Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Ragi Masala Dosa ( Crispy millet crepe stuffed with sautéed carrots); Gluten free, Diabetes Friendly Thursday.


Served with coriander-coconut chutney and mixed vegetable sambhar

Masala dosa, paper masala dosa are all favorites in my home. Every weekend or every other weekend I make it. Every now and then, I try to make it healthier by substituting the traditional ingredients with healthy ingredients. Traditionally, sauteed seasoned potatoes are used as stuffing in these dosas. I have swapped the potatoes with carrots. This was a big hit when I made the tricolor masala dosa. Some of the successful variations that I regularly make is quinoa masala dosa and the Ragi masala dosa. The crepes made with  both these batters come out as crispy as the regular masala dosa batter. Today, I am going to share with you the recipe for Ragi masala dosa. Ragi is basically finger millet that is cultivated predominantly in Karnataka State of India since the iron ages. It is one of the key ingredients of the staple diet of Karnataka .It  It is a great source of protein and extremely healthy and nourishing. You can read more about it in the footnote section below.

Served with coriander-coconut chutney and mixed vegetable sambhar


This recipe is part of the Diabetes Friendly Thursday series. There are many diabetic people who are intolerant to gluten or have celiac disease and cannot consume food items that have gluten in them: wheat, barley and rye.DFT is not only diabetic friendly but has also stepped up to go " GLUTEN FREE" this time! Enjoy the gluten-free diabetic friendly recipes from the DFT bunch!


Creating Recipes with a Cause!

I am a proud DFT blogger. 

To learn about DFT, read this link

To view more DFT recipes, Click here!

Made at a different time, served with ridge-gourd peel chutney and sambhar.

Servings: 6 ( One masala dosa per person)


Ingredients :


For the batter:

Ragi flour: 1/2 cup
Chana dal( split yellow peas): 2 tbsp
Urad dal( split matpe beans): 3 tbsp
Raw rice: 1/3 cup
Methi seeds (Fenugreek seeds ): 1/4 tsp
Salt: to taste
Water: for soaking and grinding

For the carrot bhaji:

Carrots: 2 medium sized, diced
Coconut oil: 1/2 tsp ( any cooking oil can be used)
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Green chilli: 1 medium sized, slit
Salt : to taste

For the garlic chutney: click here for the recipe.

For the mixed vegetable Sambhar: click here for the recipe.

Method:


The dosa batter:

Soak the Chana dal,urad dal, rice and methi seeds together in water for 4-5 hours or overnight.

Grind all the ingredients  that were soaked to a batter with fine consistency using minimal water .The batter should not be runny. Let it ferment for 4-6 hours or overnight.



Add the Ragi flour to 3 cups water and mix well. Keep aside for 15-20 mins . 


The water and flour separate. Discard the top dark brown water. The sediment at the bottom will be lighter in color. 

Mix the Ragi sediment to the rest of the ground batter. Make sure that you mix it thoroughly. Add salt and mix well.

This part can be done just before making the dosa or can be mixed just after the rest of the batter is ground and ready. Again the batter should not be runny.



The stuffing ( baji):
Heat oil in a sauté pan. Add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves and slit green chilli. Add the chopped carrots and salt. Cover and cook until the carrots are tender,around 10 minutes, stirring in between. Turn off the flame. Garnish with cilantro leaves and keep aside.

The garlic chutney: recipe here.

The mixed vegetable Sambhar: recipe here.

Putting it together:

Heat the griddle until hot on medium-high flame. Sprinkle a little water on the griddle. 




Add 1/2 cup dosa batter to the center of the griddle and spread it thin in concentric circles from inside to outside of the griddle. 

Add a few drops of oil to the edges of the dosa to make it crisp.

Cook the dosa until the underside begins to turn crisp. 

Smear the chutney to the center of the dosa. 



Place a tablespoonful of carrot bhaji on top of it. 




Roll the crepe as you remove it off the griddle or you could fold it into a triangle.

Served with coriander-coconut chutney and mixed vegetable sambhar


Serve immediately with coriander-coconut chutney and sambar. You could serve it with any chutney of your choice.

