Soft Ragi Adai is a healthy finger millet breakfast or dinner recipe prepared in sweet and spicy versions. These soft ragi rotis are filling and pair well with onion raita or your favorite South Indian side dish.
Ragi adai /Finger Millet roti recipe was in my try list for long time.Its a healthy breakfast/dinner recipe for diabetic and for people who wants to lose their weight. I have discussed its health benefits at the end of this post. Don’t forget to have a glance. Here I have shared “How to make-sweet ragi adai and spicy ragi adai”. I make my MIL’s spicy adai usually adding buttermilk. But this time, I got these recipes from my friend Shalini.
As she is in diet, she is having more of ragi recipes. She suggested me to try this once and she guaranteed that this adai would come out super soft and stays soft for long time too. Usually she makes this adai for lunch and have the same for dinner too. By imagining its softness, I got tempted to try. I tried for the first time and as she told, it came out very well.
Sendhil is not a big fan of ragi roti as it becomes hard after cools down. But when I prepared in this way, he loved it like anything and told me to make it more often. This shows the success of this recipe, isn’t it. I heard some people add drumstick leaves and vegetables in spicy adai. I must try that way soon to make it more healthy. U don’t need any specific side dish for this adai. Onion raita or masala raita would do ! Do try this soft ragi roti roti. U’ll love it and I am sure you will include this in your breakfast or dinner routine. Even bachelor’s can try and have this healthy recipe in your menu.
Quick Notes for US & Abroad Kitchens
- Ragi flour is sold as finger millet flour in US, UK and UAE grocery stores; use jaggery or dark brown sugar for the sweet version if palm jaggery is unavailable.
- For the spicy version, cook the flour mixture on the stovetop; an Instant Pot is not suitable because the dough needs open-pan stirring and direct pan cooking.
- In cold kitchens, keep the warm dough covered so it stays soft while shaping; add water gradually because flour quality changes.
- Serve fresh for the softest texture. Refrigerate leftover adai for up to 2 days and reheat on a pan with a few drops of oil.
Ragi adai recipe – Sweet and spicy versions
Ingredients
SWEET RAGI ADAI RECIPE
- 1 cup Ragi flour (about 120 g / 4.2 oz per cup)
- ½ cup Jaggery (about 100 g / 3.5 oz per 1/2 cup)
- 1.3 cup Water (about 240 ml / 8 fl oz per cup)
- ¼ cup Grated coconut (about 25 g / 0.9 oz per 1/4 cup)
- ¼ tsp Cardamom powder
SPICY RAGI ADAI RECIPE
- 1 cup Ragi flour (about 120 g / 4.2 oz per cup)
- 1.3 – 1.5 cup Water (about 240 ml / 8 fl oz per cup)
- Tamarind Medium gooseberry size(optional)
- 1 tsp Sambar powder
- 1 Green chillies (finely chopped)
- 1 Big onion
- Curry leaves few
- 2 pinch Hing
- Coriander leaves few
- ⅛ tsp Turmeric powder
To temper
- 1 tbsp Cooking oil
- ½ tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Urad dal
- 1 tsp Channa dal
Instructions
- In a kadai,melt jaggery adding the mentioned quantity of water.Strain after it melts. Again heat the syrup.
- When it starts to roll boil,add the grated coconut & cardamom powder.Boil for few seconds.Now simmer the flame completely and add the ragi flour.Stir it quickly without any lumps.It will become a whole mass and leaves the kadai.
- Switch off the flame and allow it to become warm.When it is warm.grease your hands with gingely oil and knead the dough very well. It would become a soft ball. Keep it covered till use.
- Take a polythene sheet,make balls from the dough and pat it thin. Heat dosa pan and drop the adai. Apply little oil around and cook in medium to high flame for a minute. If you flip it quickly, adai may break because of its softness. So cook till firm. Adjust the flame accordingly. Cook both sides. Remove and serve hot !
