Ragi halbai ( finger millet halwa // ragi kilsa )
Ingredients
Ragi ( finger millet)— 1 cupGrated coconut—1/2 cup
Jaggery powder—1 cup
Pure ghee—3 tablespoon
Cardamom pods—3 to 4
Water to grind the ragi—3 to 4 cups
Method
Wash the ragi and soak for 5 to 6 hours in sufficient water.
Drain the water from ragi and rinse well again using fresh water.
Now transfer ragi to a mixer jar along with coconut grated and cardamom pods and grind together to fine puree.
Do not add too much water to grind ,add only required amount.
Now strain the ground mixture over a strainer and squeeze well.
Now take the residue again along with water and grind again.
Strain this mixture as well.
Repeat this process 4 to 5 times.
Discard the residue.
Now take the strained ragi milk in a thick bottomed kadai or non stick pan,add in jaggery powder and 1 tablespoon of ghee.
Note
If you are taking jaggery,add little water and melt the jaggery and strain it to remove impurities after jaggery completely dissolves in water
Now before proceeding grease a plate with ghee and keep it ready.
Now to prepare halbai
Keep the kadai on stove and cook the mixture by stirring continuously on medium flame.
Keep stirring constantly until you get a thick mass. Add little ghee.
After few minutes the mixture starts separating from kadai and becomes glossy.
At this stage its done.
Switch off the stove.
Pour the hot mixture onto the greased plate.
Take a flat laddle or cup greased with ghee and flatten the halbai.,
Once cool cut into pieces ,then mark the pieces and separate them using a greased knife .
The whole process takes nearly 25 to 30 minutes. Now delicious ragi halbai is ready to eat.
Note
The water quantity is very important to obtain the perfect textured halbai.
