Chaitar Vaishakha vajae jakhan, Tarvar shakhan tarsawe
Tan taap tapawe, lu lapkawe, jaith jalawe, jarkawe During the Chaith and Baishakh months when there are dusty storms, the branches of trees too become dry. During Jeth months due to intense heat and heat waves, bodies too start to dry
As the sweltering summers dance upon us and we long for the putter-patter of the monsoons, our hands reach out for the chilled sharbats and other cold foods. But high in sugar foods, even if cool to touch and taste, may create more bodily heat than traditionally cooling foods that have existed in our kitchens since several generations.
One such super cooling grain is Ragi or Finger Millet. Although, we know Ragi mainly for its calcium benefits, it has also been a favoured grain to consume during scorching summers. Finger Millets cools your body from the inside and fermenting it further helps maintain a healthy gut flora that takes a hit during the heated months of May/June.
So, here’s a recipe for fermented Ragi Ambil that is low in GI, good in bacteria and superbly cooling for summer
1. Dissolve 3/4 cup OOO Farms’ Ragi flour in 1 cup water. Mix well to leave no lumps
2. Heat 4 cups of water and bring to a boil3. Add the Ragi-Water slurry to the boiling water
4. Keep stirring and cooking till the mix thickens completely
5. Let cool completely and then make balls out of it
6. Immerse the balls in a bowl of water, cover with cloth and allow to ferment overnight. You can even soak the balls in water in an earthen pot.
7. Next morning, you can break and mix the ball in water or buttermilk. Try buttermilk for a further cooling effect.
8. Add salt at this point and cumin. You can even add some onions, coriander and green chillies to the drink to make it more masaledar.
[Finger Millet Flour / Ragi Flour / रागी / नाचणी / मांडुआ – OOO Farms]
Stay hydrated!