Made at a different time, served with ridge-gourd peel chutney and sambhar.


The dosa may appear darker than the regular masala dosa, but the taste is just awesome and makes for a balanced, healthy, nourishing breakfast to kick-start your day and something that will keep you full until lunchtime.

Do give it a try.I am bringing this to Angie's Fiesta Friday!

Enjoy!!

Cooking made easy:


You could mix the Ragi sediment into the mixer itself and blend it with the rest of the batter once the rest of the batter has been finely ground.

You can choose vegetables of your choice for the stuffing. Any combination of healthy, non-starchy vegetables will do. Sambhar for me is a great way to clean up the fridge. If you are out of vegetables, you can make Sambhar with just shallots or onions that have been diced large. It tastes delicious!

Footnotes( tip for healthy living):


Ragi/ finger millet is a healthy grain that is gluten free and is a great alternative to wheat. For time immemorial, finger millet has been a staple part of the diet of residents of Karnataka, a South Indian state. Karnataka happens to produce 58% of the Ragi grown in India.Ragi is one of the few grains that does not need to be polished and therefore is minimally processed. Ragi is a great source of protein, calcium and iron, hence very important for vegetarians and vegans. It has the highest percentage of protien when compared to other grains.It has a higher mineral content compared to all other cereals. It contains important amino acids that are not found in other cereals. It has the highest calcium  and potassium content in comparison with other cereals. It is also a great source of iron! It is also rich in B vitamins. It naturally is low in fat and high in dietary fiber due to the presence of it's bran. It is great alternative for rice and wheat for diabetics as it has a low glycemic index an therefore maintains the sugar levels stable for a longer period of time.Bottom-line, it is a very good food item that is beneficial for almost everyone!

The carrots in the bhaji are a great source of Vitamin A ( Beta carotene)  and a host of other powerful health benefits that include cancer prevention and anti-aging! One serving of carrots ( around 1 medium carrot or 1/2 cup chopped) will provide about 210% of the average daily recommended vitamin A, 10% of vitamin K, 6% of vitamin C and 2% of calcium!

The vegetables in the Sambhar contribute towards our daily required servings of vegetables and thereby the essential vitamins and minerals, not to mention the dietary fiber.

Garlic in the chutney is beneficial too as garlic has been purported to have several heart-healthy benefits, anti-cancer properties and supposedly helps in preventing arthritis.


Disclaimer:I am not a nutritionist or dietitian. My knowledge and information is based on my research and reading from different resources. Please consult your doctor or dietitian before making any changes to your diet.

Do try these other gluten-free dishes from Team DFT:
1. Sonal 
https://simplyvegetarian777.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/paneer-tofu-keema-lettuce-wraps-dft/

2. Parvathy V Nair
https://crackleandtemper.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/kambu-bajra-dosai-pearl-millet-crepes-diabetic-friendly-thursdays/

3.Prachi Garg
http://divinespicebox.com/2015/09/23/zucchini-pancakes-with-yogurt-dill-sauce-dft/

4.Shailja Tomar Gonsalves
https://shailjatomar.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/moroccan-vegetable-stew-dft/

5. Anupama Nagarajakumar
http://easybitesonline.com/mixed-vegetable-saagu-diabetes-friendly/

6. Apsara Gopalarathnam
http://eatingwelldiary.com/2015/09/23/gongura-leaves-chutney-or-thuvaiyal-with-a-healthy-tip-dft/

7. Suchitra Kamath-Bhat
http://sus-healthy-living.blogspot.com/2015/09/ragi-masala-dosa-crispy-millet-crepe.html?

8. Srividhya Gopalakrishnan
http://www.vidhyashomecooking.com/2015/09/23/pearl-millet-gruel-kambu-koozh/

9. Swati NeerajGoyal

http://www.letscookhealthytonight.com/stuffed-paneer-and-carrot-ragi-paratha/

Food for thought:


What you are now comes from what you have been, and what you will be is what you do now. Gautama Buddha


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