Experiments with millets – Ragi truffle

I had been tinkering with millets, of late, in my kitchen. My fascination wasn’t so much about their recent fad status as super grains but started with their place of pride as ancient grains and the production process, which is more climate sustainable than rice or wheat. However, the nutritional benefits that they bring on to our plate is undeniable, especially when we see gluten intolerance on arise across the board. Though I am very skeptical about turning millets into the next mass production, cash crop without regards to their place of origin and indigenous cultures that have sustained them. More on that in a later post…

The first time I used a millet in one of our Social Table events was at the Cosmic Wedding at Soma Bangalore. I had made a lemony, foxtail millet spiced with long pepper and ginger. I had quite a few guests ask me for the recipe. When Om recently visited the Indian Institute of Millet Research in Hyderabad and came back all excited with their work on popularising millets, I got the final nudge required for me seriously start thinking about it. So I made a couple of predictable dishes like an upma and halwa with barnyard millet, and khichri with little millet and we loved all of them. Om then ordered five different varieties of millets to try and the first thing that I made was a chicken yakhni pulao with kodo millet for office lunch last week.

While it was a revelation on how versatile these grains can be, a friend in office urged me try a few millet recipes that she can give her teenage son whose diet she wants to diversify. That was a challenge. Children can be fussy eaters, teenagers most definately are fussy eaters! The food need to be easy on the palate and has to look ‘cool’! Today was an experiment with ragi – finger millet. I wanted to be true to traditional ways of cooking these millets, to the extent possible, and introduce elements to jazz them up a bit. Considering that winter is approaching and a introducing a bit of jaggery and ghee in our diets will help our lungs a tiny bit in fighting the pollution, I wanted to make something that incorporates those, along with some warm spices that help clean sinuses.

Suchi, a dear friend from Bhubaneswar was recently reminiscing about a fragrant ragi halwa that her mother used to make. She have a vague description of the recipe but a pretty accurate recollection of the taste. It was something, that according to her, is made in Southern Odisha. It seemed a perfect template for what I had in mind – a ragi truffle. It was a balls of fudgy ragi halwa, made with jaggery, milk and warm notes of black pepper, cinnmamon, cloves and stuffed with nuts and dates. The balls were coated in milk chocolate and dusted with cocoa powder. Perfect with a hot cup of coffee or a warm glass of milk. Or just by itself.

Ragi truffle

Made 8 truffles

Ragi/finger millet – 1/2 cup,
Ghee – 2 tbsp,
Jaggery – 1/2 cup,
Milk – 1 cup,
Cloves – 1,
Black pepper – 1,
Cinnamon – 1/4 inch,
Roasted cashews and almond – 8 each,
De-seeded dates – 8,
Milk chocolate – 1 cup,
Cocoa powder – to dust

1. Roast the ragi over low heat in a heavy bottom pan till the grains start smelling nutty. Cool and grind to a powder.
2. Pound the cloves, black pepper and cinnamon to a fine powder.
3. Heat the milk in a pan, add the jaggery and stir till the jaggery dissolves. Add the spice powder and keep on a simmer over low heat.
4. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan, turn the heat to the lowest and add the ragi flour. Roast the flour in ghee for 2 minutes and slowly add the warm milk.
5. Stir continuously to avoid lumps and cook over low heat till the fudge starts leaving the side of the pan.
6. Take off the heat, spread on a plate and cool.
7. Divide the fudge in 8 equal portion. Flatten into a disc over your palm, stuff with one date, one cashewnut and one almond. Fold in and roll into smooth balls. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
8. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave. Stir well. Put the ragi balls in the chocolate, roll to coat completely, remove with a fork and put on a plate dusted with cocoa powder.
9. Dust the truffles with more cocoa powder and put in the refrigerator to cool completely.

About Ragi

Ragi or finger millet originated in Africa and has been cultivated for many thousands of years in Uganda and Ethiopia. In India, the crop was probably introduced 4000 years ago, and has been found in archeological excavations in the Harappan Civilization. Ragi is rich in protein and is a perfect protein source for vegetarians. It has the highest amount of calcium and potassium amongst millets and is also a great source of iron making it beneficial for individuals with low haemoglobin levels. It is low in fat and is gluten free, makin it easy to digest.