Some Sundays, we take a little break from our regular idlis and make Ragi Dose instead. Spongy finger millet dosas, with Mom’s coconut and coriander chutney on the side. It is a breakfast I keep coming back to, made just the way she makes it back home.
Ragi has always been one of our favourite millets. Mudde, malt, manni, idlis, rotis, appes, semige and dosas, there are so many ways it finds a place in our kitchen. I am most partial to ragi manni, of course. The sweet tooth always wins there! But for breakfast, this dose and Kothambari Chutney combination is an absolute favourite.
I have tried other versions, but Mom’s is still the one I return to. She grinds whole ragi with urad dal and methi, adding a little cooked rice or soaked poha for softness. The batter gets a short fermentation, and the dosas get time to cook properly. That is how we like them at home.
Ragi Dose
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole ragi (finger millet)
- ¼ cup urad dal
- 1 teaspoon methi (fenugreek) seeds
- 2–3 teaspoons soaked poha or cooked rice, optional
- Salt, to taste
- Water, as needed for soaking and grinding
- About 1 teaspoon ghee or neutral-flavoured oil per dosa
Instructions
Method
- Soak the ragi. Wash the whole ragi well and soak in water for at least 6 hours.
- Soak the dal and methi. Wash the urad dal and soak it with the methi seeds for around 3 hours. If using poha, soak it separately until softened.
- Grind the batter. Drain the soaked ingredients. Grind the ragi, urad dal and methi, either together or separately, with just enough water to make a smooth, pourable dosa batter. Add the optional soaked poha or cooked rice while grinding, along with salt. Combine thoroughly if ground separately.
- Allow a short fermentation. Cover and leave to ferment. Mom usually gives it 4–5 hours, and I check mine by 7 hours. Look for small bubbles and a lightly fermented aroma; this batter need not rise dramatically to make lovely spongy dosas. Start checking early in a warm kitchen, as ragi batter can turn sour quickly. Once fermented, use it or refrigerate it.
- Pour and spread. Heat a dosa pan over medium heat. Pour a ladleful of batter and spread gently into a round dosa. Keep it a little thicker if you like a spongier centre.
- Cover and cook. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon ghee or neutral-flavoured oil over the dosa. Cover and cook until the top deepens in colour and the batter is set. These dosas need a little patience.
- Flip once. Turn the dosa over to cook the other side evenly. Serve hot with the chutney below.
Notes
Kothambari Chutney
Find this homestyle version alongside my darshini-style recipe in Two Green Chutneys for Idli.
Homestyle Kothambari Chutney
Ingredients
Ingredients
- ½ cup grated coconut
- ½ cup coriander leaves, including tender stalks
- 1–2 green chillies
- A marble-sized piece of tamarind
- Salt, to taste
- A little filtered water, for grinding
For the tempering
- Oil, enough for a small tempering
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon urad dal
- A broken Byadgi chilli
- 1 sprig fresh curry leaves
Instructions
Method
- Grind the coconut, coriander, green chillies and tamarind with a little filtered water. Add salt and adjust to the chutney consistency you like.
- Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.
- Add the urad dal. As it turns golden, add the broken Byadgi chilli and curry leaves.
- Pour the tempering over the chutney and mix. Serve with idlis, dosas or Ragi Dose.
