Varagarisi Upma/Kodomillet Upma

Prep Time:5 m        Cook Time:25 m

Serves:3

Ingredients

Varagu Arisi    - 3/4 cup

Onion               - 1

Red Chilli        - 3

Curry Leaves   - 2 sprig

Mustard Seeds - to splutter

Channa Dal     - 1 tblsp

Water              - 3 cup

Salt                 - to taste

Oil                   - 2 tsp

Method

• Dry roast varagarisi/kodo millet until aroma wafts out and set aside.
     
• Heat oil in a pan splutter mustard seeds,channa dal,curry leaves and dry red chillies.Then add sliced onions ,salt and saute till onion turns translucent.
     
• Add water and bring it to boil.Now add required salt and add roasted varagu arisi.Cover with a lid and cook.
                          
                
  
       
  
  
  

Little Words

• Serve with coconut chutney.
• Ideal for breakfast or dinner.
• Add vegetables if desired.

Ragi Karuppatti Dosai

Prep Time:5 m       Cook Time:15 m

Makes:5

Ingredients

Ragi Flour                       - 1/2 cup 

Karuppatti/Palm jaggery - 1/4 cup

Ghee                                - to drizzle

Method

• Mix ragi flour and karuppatti with water in the consistency of dosa batter.Heat a tawa,brush with ghee,pour a small ladle of the batter.Cover with lid and cook on low flame, both sides flipping carefully.Garnish with grated karuppatti and serve.
                             
                                 
     

Little Words

• Karuppatti is hard on the grater and it can be scraped with knife.
• Ideal to have as an evening snack.
• Cook on a low flame else it may get burnt easily.

Kambu Payasam

Prep Time:10 m      Cook Time:25 m

Serves:3

Ingredients

Kambu                  - 1/2 cup

Milk                       - 1& 1/2 cup

Water                      - 1 cup

Jaggery                   - 2 tbl sp

Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp

Ghee                        - 1 tbl sp

Cashews                  - few

Raisins                     - few

Method

• Wash kambu/pearl millet and remove any husks if present.Soak it in water for half an hour.Grind it into a paste with  half a cup of milk or water as desired.This has a unique earthern flavour.
                              
     
• Heat two teaspoons of ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel and add this paste into it.Add the remaining milk and water little by little stirring continuously.the mixture will start bubbling and thickens and you can get the aroma of the cooked kambu.
     
• Add grated jaggery and cardamom powder and this stage.Stir it for five more minutes and add the nuts and raisins roasted in ghee.Serve hot.
                             
  

Little Words

• Milk and water ratio can be adjusted accordind to desire.
• Once it cools it thickens,so you can reserve half a cup of milk and add it at the time of serving too.
• A healthy sweet....

Ragi Sponge Cake

Ingredients

Wheat Flour      - 1/2 cup 

Ragi Flour         - 1/2 cup

Butter                - 1/4 cup(melted)

Sugar                 - 3/4 cup

Egg                    - 2

Vanilla Essence - 1/4 tsp

Baking Powder  - 1 tsp

Baking Soda      - 1/4 tsp

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 F(175 C).Cream butter and sugar.Break in the eggs and beat well.Add vanilla essence and mix well.
                  
• Sift the flours,baking powder and baking soda together.Now mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients well.
     
• Grease a round cake tin and dust with flour.Pour the batter into the tin and tap gently.Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.Let it cool and gently tap the tin upside down and cut into slices.
                                  
                           
     

Little Words

• A healthy cake indeed and tastes great too.
• I was wondering how it will turn when I experimented this for the first time and it turned out well.
• You can add some chopped nuts and sprinkle on top or even mix to the batter.

Ragi Puttu

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Ragi Flour	1 cup
Sugar	1/4 cup
Ghee	2 tbl spn

Cooking Steps

• Heat one tea spoon of ghee and add ragi flour.
  
• Fry this in medium flame by adding the remaining ghee little by little till it changes colour.This will take about 8 to 10 minutes.
  
  
  
• Now add sugar and fry for 2 to 3 minutes in low flame till the sugar mixes well with the fried flour.

Little words

• Jaggery can be used instead of sugar.
• Sugar coats with the flour and this gives a crunchiness.
• All ghee can be added at the first step.Am adding in portions just for even mixing.