Ragi Mudhe is a sweet south Indian recipe made with chick peas, roasted gram flour, clarified and roasted rice. This delicious preparation is a must try as it leaves a strong and delicious taste that can’t be explained by words. You’ll find Ragi Mudhe in restaurants, bakery shops, and even homemakers who make it for their own use. In the southern states of India like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, you’ll also find this preparation being made at home. While this may seem a little “immature”, in the hands of someone trained and experienced this dish can be whipped up in no time.
There are two kinds of Ragi Mudhe that you can serve when entertaining guests. One is called “Naanma” which is a thicker and richer version of the “Rabi Meal”. It consists of coarsely ground rice, ghee, clarified and boiled milk, and sugar. The second kind of preparation is called “Kuzhi” which is milder and lighter than the first one. Both can be served along with either Ragi Sautiyu (Rice Cake) or Rasagullas (Dal Fry) that are both equally popular in the South.
To make Ragi Mudhe you need a pan, a bit of oil, a stick of mortar and a pinch of salt. All you need to do next is to heat the oil and add in the rice, ground ginger and chicken. Cover the fire and let it cook for about five minutes so that you can mix it well with the other ingredients. When done, add in sugar and mix well. When that is done, you’ll find it has done a wonderful job of thickening your rice.
To complete the Ragi Mudhe preparation, you’ll find you have a tasty, soft chicken that will melt in your mouth. Then, you can add in additional ingredients to make it more interesting. It can be cumin, chicken, a bit of sugar, garam masala and a bit of rock salt to taste. This is a perfect starter dish for any day of the week and it goes great along with Ragi Sautiyu.
You’ll find the Ragi recipe in Indian cooking books that are made specifically for the South Asian market. There are hundreds of recipes from different regions. If you have access to books that are more generic and don’t specify exactly what region you should use, you can use this as a template for making the recipe. The ingredients are very easy to locate and the directions are detailed. If you’re just trying to learn how to prepare Ragi Mudhe rice, this is a great place to start.
If you’d like to cook Ragi Mudhe more often, you can also add coriander leaves and mint to the mixture if you’d like to have a more distinct flavor. For those that want to keep it simple, this is one of the easier dishes to replicate at home. For those that enjoy experimenting, however, it might be best to purchase a starter set that has all three of the main ingredients so that you can come up with your own creation. It is also nice when you are cooking for a family because it saves them the trouble of going out to buy more ingredients. Since you can get these as a gift, it’s even better!