Cake Recipe with Chocolate sauce.

Ingredients

1.    Whole Wheat Flour- 1 cup
2.    Finger millet/ragi flour-1/2 cup
3.    Powdered Brown Sugar-1 cup or white sugar-3/4cup
4.    Baking Soda-3/4 tsp
5.    Cocoa powder -2 tbsp
6.    Salt -a pinch
7.    Thick yogurt-3/4 cup
8.    Milk -1/4 cup +2 tbsp
9.    Any flavorless oil -1/4 cup
10.    Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
11.    Honey-2 tsp
12.    Walnuts toasted and chopped- 1/2 cup (optional)

For the Chocolate Sauce

1.    Milk-2 cups
2.    Sugar-4-5 tbsp
3.    Cocoa powder-4 tbsp
4.    Butter- 1 tbsp
5.    Vanilla essence- 1/2 tsp

Preparation

• Preheat the oven at 180 degree C for 15 minutes.
• Grease and dust the baking pan or grease and line the baking pan with parchment paper.
• Sieve together ragi flour, wheat flour,baking soda, cocoa powder and salt.

Method

1. Keep the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients ready.
2. Dry ingredients – Sieved ragi flour+ wheat flour+ coco powder+ baking soda+ salt and powdered sugar.
3. Wet ingredients – Yogurt+ honey, oil, milk and vanilla essence.
4. Now mix the powder sugar with the flour.
5. Mix the milk, vanilla essence and oil to the yogurt+ honey mixture.
6. Now mix the wet ingredient with the dry ingredients until well combined. Do not
7. overmix. If using chopped walnuts, dust it with a little flour and mix it gently with the batter.
8. Pour it in a greased baking tin and tap the pan slightly so that the mixture settles evenly.
9. Bake in a pre-heat oven at 180 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
10. Once done, let it remain in the oven for 5-6 minutes. Then remove the cake tin from the oven and transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool.
11. Now let us prepare chocolate sauce
12. Mix together milk, 4 tbsp cocoa powder and sugar well. Make sure that there are no lumps.
13. Now cook the mixture on medium heat until it starts boiling. Once it starts boiling,
14. reduce the heat and cook stirring the mixture continuously until it starts thickening and reaches a sauce like consistency.
15. Turn off the heat, add butter and vanilla essence to the mixture. Stir well and let it cool completely.
16. Once the cake cools completely, pour the chocolate sauce over the cake.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1.    Multigrain flour/Whole wheat flour – 1/3 cup
2.    Finger millet flour/Ragi flour – 1/3 cup
3.    All purpose flour/maida – 1/3 cup
4.    Sugar – 3/4 cup
5.    Salt – a pinch
6.    Baking powder – 3/4 tsp
7.    Baking soda – 1/2 tsp

Wet ingredients

1.    Oil – 1/3 cup (any flavorless vegetable oil)
2.    Curd/Plain yogurt – 1/3 cup
3.    Milk – 1/3 cup (at room temperature)
4.    Vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp

Preparation

• Powder sugar and keep it aside.
• Sieve all dry ingredients except sugar twice (ragi flour + multigrain flour + all purpose
• flour + baking soda + baking powder + salt) and keep it ready.
• Preheat the oven at 180  degree C for 10 minutes.
• Grease and line a muffin or cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
• Keep all the ingredients ready.

Method

• Beat milk, curd and sugar until frothy.
• Add oil and beat until well combined.
• Add the dry ingredients, vanilla essence and mix/fold until well combined. You can use a wire whisk or spatula for this.
• Fill the muffin cup with the batter until 3/4 th full. Top it with chopped nuts if preferred.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree C for 25-30 minute or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Enjoy it warm from the oven as such or you can frost it if you prefer.These multi grain cupcakes are very soft, spongy and delicious.We enjoyed it as such without any frosting.

Storage – Keep it in an airtight container. Stays good for a day or two at room temperature. After that you have to refrigerate it.

Ingredients

1. Any millet/ragi flour -1/2 cup
2. Wheat flour-1/2 cup
3. Powdered white sugar/powdered organic jaggery-1/2 cup
4. Cold Butter-100 grams- 1/2 cup
5. Baking powder -1 tsp
6. Vanilla essence -1/2 tsp
7. Milk – 2 tbsp to knead the dough.

Preparation

1. Grease a cookie tray with butter and keep it ready.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degree C for 15 minutes.
3. Roast ragi flour on low flame until you get a nice smell of roasted ragi. Leave it to cool.
4. Sieve together ragi flour, wheat flour and baking powder.

