Ragi Sevai

The weather in Mombasa has changed from super hot to cool within a week. Feb and march were really hot, so hot that I’d want to get out of the kitchen as quickly as possible. My kitchen is partially an open plan one, don’t have a door and it leads straight to the dining area. Hubby decided to fit in an AC in the dining living room area. It would also help to bring down the temperature in the kitchen. After much planning got it fitted only for the weather to change. Since its installation have used it only once and that too it was a test drive! Many parts of Kenya are flooded. Roads have been washed away and small bridges have fallen.  Homes of so many in the rural areas  have been washed away due to rain water. A little bit of water logging in the cities and we’re all up in arms.I can’t imagine how these homeless people must be coping with their daily chores. Lets pray for the ones who have lost their homes.

The FoodieMonday/Bloghop’s #143rd theme was Millets. I have quite a few recipes with millet bookmarked. I narrowed down the choice to banana millet cake, ragi cookies and ragi sevai. Before we head towards the recipe, lets check out some facts about ragi or finger millet.Ragi or finger millet originates from Africa. In India the crop was perhaps cultivated some 4000 years ago. Ragi is a very healthy grain. Here are some reasons why you should include ragi in your daily diet:

• Its rich in protein
• It is rich in minerals like calcium, phosphorus, potassium and iron, making it beneficial for good strong bones.
• It helps to control blood sugar levels, therefore an important grain for diabetics. It also helps to heal wounds in diabetics quickly.
• It has microbial properties. It helps to fight against harmful bacteria like bacillus crus which causes food poisoning,salmonella and staphylococcus.
• Its rich in antioxidants, thereby helping to fight against cancer.
• Good for the cardiovascular system as it helps to fight bad cholesterol.

Ragi sevai won as I wanted a hot comforting and a bit spicy food. I made it for lunch last Thursday as hubby had a lunch meeting. Often this group of doctors meet over lunch to discuss various medical issues. The meeting is held in the auditorium of the hospital and they tend to order pizzas for lunch. Ever so often hubby will come back home and will ask what I had for lunch. That question is not because he is worried about my meal, what did I eat etc etc. Its because he is hoping there will be some leftover and he can have it. So nowadays even if he tells me he’s not home for lunch and its the medical meeting, I prepare extra food or a snack.

Sevai is so easy to make whether you use rice flour or millet flour. In India readymade sevai is available, but here I have to make it from scratch. First you have to made the idiyappam or string hoppers and let it cool down completely. Then its tempered with herbs and spices. Its served hot with some chutney or on its own. I served mine with some podi masala. I really don’t mind as I just love this dish. So just let’s head straight away to the recipe.

RAGI SEVAI

4 servings

Ingredients for the Idiyappam:

1 cup finger millet (ragi, wimbi,nachni)

2 tbsp rice flour

1½ cups water

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp oil

extra oil for greasing

Ingredients for the sevai:

All of the idiyappam prepared

1 tbsp oil

1 small onion finely chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

1 sprig of curry leaves

1 tbsp chana dal (split chickpea lentils)

2 tbsp urad dal (split black gram lentils)

1-2 green chilis, finely chopped

1 dry red chilli

1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)

1 tsp grated ginger

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Preparation of ragi idiyappam:

1. Heat water in a pan with the salt and oil till it becomes hot.
2. Mix ragi and rice flour in a bowl.
3. Add the hot water to the ragi flour mixture.
4. Using a spoon mix it into a rough dough.
5. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes till it becomes cold.
6. Rub some oil between your palms. Knead the dough till it is smooth.
7. Get the steaming device ready. Put little water in the pan and let it become hot.
8. Grease the steaming trays with some oil. You can use a heat proof plate or an idli stand.
9. Take a bit of the dough and pack it into the sev machine.
10. Press out the sev into the prepared steaming trays.
11. Steam the idiyappam for 10 minutes.
12. Remove the tray from the steaming device.
13. Let the idiyappam cool down completely.

Preparation of the ragi sevai:

1. Heat oil in a wide pan over medium heat.
2. If you’ve pressed out the sev in one big tray like I did, you need to cut it into smaller pieces wit your hands.
3. Add chana dal to the hot oil and saute till it begins to turn light pink.
4. Add the urad dal and stir fry for a few seconds.
5. At mustard seeds, red chilli, chopped green chillis and curry leaves.
6. As the seeds begin to splutter add chopped onion and grated carrot.
7. Stir fry till just done.
8. Add grated ginger and salt and mix well.
9. Add the idiyappam.
10. Stir fry the mixture till its hot.
11. Add lemon juice and fresh coriander. Give it a good toss and serve immediately.
12. I served it with some podi masala.

Tips:

• I added carrot but you can add any vegetable of your choice to make it into a healthy meal. Add boiled or steamed vegetables.
• Add roasted peanuts, cashew nuts and raisins if you like.
• Add some fresh grated coconut if you like. If you use coconut then add it along with grated ginger and stir fry till you get a nice coconut aroma.

You may want to check out other millet recipes:

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