- Soak tamarind in little water and take the extract.
- In a kadai, heat oil and temper mustard, urad dal, channa dal. Saute onions,green chillies, curry leaves adding salt and hing.
- Now add the tamarind extract and the remaining water. Total water quantity should be 1.3 – 1.5 cups based on the quality of flour. Add turmeric powder,sambar powder and the required salt. Let it boil for 2 minutes.
- Now simmer the flame completely and add the ragi flour stirring the water in one hand. It will become a whole mass. Keep it covered till use.
- Switch off the flame and after it becomes warm, knead it well to make a dough.
- Make balls and pat in polythene sheet for the desired thickness. Grease your hands with oil whenever necessary.
- Heat a dosa pan and cook this ragi adai on both sides adding few drops of oil. Allow it to cook till it becomes slightly firm else it will break when you flip it. Keep the flame high if needed. Cook on both sides. Remove it.
- Serve hot with raita !
Notes
- For this spicy version, adding tamarind is purely optional, but it adds a nice tangy taste.
- You can use finely chopped chillies instead of sambar powder and tamarind extract.
- If adai comes out dry, add more water; if it comes out too soft, reduce the water.
- Cook on medium to high flame until firm before flipping, and avoid very high heat so the adai does not burn.
- You can add finely chopped vegetables in the spicy version.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is ragi adai?
Ragi adai is a soft finger millet roti. This post includes both sweet and spicy versions.
- How can I keep ragi adai soft?
Cook the dough and adai carefully, keep the dough covered while warm, and avoid overcooking the finished adai.
- What can I serve with ragi adai?
Serve spicy ragi adai with onion raita or another light side dish.
Try this recipe and enjoy it with the serving suggestions mentioned above.
yummy n healthy.. we call it ragi rotti…
Healthy and tasty recipes :) Love it dear !!
healthy roti.. my all time fav
Ragi Adai seems so tasty and the photographs are so inviting.
this seems like a really healthy option… both versions looks yum, though i would prefer the sweet one… :)
healthy and yum….nicely done both version
Healthy roti…… Both sweet and spicy looking inviting!
healthy adai ….super picture
healthy adai….looks super tempting n wonderful clicks..
healthy adai.. Looks tempting.. Have tried the spicy version, will try the sweet version next time..
healthy adai!! very inviting :)
Healthy and delicious adai, it's been a long time that I had this..
I always love the spicy rotis very much, but my recent favourite is the sweet one.
yummy adai .remember my mom makes this adai when we were in school .u got a very sweet friend who gave u very nice tips .
lovely clicks and look's scrumptious :)
Hi, though im a regular follower of ur blog im writing a comment for d 1st tm. I hv tried ragi sweet adai today and it came out really well and very tasty too.
Thanks a lot Esther. U made my day by ur sweet words.Keep in touch :)
hi ragi roti, akki roti, rave roti, jolada roti, rgge muddhe orginated in karnataka , ragi is staple food of kannadigas,
I know it very well :) I am trying to learn all these karnataka delicacies :)
Awesome dush
Awesome dish preparation method with clarity images for different age peoples.for more recipes follow the link here. Healthy Ragi Recipes
Healthy Ragi Recipes
Wow… super delicious Chitra. Thanks for sharing. My son relished it this morning. I halved the recipe and used ghee instead oil (sweet version). Thank you again.
That's nice to know.Thanks a lot for the feedback :)
Superb dish :)
Thanks Rachel :)
Hi chitra I made ragi sweet roti as per ur receipe it came out very well my son loves it so much both me and my so. Happy. Thank you for your sweet recipe
I made your sweet ragi recipe it came out well my son really enjoyed the dish thank you chitra
Glad to know it. Thank you so much for the feedback :) U made my day !
Ragi adai (spicy version) came out very well.Thanks for sharing a fool proof recipe!
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback 😊
Ragi adai (spicy version) came out very well.Thanks for sharing a fool proof recipe!