know what they must be going through. We all have that facade which we show to the world but inside we might be suffering which is hidden deep inside us. So, as much as possible we must show empathy towards everyone. Have you ever noted how kindness showed by a stranger increases your faith in humanity? And what if you were the person who was kind to someone whom you don’t even know, without expecting anything in return? Doesn’t that make you happy?

That happiness is what I feel while sharing about Mr Krishnamurthy Setty’s youtube channel. He thanked me many times when I shared my feedback and said I would be writing about his channel on my blog. The way he expressed gratitude made me confident that I am on the right path.

So, support everyone, even strangers without expectations and love your loved ones with all your heart without conditions. Though expectations are human nature and unconditional love is not easy at all, once we experience it, we understand life fully. ❤️

After this long heartfelt writeup, here’s sharing the recipe with all of you. Do try. This comes out very delicious. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Recipe adapted from: NK Food & Lifestyle

Ingredients: {Makes about 7 to 8 thick Bhakris}

1 Cup Jowar flour

3/4 Cup Whole wheat flour

1/2 Cup Chickpea flour or Besan

1/4 Cup finely grated Radish

1/4 Cup finely grated Carrot

1/4 Cup finely grated Cucumber

1/4 Cup finely chopped Onion

1/4 Cup finely chopped Coriander leaves

2 to 3 Green chillies

Salt to taste

Ghee to cook the Bhakris

Step by step recipe:

1. Take Jowar flour, wheat flour, chickpea flour and salt in a bowl.

2. Now add finely grated Radish, carrot, cucumber and finely chopped onion, coriander leaves and green chillies.

3. Mix everything once with hands so that the veggies mix well into the flours. Now if making thalipeet, add very little water and make into a soft dough. Since I made Bhakris, I added water to bring it to a thick dosa batter consistency (about 1 1/2 to 2 Cups of water).

4. Now heat a dosa pan and add a ladle of dosa in the center of the pan. Spread to make a thick dosa. Drizzle ghee over the surface.

5. When the surface cooks, flip and cook for about 1 to 2 mins.

6. Serve hot with butter and a chutney of your choice.

Notes:

* I refrigerate the leftover batter for use the next day. It lasts well and there is no taste change in the Bhakris.

* Skip radish if you don’t have but it’s a great way to include the vegetable in your diet as you can never find out that the bhakris have radish in it.

* I have not tried these Bhakris without wheat flour. So can’t say about the result.

* Chickpea flour gives a good flavour to this. So don’t skip it.

* You can spread it like thalipeet but I find them making like Bhakris easier.

* Cook both sides well as this takes time to cook than regular Bhakris due to Jowar flour in it.

* I served these with Coriander leaves chutney. For the chutney, grind together coconut with green chillies, ginger, coriander leaves, salt with little water to a smooth paste. Season in coconut oil with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

* You can check all my bhakri recipes in this recipe compilation post.

* Other recipes with Jowar flour:

Jowar Idlis

Jowar Dosa

* All my Millet based dishes : Millet recipes collection