FINGER MILLET PUDDING / MANGALOREAN RAGI MANNI

Ragi Manni or Finger Millet Pudding is a traditional, easy to cook, delicious and healthy dessert from Mangalore.  It is a classic dessert packed with nutrition and prepared using only healthy ingredients. The actual cooking takes not more than 10 minutes ... but the preparation for the recipe, does require some time. Here I have used palm jaggery called 'Ole bella' in South Kanara. Palm jaggery is made from the sap extract of Palm Trees ... you may use cane jaggery, as palm jaggery is not available everywhere. If you love to add a crunchy texture you can add crushed cashew nut or almonds as well. Ragi Manni with its jelly-like consistency is super-easy to make and tastes great when served chilled. Nutritionally, it is rich in the amino acid methionine and also a rich source of calcium. Ragi is also given to babies as one of the first cereals after rice. The women in the house make ragi manni during summer, as in Ayurveda it is considered as a soothing dish which cools the body. Therefore finger millet must be included in the diet.

Ingredients :

1 cup Ragi/ Nachni / Finger millet
1/4 cup raw rice
3 rings of Palm Jaggery or 3/4 cup cane jaggery
1 cup thick milk extract from grated coconut
2-3 cardamom, powdered
2-3 tsp ghee
few crushed cashewnuts or almonds/ 1 tblsp grated coconut

Method :

1. Wash & soak the ragi and rice for 2-3 hours. Drain the water.
2. Transfer them to a blender adding about a cup of water and grind well.
3. Strain the ground mixture through a sieve or muslin cloth. Squeeze well to extract all the juice.
4. Transfer the ragi extract, coconut milk and jaggery into a heavy bottomed vessel and cook on a medium flame. Cook stirring frequently till the mixture becomes thick and leave the edges.
5. To avoid formation of lumps keep stirring continuously. Before removing from the flame, add 2 tsp of ghee, a tblsp of grated coconut and cardamom powder to it and mix well.
6. Pour it gently into the already greased plate/ tray and spread or flatten evenly using a spatula.
7. Dust some crushed nuts on top. Let it cool down.
8. Later keep it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours ... till the pudding becomes little firm.
9. Cut into squares. This pudding with its jelly-like consistency is super-easy to make and tastes great when served chilled

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