Ragi Vella Adai / Sweet and Soft Finger Millet Flatbread

Ragi is a nutritious and healthy cereal suitable for kids, adults, and for people with diabetes since it has a low glycemic index. When you go to the countryside, you can see that ragi is an integral part of their diet.  Ragi is THE breakfast menu for them who work for long hours, as it gives more nutrition and keeps satiated for a long time. 

When we were kids, my mom used to make different recipes using ragi (finger millet) and this sweet (but not too sweet) is one of my favorite. It is very nutritious and simple to make. This vella adai is made with jaggery (aka vellam in Tamil), ragi flour, a little coconut and it is very best for breakfast. It is also the best after school snack for kids.

Last week, my mom made this vella adai for me. Each and every bite brought back childhood memories. It was just like how the critic felt after tasting the ratatouille in the movie Ratatouille. Mother's love knows no bounds and one can feel and experience that with such comfort food and loving people with you together.

Ingredients

Ragi flour - 1 cup

Jaggery - 2/3 cup

Coconut - 2 tbsp, grated

Water - 2/3 cup

Ghee

Butter - to serve (optional)

Method:

In a small pan add jaggery and water. Heat on a medium flame just till the jaggery dissolves. Strain to remove any impurities. 

To the jaggery water and the grated coconut and ragi flour and knead to a smooth dough with a spoon (if it's hot when bearable, use your hand to knead). The correct consistency is making balls out of this dough easily. 

Take a piece of banana leaf or aluminum foil, smear a little oil so that it is easier to flatten the ragi flour balls. Divide the dough into 4 to 5 balls. Flatten out each finger millet ball with your fingers or palm to  6 - 7 in. diameter.

Heat a griddle on a medium flame. Add a little ghee or butter, transfer the flattened dough and cook for 2 to 3 mins. 

  Flip and cook on the other side with a little ghee or butter.

This measurement yield 4 to 5 rotis. Serve with a little but or honey according to your preference. Enjoy a wholesome meal.

Thanks for making this MA!

This stays good for a day or two at room temperature. If refrigerated stays for a couple more days. just warm and serve!

Tips:

When you knead, if it is watery, add a couple more teaspoons of the ragi flour or if it needs some water to sprinkle a little water to knead.

You can make this sprouted ragi flour too.

Powdered or crushed nuts and raisins can also be added.

A Special Chocolate Cake!

Last Sunday was Mother's Day!

MOM - she is all in one. Without her, no one can define life. She is the center of the family taking care with love and affection without expecting back anything in return. She nourishes you, cheers you up, teaches you, and makes you a proud human in the society.  There is no tool or unit to measure her love as it is a treasure. Her smile alone gives you the courage and confidence to achieve your goal. My mom is everything to me. I love you ma! Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mom's out there.

Here is a special chocolate cake - a decadent chocolate cake that I made to celebrate the special day with my family. This chocolate cake is also eggless and one of my very special friend shared me this recipe a few years back and from that day it is THE recipe that I have used many times. Thanks to my wonderful friend who is also a mom - so a special Mother's Day wishes to my special friend, HS. I didn't do any special decorations. Just made dark chocolate ganache and voila! all work is done - double chocolate! This recipe is the easiest and simplest one to follow and would be THE cake for chocolate lovers - whether you decorate it or eat it as such.

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 3 cups 

Sugar - 2 cups

Salt - 1 tsp

Soda - 2 tsp

Cocoa powder - 8 tbsp

Oil - 3/4 cup

Vinegar - 2 tbsp

Vanilla essence - 2 tsp

Cold water - 2 cups

Method

Preheat the oven to 350F

In a bowl, mix first flour, sugar, salt, soda, cocoa powder together. Make sure there are no tiny lumps. To avoid that sieve this mix. To this add oil, vinegar, vanilla essence, and water. Mix with a spoon. DO NOT USE BLENDER.....Once you mix thoroughly, pour into a greased and/or lined 9 in. round pan. Bake at 350 for 30 to 32 min. or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Now tell me...how simple it is to bake a special cake and celebrate Mother's day with your MOM, kids, and the whole family! 

I made two batches and made a double layer cake with dark chocolate ganache between the layers and for frosting too. Kept the decoration very simple with Cadbury's dairy milk shots and few silver candy pearls. 

Tips:

If using glass container bake it at 325 degrees for 30 to 40 min.

Fresh cream can also be used to decorate the cake.