Ragi Idli Recipe | How to make Soft Ragi Idli or Finger Millet Idli

Tried and tested soft ragi idli recipe or finger millet idli recipe. Ragi idli is made by fermenting ragi flour along with rice and urad dal.

Ragi or finger millet is one of very nutritious gluten-free grain that can be consumed in the variety of ways. Ragi flour is wholesome and nutritious flour, which I mostly use to make ragi dosa, ragi roti and sometimes Ragi bread and Ragi and Red Amaranth Fritters . In Karnataka, Ragi mudde is part of everyday diet too.

Ragi is a millet and millets have been part of everyday diet till my mother's generation (in some home they still are). But, in most homes across India, Rice and wheat have taken over. Growing up in Haryana, I remember bajra ki roti or khichadi was made atleast one meal per day in many homes. Though Ragi I came across only when my husband was posted in south. Kids were small that time and paediatrician recommended ragi flour for more nutrition. That's how the ragi flour made it's entry into our kitchen, and gradually we started to love the taste.

How to make Soft Ragi Idli

You can make ragi idli and ragi dosa from the same batter. Just like commonly made rice idli, homemade ragi idli batter also involves soaking the grains, grinding, fermenting and then steaming them to make ragi idli.

For making soft homemade ragi idli, rice, urad dal and ragi are first soaked for few hours and them grinding them to a smooth batter. After grinding ragi idli batter is kept for fermenting and then made into soft ragi idli or a really crisp ragi dosa (just add little bit more water to the ragi idli batter).

Nutrition in Ragi

Ragi or finger millet is one of very nutritious gluten-free grain that can be consumed in a variety of ways, ragi dosa, and ragi idli are the one's I cook quite frequently.

Ragi flour is high in protein as compared to regular flours and also rich in minerals particularly calcium which is almost 5 times more than the regular grains. So ragi flour is good for your bone health. Also being a complex slow digesting carb ragi is better grain for diabetics.

Ragi is very small grain, and usually whole grain is ground to flour,unlike some other grains where one bran is separated, this naturally makes it richer is dietary fibers and also low GI of Ragi makes it great flour to be included in the diabetic diet.

To make ragi idli more nutritious, I sometimes add some veggies like peas in the bottom of idli plates before pouring the batter for steaming.

These fluffy and soft ragi idli are best served with piping hot sambhar and chutney, just a little bit of drizzle of ghee makes it even more delicious.

Some people think that adding ghee will increase the calories, and that's why they avoid it, but if you add something like ½ teaspoon or 1 teaspoon in your every meal the amount of health benefits far outweighs the amount of calories it adds to the meal. You can read health benefits and how to make ghee here.

If you are idli lover like me you may like to try Soft Rice Idli  with tips of making soft rice idli and Coconut chutney that is served with it.  Kanchipuram Idli or Fried Idli and Podi Idli , Chana Dal Idli  are another variations of Idli recipes. If you like to know about different varieties of Idli and history about origin of idli, you may want to read this article on Idli Varieties and History of Origin of Idli 

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Ragi Idli Recipe

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 hours 20 minutes

Servings: 16 number

Author: Rekha Kakkar

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups rice idli
• ¾ cup urad dal white (dehusked and washed)
• 1.5 cups Ragi Flour finger millet flour or
• to taste salt
• water as needed

Instructions

• Thoroughly Wash and Soak idli rice and dal in seperate bowls, Soak each of them in water separately for 5-6 hours.
• Once the rice and dal is soaked, grind them in a mixer grinder one by one by adding little water at a time to form a smooth batter.
• Transfer them to a single large container together after grinding and mix both.
• Now add 1.5 cup of ragi flour and salt to taste. Mix everything together. Cover this bowl with a lid and let it ferment overnight.
• The next morning, the batter would be risen and almost doubled in volume, fold it well.
• Now grease idli plates and pour this ragi idli batter into each depression in the idli plates.
• Steam it for 8 to 10 mins till it is done. Insert a skewer to check.
• take it off the heat but let it remain cover and leave it to cool for 5 mins, and scoop out these soft steamed idlies with help of a wet spoon.
• Serve these ragi idlies hot immediately with sambhar and coconut chutney or you can store them in casserole for sometime. That keeps them moist and warm.