Method

Now all our ingredients are kept ready. Cut butter into small pieces and add to the sieved ragi + wheat flour. How to make ragi biscuits

• Mix well with your fingers until the mixture become crumbled as shown in the picture below.
• Add powdered sugar or jaggery or brown sugar and mix it well.
• preparing ragi/millet sweet biscuit
• Add needed milk little at a time and make a smooth dough. Refrigerate the dough for 15-20 minutes.

how to prepare ragi cookies/biscuits

• Dust wheat flour and roll out the dough. The rolled out dough should not be too thin nor too thick.
• Using a lid or cookie cutter, cut desired shapes. I have used a round bottle cap. Press it with a fork as shown in the picture below to give it a striped pattern. Alternatively, you can make small balls out of the dough, press it between your palms to give a round flat shape (just like cookies) and make striped design with a fork and then bake.
• Place the biscuits on a greased tray and bake at 180 degree C for 15-20 minutes or until the biscuits start browning slightly. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Once it cools it will become crisp. Store it in an airtight container.
• Variations -For cardamom flavor, add 1/4 tsp cardamom powder instead of vanilla essence.
• For cinnamon flavor, add 1/4 tsp of cinnamon powder instead of vanilla essence.

Ingredients

1. Any Millet – 1/2 cup
2. Onion – 1 big chopped finely
3. Tomato – 1 chopped roughly
4. Ginger garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
5. Carrot – 1 small finely chopped
6. Peas – 1/8 cup
7. Beans – 1/8 cup finely chopped
8. Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
9. Water – 2 cups
10. Coriander leaves – to garnishSalt – to taste

To temper:

1. Oil – 1 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds – 3/4 tsp
3. Urad Dal – 1/2 tsp
4. Curry leaves – few
5. Green Chilli – 1 slitted

Method:

1. Rinse thinai and soak it in water for 20mins,Set aside.Heat oil in a pressure cooker – add the items listed under ‘to temper’ let it crackle then add onion and ginger garlic paste. Add tomatoes and saute till raw smell leaves then add the veggies along with turmeric powder and required salt, saute for 2mins.
2. Drain water from the thinai and add it along with veggies, give a quick mix.Add water and pressure cook for 3 whistles in low medium flame.Once pressure releases open and fluff it.
3. Serve hot / warm.

Ingredients 

1. Any Millet – 1/2 cup
2. Jaggery – 3/4 cup(crushed)
3. Boiled & Cooled Milk – 1/2 cup
4. Ghee – 1.5 tsp
5. Cashews – 1 tbsp broken
6. Elachi powder – a tiny pinch

Method:

1. In a tsp of ghee roast thinai till nice aroma wafts and the color changes slightly.Now add water and let it cook till it turns soft.While thinai cooks roast the cashews 1/2 tsp ghee and set aside.
2. Powder jaggery….I used my hand mortar and pestle for this.Measure 1 cup and transfer it to a mixing bowl.Add water to it.Mash it up well, I used my potato masher for this.Strain to remove impurities.
3. Heat it up to melt it and boil in medium flame for 3mins until frothy and slightly thick.In low medium flame,add cooked thinai and stir well to avoid lumps.Cook for 3mins, Keep stirring.Now add elachi powder.
4. Add milk and keep stirring continuously.One it all combines together, add roasted cashews give a quick mix and switch off. Serve hot / warm.

Ingredients

1. Any two types of millet – 1/2 cup(each)
2. Toor dal – 1/4 cup
3. Chana dal – 1/4 cup
4. Moong dal – 1 tbsp
5. Urad dal -1 tbsp
6. Red chillies – 4
7. Fennel Seeds – 1 tsp(optional)
8. Small Onion – 1/4 cup chopped finely
9. Curry Leaves – few torn into pieces
10. Coriander Leaves – 1 tbsp finely chopped
11. Salt – to taste

Method

1. Take all the ingredients listed under ‘to soak’ in a mixing bowl, soak it in water till immersing level.Soak for atleast 3-4 hrs.Drain water and set aside.
2. Take red chillies and fennel seeds in a mixer, add little of mixed millet mixture and grind it to a coarse mixture.
3. Now add remaining dals and grind it a semi coarse mixture. Add little water and Mix well. Add chopped onion, coriander leaves and required salt. The batter should be slightly runny in between idli and dosa batter consistency.
4. Heat the dosa pan,grease with little oil, pour a ladleful of batter and spread it evenly a bit thick.Drizzle oil over the sides and let it cook, flip over other side and cook till golden brown and crisp at the edges.
5. Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.

