Fermented Ragi Dosa
South Indian fermented Ragi Dosa recipe made with whole Ragi millet and Urad dal. Healthy millet dosa. With step by step pictures.
Having Idli / Dosa batter at home equals peace of mind. It comes in handy whenever you are running late, tired, not in a mood to cook, busy……
Here is how to do an awesome fermented Ragi dosa batter with Ragi Millet. I use whole Ragi and not Ragi flour. I like to use whole millet and not the flour as the soaked and ground millet produces better quality batter. There is this theory behind whole grains and their flours. The moment the grains are ground to flour, the essential oils from the grain gets released and may start deteriorating from that time on. So the older the flour gets, it turns rancid. So wherever possible I use whole grain and try to grind it freshly.
This Ragi Dosa recipe has just three ingredients. Ragi, Urad dal and salt. I soak the ragi and the dal separately as soon as I wake up in the morning for a couple of hours and grind it in a blender. I let Ragi Dosa batter ferment through the day and the Ragi Dosa batter is ready for dinner.
Wash and soak the whole white urad dal and the Ragi millet separately for couple of hours in lots of water so that the grains are completely immersed in water. Wash the Ragi millet 3-4 times in running water as it might contain a lot of dust and foreign particles. I soaked one cup of dal and two cups of Ragi millet.
Grind the Urad dal with 1.5 cups of water in a blender to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Grind the Ragi millet with a cup of water in the blender to a smooth paste.
Mix the Ragi millet paste to the urad dal paste. Add in the salt and mix well to combine. Cover the bowl with a lid and let Ragi Dosa batter ferment in a draft free place for 6-8 hours. It might take more time if you live in a cold place.
The Ragi Dosa batter should have increased in volume after 6-8 hours and should look foamy. Mix well using a spatula to release the excess foam. The Ragi Dosa batter should not be very thick. If Ragi Dosa batter is thick, add some water to dilute. Ragi Dosa batter should form thick ribbons when lifted.
Heat a dosa pan / griddle until hot for making Ragi Dosa. Let the flame be at medium. Pour a ladle of batter onto the griddle. Using the back of the ladle spread batter into a round. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon of oil onto the pan. Let it cook for 30 seconds until the sides are brown and little brown spots start to appear. Flip carefully with a thin metal spatula, and cook Ragi Dosa until browned. Up-to 30 seconds more. Transfer Ragi Dosa to a plate. Continue with the remaining Ragi Dosa batter.
Serve Ragi Dosa warm, with chutney.
Fermented Ragi Dosa – Finger millet Dosa
South Indian fermented Ragi Dosa recipe made with whole Ragi millet and Urad dal. Healthy millet dosa.
- Total Time: 6 hours 15 mins
- Yield: 25 dosas 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup Urad dal
- 2 cups Whole Ragi Millet – Finger Millet
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Oil for the dosa
Instructions
- Wash and soak the whole white urad dal and the Ragi millet separately for couple of hours in lots of water so that the grains are completely immersed in water. Wash the Ragi millet 3-4 times in running water as it might contain a lot of dust and foreign particles.
- Grind the Urad dal with 1.5 cups of water in a blender to a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Grind the Ragi millet with a cup of water in the blender to a smooth paste.
- Mix the Ragi millet paste to the urad dal paste. Add in the salt and mix well to combine. Cover the bowl with a lid and let it ferment in a draft free place for 6-8 hours.
- The batter should have increased in volume after 6-8 hours and should look foamy. Mix well using a spatula to release the excess foam. The batter should not be very thick. If its thick, add some water to dilute. It should form thick ribbons when lifted.
- Heat a dosa pan / griddle until hot. Let the flame be at medium. Pour a ladle of batter onto the griddle. Using the back of the ladle spread batter into a round. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon of oil onto the pan. Let it cook for 30 seconds until the sides are brown and little brown spots start to appear. Flip carefully with a thin metal spatula, and cook until browned. Upto 30 seconds more. Transfer to a plate. Continue with the remaining batter.
- Serve warm, with chutney.
Notes
If you live in a very cold place leave your batter in some place warm. Leaving your batter inside your oven with the pilot light on works great if you live abroad and your place is cold.
The batter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Prep Time: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: South Indian
Hi, thanks for posting, it looks really good. I tried to ferment batter with whole urad dal. It rose well, was fluffy and light, but on surface it looked a bit slimy and smelled funny. Any idea if this is right or I did something wrong?
This sounds like a super idea, will definitely contribue.
if i dont have whole ragi. then how do i make it with ragi flour
check
https://www.kannammacooks.com/ragi-dosa-urad-dal-ragi-flour-recipe/
https://www.kannammacooks.com/ragi-dosa-instant-ragi-dosa/
Hi mam,
I’ve tried this and it came out well.
Can we do the same with wheat flour instead of ragi?
