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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Ragi Huri Hittu and Unde for Blogging Marathon 4



In Kannada, ragi huri hittu literally means the flour made using popped ragi and unde are the balls / laddus.

I chose 'kid friendly' theme for the Marathon 4 and the recipes I blogged so far are
1. Fruity Yogurt Rice
2. Apple Basundi
3. Oats - Lauki Tikkis
4. Kheer
5. Vattayappam
6. Methi Parathas with Carrot Stuffing

Our mother worked hard in the kitchen to serve the entire family healthy, balanced meals each day. When I reflect back and think about the food we ate, I marvel at my mother's patience and smartness. I can label most of our childhood meals including our snacks as low fat and nutritious. Deep frying was never a preferred thing in my mother's kitchen. Our usual evening snacks would be guggillu (salads with chick peas or moong or dried peas), steamed sweet potatoes, corn, boiled peanuts, veggie upmas and so on. Of all those, this ragi huri hittu has been my most favorite snack item. I don't know how many kilos of this flour I have consumed over the years. :) Plain, old ragi flour is no match to the huri hittu in the flavor department. 
Ragi huri hittu has been on my 'to do list' ever since I started to cook on my own. However, it has been impossible just because I don't get ragi here. The whole ragi grain I mean and not the ragi flour. My last year's India trip was not an appropriate one for shopping but when I visited India three years back; I remembered particularly to buy ragi. I bought it in one of those large departmental chain stores that have recently become popular in India. Mistake, mistake. I bought that from that store for the sole reason of being sold in a packet. When I brought it here and tried to pop, it just got burnt and did not pop at all. I later learnt that a good quality ragi alone pops.



I should have opted for those single owner operated, little grocery stores that are ubiquitous through out the thousands of towns / cities across India. The stores are not even half the size of a single aisle of these giant departmental stores of America but they carry all the ingredients that an Indian housewife needs for her cooking besides the toiletries.
One of the advantages with these kind of small stores is that the shop would be right around the corner and you walk a few steps to reach there. No wastage of fuel and some exercise for your body. :) You buy only what you need since you are not lured by the strategic placing of the ingredients. And also you can buy only that amount you need instead of pre packed stuff that are usually more than you require. The only disadvantage is that the guy is going to pack your stuff in a old newspaper but no need to complain since he is not charging you for packing expenses. 

After the mishap, my sister remembered to send me some ready made ragi huri hittu packets when my parents were visiting. And added bonus, she sent me some packets that were labeled 'Special'. Already the flavorful, special ingredients like copra, nuts, cardamom and the sweetener mixed. How sweet!! Thank you sis. I was able to introduce this healthy, delicious snack to my kids.
If any one is interested, ready made packets are sold in stores around Bangalore though I am not sure about the other regions in Karnataka. 

How to pop the ragi / finger millet:
I haven't popped ragi until date but here are the guidelines if you would like to give it a try.
Mix about 1/2 cup ragi and 2 Tbsp buttermilk (churned yogurt). Spread them on a kitchen towel and allow them to air dry for about 30 minutes or so. Or just wash the ragi, drain and air dry.
Then dry roast them on medium flame until they puff up. Let cool the popped ragi and grind it into a fine powder. Store it in an airtight container.




One of the ways to enjoy hurihittu is making these delectable unde from them.
Ingredients for 4 balls:
1 cup ragi huri hittu (I used the one with nuts, copra, sugar, cardamom all ready added)
1 tsp ghee
Few Tbsp milk

Mix everything and shape into lime sized balls. Add milk as needed.
If using the plain ragi huri hittu, then add to it the fresh shredded coconut, jaggery and cardamom powder as needed. Form lime sized balls from the mixture gradually adding milk. A little ghee can also be added for the yummy flavor. 

