Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Nanchane Duddali (Finger Millet/Ragi Halwa)

Nanchane duddali is a jaggery based  halwa. I got this recipe from my mother. In Konkani, Nanchano means Finger millet/ Ragi and duddali means halwa. Since ragi is a rich source of calcium, this halwa is very good for health. It is low in fat and also has Iron content in it (because of the addition of jaggery).
This halwa has a very different texture and taste. Generally it is said that the consumption of ragi has to be increased in summer. This is because it has a cooling effect on the body. Try making this halwa and get the goodness of ragi.




Ingredients:
  • Ragi*/ Fingermillet- 2/3 cup
  • Jaggery- 1/2 cup (adjust accordingly)
  • Cardamom pods- 3-4
  • Clarified butter/Ghee- 1 Tbsp
*Can I substitute ragi with ragi flour?
It is always advisable to use ragi over ragi flour. When ragi is used, the halwa gets a better taste and texture. However if ragi is unavailable, then try making it with small amount of ragi flour.

Procedure:

Wash ragi and then grind it to get a paste as fine as possible. Add water as required. Then strain it to get the thick milk from ragi. Then transfer the remains of ragi (from the strainer) to a bowl and add little water and again strain this mixture in the bowl which contains the thick milk of ragi. Repeat this process two more times, so that the milk from ground ragi is extracted completely ( I added 320ml of water or in simple words twice the amount of water that a 2/3 cup can hold).

Add jaggery to the milk collected from ragi and mix well until it melts completely. Check for the sweetness and you can add more at this point. Then add the cardamom powder as well. Now transfer this mixture to a kadai.



Now start heating it on a medium flame and keep stirring continuously. After 3-4 minutes, the liquid starts to solidify and the color starts to deepen.



Continue to stir further, until everything gets solidified. Once done, add ghee and mix well. Turn off the heat.



Transfer it to a plate which is greased with ghee. Spread the mixture evenly as shown below. Allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes.



Once it cools, cut it into desired shape. Nanchane Duddali is ready!!



Serve it with small amount of ghee drizzled on top. Above measurement serves three people.



4 comments :

  1. wow, such a beautiful recipe.I have heard about this dish. Some people make this for infants when they are ready to eat solid foods.Will definitly try this one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Sumi. I see that you have some interesting recipes too :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks like the arrowroot halwa. Healthy too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. yes Radha..Texture is very similar to that.

    ReplyDelete