Ingredients

1. Any millet – 1/2 cup
2. Carrot – 1 small finely chopped
3. Coconut – 2 tbsp grated
4. Water – 1 cup
5. Salt – to taste

To temper:

1. Oil – 1 tsp + 1 tsp for greasing
2. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
3. Urad Dal – 1/2 tsp
4. Curry leaves – few torn into pieces
5. Green Chillies – 1 finely chopped

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan – add the items under ‘to temper’, let it splutter. Then add chopped carrot and sauce for 2mins until raw smell leaves. Then add water and allow it to boil for 3mins so that carrots get half cooked. Add required salt.
2. Rinse the millet, drain water from it. When water boils, add the millet. Cook covered until the millet is cooked and all the water is absorbed. Add coconut give a quick mix and switch off.
3. Switch off and allow it to cool for few mins. Once it is hand bearable hot grease your hands with oil and start making kozhukattai shapes or even as simply balls.Continue doing it till the entire mixture gets over. If it’s too dry then sprinkle little water to hold them together.Grease idli plates / steaming plate with little oil and carefully transfer the kozhukattais to the plate and steam it for 5-7mins.
4. Switch off. Serve hot with coconut chutney or any chutney of your choice!

Ingredients 

1. Any millet – 1/2 cup
2. Rice Flour – 2 tbsp
3. Coconut – 2 tbsp grated
4. Jaggery – 4 tbsp
5. Water – as needed
6. Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
7. Baking Soda – 1/8 tsp
8. Oil – as required to toast
9. Salt – a tiny pinch

Method

1. Add 1/8 cup of water to jaggery and heat it up until it nicely bubbles and is thick more like honey in consistency. Strain to remove impurities and set the jaggery syrup aside. I made more than above mentioned quantity so please don’t compare it with the ingredients list.
2. It should be thick, can you see the consistency?! Transfer it to a mixing bowl along with rice flour, coconut, jaggery syrup, a pinch of salt , mix well add little water if required and set aside for at least 3 hrs. Then add baking soda mix it well.
3. The consistency should be slightly thicker than our dosa batter consistency so adjust water accordingly.Heat paniyaram pan, grease the pan with oil and add a ladle full of the batter in each hole.Cook covered for 2-3mins.
4. Turn over to other side and cook for 3mins until its golden brown.Carefully transfer the paniyarams to a plate and serve hot.

Dry roast the millet till slightly browned as shown. Cool down and grind it to a fine powder(as fine as possible). Set aside. How to make millet idiyappam :

Ingredients

1. Any millet variety – 1 cup
2. Big Onion – 1 finely chopped
3. Coconut(grated) – 1 tbsp
4. Water – as required
5. To temper:
6. Oil – 2 tsp
7. Mustard seeds – 3/4 tsp
8. Urad Dal – 1/2 tsp
9. Jeera – 1/4 tsp
10. Green Chillies – 1 chopped
11. Curry Leaves – a small sprig

Method

Step 1

Boil water and add it to little by little to the millet powder till it gathers together. Mix well with a ladle, once its hand bearable hot, gather it together to a smooth dough.

Step 2

Take your idiyappam press, Pinch a ball from the dough and fill it in the idiyappam press. Grease the idiyappam steamer plate then press it in circular motion to fill the steamer plate. Don’t crowd it.

Step 3

In the idli steamer pour water and place the idiyappam steamer plate above it and steam it for 8-10mins. Turn over to remove the idiyappam, then spread it in a plate. Once cooled down, crumble it so that the strings get separated.

Step 4

Heat oil – add the items listed under to temper let it splutter. Then add onion and fry till golden brown. Add required salt. Now add idiyappam and mix well. Saute well till it’s blended well. Add coconut and switch off. Serve hot / warm.

Ragi idli is delicious and nutritious. Ragi, also known as finger millet, is rich in calcium and potassium. The results of a research study says that, “Of all the cereals and millets, finger millet has the highest amount of calcium (344mg%) and potassium (408mg%).1” Ragi may, among others, lower blood glucose levels and cholesterol levels. Ragi idli, which is one of the ragi recipes, preserves more nutrients, because it is steam-cooked.

Ingredients

1. Ragi flour 2-and-1/2 cups
2. Urad-whole / uddina kaalu or urad dal 1 cup
3. Thick aval / poha / avalakki / beaten rice 1 cup
4. Cooking soda 1 pinch (optional)
5. Salt to taste
6. Capsicum and beans, chopped
7. Peas
8. Carrot gratings

Method

Use the ragi idli recipe and make this idli, which gives more health benefits than the rice idlis, for breakfast or dinner. As with the traditional rice idli, the taste of the ragi idli hinges on the quality of its batter. It in turn depends mainly on the quality of ragi.

To make this food more healthier and tastier, add chopped beans and capsicums and carrot gratings and peas to the ragi idli batter.

The ragi idli recipe has thick aval as one of its items. It enables to create softer idlis. Because aval is made from de-husked rice, and if you do not want a rice element in the idli, do not use aval.

Coconut chutney and green tomato chutney are two of the side dishes that have a good fit with this dish.