Ragi Crispies


It is summertime and the country is under lock down due to COVID19

Snacks are in short supply? Why not try what your mom used to make - home-made Sandige and Papad? All you need is a place to dry them and a bit of effort.

If you have kids at home, they would enjoy working with you. Although many different kinds of sandige are available in the market there is nothing like making them at home and customising them to your taste-buds. Try it and you will realise it was worth the effort !

Category: South Indian dish

INGREDIENTS

The measurements can be approximate. Incase you fall short of ragi flour, add rice flour. You could try with small quantity given below and scale up next time. 

  • Water : ~300 mL

  • Ragi flour : 1 cup (less than 250 mL)

  • Sago : 1/2 cup (can be more)

  • Green Chillies/ Chilli powder : to taste

  • Garlic : ~ 1 bulb, peeled (optional)

  • Coriander leaves : a bowl

  • Optional: jeera/ajwain powder

  • Could also add some beetroot juice to make it pink or good quality color of your choice

  • A chakli / Murukku press or you can hand-shape the crispies as you wish , make sure to leave craggly bits to add texture when fried

METHOD 

  1. Boil water In a large thick bottomed, aluminum/hindalium vessel.

  2. Blend the spices well along with soaked / powdered sago to a smooth paste. Add this mix to the boiling water and stir well with a wooden ladle.

  3. Add salt and taste the mix. It should taste quite spicy and salty. Now add ragi flour with a large spoon, stirring constantly so that no clumps are formed. Keep adding ragi till the consistency is neither too hard or too soft/sticky.

  4. Turn off the heat, close with a lid and allow to cool.

  5. On large stainless steel plates or trays, make sandige using the design of your choice, like a tape or thread or chakkli design using the chakkli press.

  6. Dry them well in direct sunlight, may take 1-2 days at about 32-33 C. You can store them at room temperature for 1-2 years.

  7. Deep fry when needed. Goes well with rice and sambar or as evening snack with tea. 

VARIATIONS

- Sandige can also be done with rice flour or a mix of rice and ragi flours. 

-The dough can be made in to slightly thin (ganji) consistency and poured as blobs on a thin cloth and sun dried. Thicker dough can be rolled out in to small, round papads and sun dried 

INFORMATION

  • Vegan Friendly : YES

  • Gluten Free : YES 

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

  • Finger Millet is a starchy, gluten-free cereal. It has low GI and hence recommended for diabetics. It is rich in antioxidants, protein and calcium. It provides plenty of phosphorus and magnesium.

  • 100 g of ragi contains : Energy - 3.6 g/328 Cal, Protein - 7.3 g, Fat - 1.3 g, Carbohydrate - 72 g, Minerals: 2.7g, Calcium - 344 mg Fibre. It is also rich in iron and amino acids (Niacin and Thiamine)

  • Sago is almost pure carbohydrate. 100 gms dry sago is ~350 calories 

  • As oil is used for frying, it has to be considered (~100 gms fried sandige has ~400 calories)

HEALTH BENEFITS:

Ragi has low GI, according to many reports and hence recommended for diabetics. It is suitable for a gluten-free diet.  It may lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

ORIGIN :

Ragi (Elusine coracana), family Poaceae is a domesticated cereal of African origin which spreads in prehistory to Asia. Some sources mention that Ragi is known to have originated in India and cultivated even before Aryans reached the sub-continent

WATER FOOTPRINT: (IS LITRES OF WATER NEEDED TO PRODUCE THE FOOD):

4478 L/Kg**

Ragi has a higher water footprint than wheat (1827 L/Kg) and Paddy (1673L/Kg). Yet, curiously, millet is known for its resistance to drought. Even though millet has a higher water footprint, the grain is hardier and its use of water is far more efficient and thus sustainable in arid lands than wheat.

TIPS : 

It is advisable to use wooden spatula/ladle for non-stick and aluminum/hindalium vessels. Metal ladles could create minute scratches exposing the plastic film in non-stick pans and leaching in aluminium vessels. It also avoids tinkering sound. 

DID YOU KNOW ?

Ragi is the richest source of Calcium among all cereals (including millets). It has ~344 mg/100 g dry wt. compared to 33 in rice, 30 in wheat, 36 in Quinoa and 42 in Pearl millet. 

**There are three types of water — blue, green and grey — that go into calculating a water footprint. Grown in arid regions like Africa and India, millet relies more on rainfall (“green” water), giving it a higher footprint than a irrigation (blue water) crop. While irrigation can improve water use efficiency and increase yields, it can be problematic when that water is not available in dry places.

Millets are hardy plants and can be grown with low or no chemical pesticides

Antinutrients in millets block the absorption of certain minerals, though this is unlikely to affect if we consume a balanced diet. Soaking and sprouting may reduce its antinutrient levels.

Millet also has a long history of being fermented or distilled into alcohol. In Africa, malted millet is brewed into a beer known variously as kaffir beer or bantu beer. In Nepal and Tibet, Raksi is a traditional liquor distilled from millet.

REFERENCES:

https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-1-4419-0465-2_2314

https://foodprint.org/real-food/millet/

https://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Report47-WaterFootprintCrops-Vol1.pdf

SNACKS, SUPERFOODS, CONDIMENTSPadmini SudarshanaSAVOURY, CRISPComment