My fellow marathoners are - 
Diabetes Diet/Management:PJ  
Kid Friendly Recipes:Me, Priya Suresh, Divya
Seven Days of Soup:Ila, Smita P 
Seven Days of Indian Bread:Monika
Seven Days of Cakes: Bhagyashri
30 Minutes Meals:Archana  
Seven days of Condiment:Kamalika, Srivalli


Comments

27 comments:

Shanavi said...

Very healthy laddus Suma.. Good for all ages..

Srivalli said...

Looks great Suma..

Umm Mymoonah said...

Very healthy and yummy recipe.

Nisha said...

marathon sounds like a cool idea. raji ladoo looks yum

Siri said...

This is a very nice article. You reminded me of the ragi huri hittu packet that my mom handed to me last year when I went to India for my two year old daughter. I'll definetely prepare this.

Sarah said...

Ragi is one of my favourites! in fact I love having Ragi mudde for lunch.. and ragi porridge for breakfast.. i've never tried this particular dish... it looks yummy

Aruna Manikandan said...

Healthy post dear....
looks delicious :)
Bookmarked it.

Priya Suresh said...

Wat a nutritious and tempting laddoos, simply fabulous..

Kaveri Venkatesh said...

Nutritious Laddu...Have a jar of Ragi Sitting on my shelf for quite some time now..will try these for my children....

Ila said...

Looks awesome and delicious :) tempting ladoos :)

Prathima Rao said...

Love this healthy unde!!!
Prathima Rao
Prats Corner

lubnakarim06 said...

Healthy and yum....

Sravs said...

so healthy laddus !!

Suji said...

Very healthy snack and lovely clicks suma..

harini-jaya said...

Never heard this before..looks healthy and delicious too. I am cursing myself for not having got ragi whole grain on my last trip to India. I have so many recipes on hand using whole ragi which I need to try and my hands are tied.

Unknown said...

ragi unda looks tempting....As a kid never ate these....only after growing up! :) I know ragi is wholegrain, but can we use this in place of rice?...
thanx for ur comment on my blog...ya for now...i use splenda when required, dont like the after taste, tho its very less with splenda, i still can feel it! :)yes experience helps a lot...whenever i look at food...back of my mind i start counting carbs...tho I dont follow it!! lol :)) I should...I am too bad at following it! which I am supposed to be doing!
Smitha
Smitha's Spicy Flavors

Suma Gandlur said...

Smitha, rice cannot be replaced with ragi as quinoa and cracked wheat. You can't cook the whole grains but you can cook many dishes with ragi grain & flour.

Unknown said...

wow, they do look very inviting. I have never cooked with ragi flour or grains yet, color is beautiful.

Rani acharyulu said...

Healthy laddus.Looks so nice.Ragi poridge i know this laddu version is knew to me.Great post.

Nitha said...

Ragi unda looks perfect...

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Unknown said...

I am 66 now from Bangalore and I remembered to enjoy ragi rotti, ragi huritu, ragi dosa,ragi huritu unde. Also in liquid form consists of ragi huritu with little jaggery and little tamrind water. My mother is 90 and she told me the procedure of preparation of this items. She has also told about RAGI SARI used in those days for babies start up food. I am impressed about the way Suma presented the importance of RAGI. Now I want to try and send some stuff to my son&daughter-in-law in Fremont and my younger brother in Canada..May be I will standardise the process with modern facilities and process know available in Bangalore.....With best wishes to Suma :) Hanumantha Rao

Anonymous said...

What part of India does this originate? Just tried the special, soooo good! Not too much sugar, I added only warm water and some almonds. When I noticed the amount of Iron and calcium. I had to try. Excellent!

Suma Gandlur said...

Hi Anonymous, it is from Karnataka and am glad that you liked it.

Anonymous said...

Hi thanks for sharing this yummy recipe.can ragi ball made with this flour?pls guide me for making ragi and jowar flours.Do we need to wash and roast them or just mill like wheat straight away.

Suma Gandlur said...

I have never made the balls with huri hittu but I guess it can be used. I think you can grind the grains directly without washing.