Ragi Phanna Polo ( Instant seasoned finger millet crepes) Vegan, GF, NF; Meatless Monday

I love Ragi( finger millet) for many reasons. Ragi is not only a gluten free grain hence a great alternative for regular flour, it is also a food that has been traditionally a part of our cuisine for time immemorial! It is nothing new to us, hence it is not a fad! Raagi also has immense health benefits.

It is my go-to when I don't have ground dosa ( pancake/crepe) batter ready. I then either make Ragi Neer Dosa or this Phanna polo which is traditionally made using maida( all purpose flour). One day when I was about to make Neer dosa using Ragi, I said to myself: why not try making Phanna polo? I tried it and it came amazingly tasty! Everybody just loved it!! Here is the easy recipe:

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Raagi ( finger millet) flour: 1 cup
Oil: 1 tsp +for greasing the skillet/griddle( I use coconut oil). You could use any cooking oil.
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Jeera ( cumin seeds): 1/4 tsp( optional)
Freshly grated coconut: 1 tbsp
Water: 3 cups+ 2 cups
Salt: as per taste

Method:

Mix Ragi/finger millet flour with 3 cups water. Keep aside for 15 mins.

After 15 mins, discard the top water and the dark  Raagi husk until you reach the lighter sediment. Now add 2 more cups of water & salt and blend it for 30 seconds, using a hand blender or using a regular blender. Blending ensures that you get a nice homogenous batter. The batter should be thin and free-flowing.Add freshly grated coconut and stir well( Do not grind the coconut).

Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet, add mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, turn off the flame and add curry leaves.
Add this to the Ragi batter and stir well.

Heat the griddle/ skillet on medium -high heat.Grease the skillet/ griddle liberally with coconut oil. When the griddle is hot, take a ladleful/cupful  of batter and pour it from out to in.

 This batter cannot be spread. It needs to be poured and the skillet tilted to uniformly spread the batter.

The batter hisses and spreads like a lace on the griddle.

 It cooks very quickly. When cooked, fold it,remove and keep it in a hot box ( something like a tortilla box).

Serve hot with a chutney of your choice.I have served it with ambuli gojju( green mango dip).

I am sure you will love it! I am bringing this to Simple Supper Tuesday # 91!

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

The trick to making good dosas and the dosas not sticking to your skillet/griddle is by ensuring that the skillet is greased well. Also, the temperature of the griddle has to be maintained hot throughout.

Tip for healthy living:

Apart from being gluten free, whole grain cereal,finger millet has several other health benefits . It has a higher protein and mineral content compared to all other cereals. It contains important amino acids that are not found in other cereals. It has the highest calcium  an potassium content in comparison with other cereals. It is also a great source of iron! It is also rich in B vitamins and dietary fiber. It also has a low-glycemic index making it an ideal food for diabetics.

Food for thought:

Yesterday is a cancelled check. Today is cash on the line, tomorrow is a promissory note. Hank Stram