Thanks!
Never tried with wheat. So not able to guess the texture.
Wheat will ferment a lot if we keep it overnight. Soak half a cup of rice at nite and Soak wheat in the morning for half a fan hour Instant grind and use for dosa.
Hi Ma’am,
Thanks for the yummy recipe. I have a query to ask. I have a dosa batter (idly rice + Urad dal+ fenugreek ) already grinders and fermented. Now I need to prepare Ragi dosa. So can I soak Ragi alone for 6 hours , grind, leave outside for a night and then mix with the dosa batter? Or it should be grinding with Urad dal? Between, I am a beginner in cooking so please don’t bother the basic questions.
You can grind the ragi with the urad dal and ferment together like described in the recipe above. Thanks
nice recipee
Its an absolute hit recipe with my family! Replacing regular dosa with such nutritious dosa never felt this good. This tastes amazing and crispy too at the same time and ticks all the boxes of a perfect dosa!
Thank you so much Suguna for this recipe and all the detailings that my first try was very successful.
Thank you!
I love the Ragi idli’s. Is it safe to eat during pregnancy?
Yes. Millets are safe to eat during pregnancy. If you have thyroid problems, you might want to limit your intake of millets.
Followed the recipe..but the dosas were not easy to make..they tended to stick …wonder where i went wrong
What kind of pan are you using?
What if i have sprouted ragi flour? What would the measurements be?
Check this
https://www.kannammacooks.com/ragi-dosa-instant-ragi-dosa/
You can use sprouted ragi flour in this recipe.
Hi Suguna,
Is it normal for this dosa batter to taste a bit bitter? Can you please let me know if that’s okay?
Thank you.
It should not be bitter. If you added too much fenugreek seeds, that can happen.
Hey, can i soak ragi overnight?
I mistakenly soaked some at night and wish to use it next day.
sure.
Hai.. I made this Raggi batter and it tastes yummy. I have a doubt. I grind in the eve and left out till Mrng. So I got over fermentated batter. Should I keep outside oly for 6 hours??
It depends on the weather. In hot and humid climate, fermentation will happen very fast.
Sugunna
Your guide for making ragi dosas are informative and helful for people.
I love ragi since it contains iron and calcium and better than rice dosas.
Ragi is good for diabetic people.
Can we add curd after grinding both ragi and udath dhals to ferment early?
Bhasker Raj
Bangalore
Fantastic
I made n psted in united by food in fb
Thanks a lot
Thank you. Glad you liked it!
Ah, thank you. I wanted to make ragi dosa with whole grain and you helped me.
Thank you so much! Glad you liked it. Happy Cooking!
This ragi batter turns a reddish brown on the top, is it oxidation? Is it ok to consume the same
Its fine. Go ahead. The colour is natural.
Thank you for your prompt replies..! ☺
I will definitely try the Idli option with the proportion you have suggested..!
Keep adding new recipes..!
Hi,
I did follow the above recipe and i have a few questions. I am new to cooking so maybe I m missing something basic here..!
1. When I used the batter (after adding water) to make dosa I found that the middle part was still wet.. Is it because I should make the batter more thin?
2. I used the batter to make Idli too but they did not come out fluffy. Is it because it is missing ‘poha’ which is there in your other Idli recipes? Is there anything else I should be specifically adding if i need to make only raagi Idli’s?
Thanks a lot for your wonderful recipes..!
Hi Supriya, if the batter is very thick, it might not cook properly. try diluting with some water. For idlis add poha and you can do 50-50 ragi and rice for softer idlis. 100% ragi wont yield as soft as rice idlis.
Hi,
I tried this out today and it came out perfect. Used the recipe as is. Makes soft dosais.
Sowmya.
Thank you!
Hi, can I use this batter to make idlis?
Sure. you can.
Can I use ragi flower to make this dosa, love the recipe but I can’t find whole ragi
I will post the recipe with ragi flour soon! Thank you. But you can try.
I tried your recipe kambu dosa,it taste awesome.Even my in laws and my kids liked it.Thanks for a healthy recipe.
Thanks Priya
Good recipe thanks 🙂
Hi Suguna,
Is this ok to use ragi flour for this recipe? If it is, what will be the measurement? As I am living in Australia, I can’t get whole ragi.
Thanks
Neela
I have not tried it with flour Neela. Will post a different recipe with the flour soon!
Hey Suguna, Made Ragi dosa for dinner last night. came out really well and tasty too. Honestly, I thought kids may not like it since there is no rice ingredient and only ragi and urad dal. To my surprise, my boys liked them. Urad dal compensates the bland taste of ragi well. Thank you for a wonderful healthy and tasty recipe.
Thank you so much!
Healthy and luks tasty. Do we have to use the batter on the same day we grind it or can we keep it for couple of days like the normal dosa batter?
The batter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.