Foxtail millet (thinai) kozhukattai

I've been experimenting with millets in my kitchen and am trying my hand at substituting millets for rice in most of my everyday recipes. One such recipe where foxtail millet worked out really well as a substitute is this kozhukattai. Foxtail millet, known as thinai in Tamil and thina in Malayalam is a widely used variety of millet in South India. In this dish, the millet is coarsely ground along with some spices and then cooked, shaped into balls and steamed. This makes for a hearty and nutritious tiffin.

What you need:
Foxtail millet - 1 cup
Tuar dal - 1 tsp, heaped
Black pepper corn - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Chana dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a sprig
Red chilli - 2, broken into pieces
Grated coconut - 1/3 cup
Asafoetida - a few generous pinches
Water - 2 - 2.5 cups (Start with two cups and if you feel the mixture is too dry, add up to another half cup)
Salt - to taste

In a blender, coarsely grind the millet, dal, pepper and cumin.
In a large kadai, heat oil. Addd mustard seeds, urad and chana dal, curry leaves and red chilli. When the seeds pop, add asafoetida and coconut. Saute for a minute or two and then add water and salt. When the water starts to boil, add the ground millets, a little at a time, stirring to make sure that no lumps are formed. Stir and cook until all the moisture is absorbed. Let this mixture cool.
Once it is cool enough to touch, pinch out small lemon sized portions and shape into balls. Place this on a greased idli plate or steamer plate and steam for 8-10 minutes.
Serve hot with coconut chutney or any other chutney of your choice.

Do check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 84.

Ragi idli

When it comes to new year resolutions, I have finally realized that it is better I do not make any. Until a few years back, the first of January would see me ready to go to the gym or do yoga or some such thing. This enthusiasm would last, at best for about a week to ten days, after which it would fizzle out gradually. This year, I have no resolutions as such, but I do hope to include more millets, whole grains and natural foods in our diet. Blog wise too, I hope to do certain things, which you will read about in the course of the next three days when I will doing the Blogging Marathon under the theme New Year Challenge.
Ragi or finger millet is one of the millet varieties that I am most familiar with, given that it is the first solid food that I introduced my child to. Rich in nutrients, this millet is consumed in various forms - as a drink (ragi kanji/ragi malt), flatbread (ragi roti), dosa and idli. The recipe that I will be sharing today is an easy one for ragi idli.

What you need:
Urad dal - 1 cup
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
Idli rice - 3 cups
Ragi flour - 1 cup
Salt - to taste

Wash well and soak the rice and dal separately in plenty of water. Soak the methi seeds along with the dal. In a grinder, first grind the urad dal, adding water, a little at a time, until the dal turns light and fluffy(approximately 25-30 minutes). Add the rice to it and grind again until the grains are well ground and the batter is smooth. Add water, as necessary, to give the batter a thick, pourable consistency. Add salt and ragi flour. Grind for a few minutes so that everything gets mixed together well.
Pour into a large bowl, making sure that there is plenty of place for the batter to ferment and rise in the bowl. Cover and leave in a warm place to ferment overnight.

To make idlis:
Grease idli plates. Heat water in the idli steamer. Pour the batter into the idli plates and steam for 8-10 minutes. Let cool for a minute or two and then remove the idlis from the idli plate.
Serve hot with chutney and sambar.

Do check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 84.

Idiyappam and tirunalveli sodhi

Traditionally, string hoppers (idiyappam) are made with rice flour. However, ever since I started using ragi, I have almost entirely stopped making this dish using rice flour. This is both a tastier and healthier variation. I usually pair it with vegetable stew, but this time,  I have tried a side dish that has its origin in the Tirunalveli district of Tamilnadu. Vegetables, lightly spiced and cooked in a watery coconut milk broth,  this dish is served to a newly married bridegroom by his mother-in-law and so, is also known as mappillai (son-in-law) sodhi. It is very similar to the stew that is made in Kerala. The only difference is that there is a final tempering of curry leaves and cumin seeds here and also an addition of lemon juice.



What you need:
For the idiyappam (string hoppers) :
Ragi/nachni/kezhvaragu/finger millet flour - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste
Water - 2 cups
Oil - 1 tsp

Boil the water and add a tsp of oil to it. Add salt to the flour and dry roast the flours in a pan until the raw smell goes away. Add the boiling water to the flour, little by little, mixing it well with a spatula until it forms a pliable dough. Wet your hands and knead the dough until smooth.
While the dough is still hot, using an idiyappam press, squeeze it out into circles and steam in an idli pan for 10-12 minutes.

For the sodhi :

Potato - 1,peeled and diced
Carrot - 1. peeled and diced
Onion - 1, chopped fine
Beans - a few, chopped
Green peas - a handful
Thick coconut extract - 1/2 cup
Ginger - a one inch piece
Green chilli - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Coconut oil - 2 tsp 
Juice of half a lemon
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few

Cook the vegetables in a cup of water until soft,but not mushy. In a pan, heat a tsp of oil. Crush the ginger and garlic coarsely and add this to the pan. Saute a bit and then add in the onions and heat till they turn translucent. Add the cooked veggies along with the water and bring to a boil. Add the coconut extract and heat for a minute or two,  until it is heated through, but does not begin to boil. Switch off the heat and then stir in the juice of half a lemon. Heat a tsp of oil. add the cumin seeds and curry leaves to it and heat. Pour this tempering over the sodhi .
Serve hot with idiyappam.

This post is part of the Blogging Marathon under the theme Combo dishes. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 36
This is also my 9th post for Blogathon 2014, a daily blogging event for the month of January. 

Ragi kanji

Ragi(finger millet) is a rich source of iron and something that should be included in the diet of not only children, but also adults. I usually add a handful of ragi flour while kneading the dough for chapati. I also frequently make this kanji as a breakfast drink. The hint of cardamom and the sweetness make it a favourite with kids.

What you need:
Ragi flour - 1 tsp, heaped
Water - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1.5 tsp(can be substituted with jaggery)
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Milk - 1 cup

Take the ragi flour in a vessel. Add sugar, cardamom powder and water. Mix well so there are no lumps. Keep this on low heat, stirring continuously until the mixture starts to thicken. Switch off heat and still stirring, add the milk little by little until well mixed.
Serve warm.
The measurements given above are enough to make one tall mug of ragi kanji.
On a different note, can someone give me tips on how to take reasonably good pics of liquids? Every time I click liquids, I end up with pics that look blah!!!
Do take a look at my fellow marathoners' kitchens....Srivalli,
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma,  Pavani,PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena