Ragi Roti Recipe | Roti Bakar | Ragi Recipe | Whole Food Plant Based Recipes

Say Yes to New Adventures

Ragi roti is traditionally made from a soft, almost batter-y dough, patted out on a soft cotton cloth or a banana leaf and flipped onto the hot tava.

Although you can also directly make it on the tava by patting it round with water, this requires some practice. Try it out today!

Whole Food Plant Based Ragi Roti Recipe

Course: Course 3 (Grain Dish) for Lunch & Dinner Meals
Cuisine: North Karnataka Recipe from South India
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 Akki Rotis

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Ragi Flour / Ragi Hittu
1 Onion
3 tbsp Flaxseed Powder
1/2 tsp Jeera / Cumin Seeds
1 cup Water as required

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Peel and chop onion into tiny pieces. Mix all ingredients together, with enough waterhot water to form a dough.
2. Using water, wet a banana leaf or muslin cloth. Take a small ball of dough and press / tap it on to the leaf or cloth to get a thin finger millet bread.
3. Heat tawa till a drop of water dances around when you splash water on it. Gently place the flattened rotti on it and remove the leaf or cloth. Make some evenly spaced holes with a fork so it gets cooked evenly. Close with a lid so it cooks well. Once done, flip it and let the other side get cooked as well.
4. Wait until it cools fully, then serve fresh with green chutney. Enjoy! 🙂

Plant Based Chef Pro Tips for Best Ragi Roti Recipe

1. If you prefer crispy rotis, flatten more and cook for longer.
2. Plain Ragi roti can be made with another method. Boil 5 parts water, pour 5 parts ragi flour and 1 part flaxseed powder slowly and mix it well to get a dough like consistency and use this to make rotis.

Nutrition Science Highlights for WFPB Ragi Roti Recipe

1. Why whole grains? Whole grains are healthier than refined grains such as white rice, refined flours, maida, rava, etc., as the bran layer is intact, with all its vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Whole grains have been found to be protective against a whole range of chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and lifestyle-related cancers.
2. Why cool grains? When cooked grains are allowed to cool on the counter or in the fridge, the starch crystallises to form resistant starch. This can be eaten by our good gut bacteria and also reduces the glycemic index (the rate at which glucose is absorbed), making the whole grain even healthier. For the same reason, parboiled whole grains can be used as well.
3. Why flaxseed powder? Whole grains are super healthy foods, but whole grain flours, not so much. Because of a smaller particle size, the starch from ground up grains gets absorbed much faster than from intact whole grains, causing a glucose spike and insulin spike in the blood. This is why we recommend coarsely ground whole grains as against finely ground whole grains. When we cook dishes using whole grain flours, it is wise to add an ingredient that makes the dish sticky and slows down absorption. Flaxseed is a perfect addition for making rotis. In addition, flaxseed contains high levels of omega 3 fats and cancer-fighting lignans. For the same reason, eating grain flour dishes with pulses and legumes, such as roti and dal, is a great idea too.
4. What's wrong with roasting? The brown color we get on roasting whole grains, tubers, legumes, or nuts is due to the formation of carcinogenic AGE compounds. We can reduce the formation of these compounds by roasting on a low flame, adding spices and herbs, and removing browned portions of rotis / flatbread before serving and enjoying them.