How To Process Ragi

I can see the questions on your faces reading the title..."what is she talking about..,processing RAGI ??!! ''..... Yes processing ragi.... This post is dedicated to all first time Moms..... Having your first baby means doubts and questions from the time the pregnancy is confirmed..every next second you seek answers.... Being gone through all those very recently am sure of it. Now my little one is one year old,but still am not out of that state,i panic on even the silliest things regarding him.

       These days when ever i need an answer,i used to google it.....and the one time it failed to answer me was when i searched for recipes for semisolid baby food.I had started giving him semi solids from 3 months  itself coz he was taking baby formula which always caused disturbances for his stomach.I had my family to guide me through it ,but i was searching for more options. As usual i first searched the blogs i regularly read,instead of blind search i prefer recipes which some have tried and given a thumb's up. But couldn't find one. So thought of sharing such recipes on my blog. Hope at least one reader of my blog may benefit from it.
Ragi is the mostly preferred first semisolid through out Kerala. Every day we soak it,grind it, squeeze it ,strain it and cook it.....if u want a second batch the whole process is repeated. It is really a time consuming process..and if u r a working mom..it will be more difficult. So here is a solution for it which was passed on to me by my MIL. You can prepare a batch and store it. Ragi skin may cause mild constipation for babies so instead of just powdering it as such this method is better. Whenever you need add a few teaspoons of this to water or milk and cook it. Its a bit tiring process ..but u do hard-work one day,then sit and relax for may be a month or two. So here is the method .

Things Required

• Ragi  - 1kg
• Medium sized bowl - 1 or 2
• Large deep vessels - 2 or 3
• Strainer with medium size holes - 1
• Thin cotton cloth - 2 or 3 meters ( washed,sterilized and dried )

Method

• Wash ragi 3 to 4 times or till all impurities are gone
• Soak this for 2 hours
• Take some ragi in the jar of a mixer grinder,add a little water and pulse it for 2 or 3 times,transfer to a bowl.
• Repeat with rest of the ragi . The ragi will be in a paste form.
• Add a few cups of water to the ragi paste till it is like a runny batter.
• Now strain this using a medium holed strainer.Reserve what is left over.
• The ragi skin in the strainer may contain more ragi powder so repeat the process of grinding and straining once more.
• The strained ragi will be in a light pink liquid form. This may again contain traces of the skin.
• Cut of pieces from the cloth to fit the mouth of the deep vessel.Tie this firmly over the mouth of the vessel, Now pour the ragi in to the cloth. Stir with a spoon at times to make the process fast.
• At one point the powder ragi will accumulate and block the pores in the cloth and this may hinder the straining process. Add water to the ragi in the cloth and mix thoroughly. You will have to repeat this a few times. Our aim is to get all the ragi powder into the bottom vessel and remaining skin in the cloth.
• Now remove the cloth and squeeze it for any left over ragi. Keep this vessel undisturbed for few hours until all the ragi has sedimented at the bottom and u get almost clear water above.
• Discard the water carefully,stop when the water level is almost near the surface of the sedimented ragi.
• Spoon this into another piece of cloth,tie it firmly and hang it till all the water is drained.
• Spread this on a piece of cloth cover with another piece and dry in sun for three or four days.

Notes

• Better try with a small quantity first, once u have mastered the technique go for larger batches.
• Since this is intended for babies make sure that every thing you use is sterilized.
• While grinding dont over do pulsing is enough or you will not be able to separate the skin. If u have done it correctly,you will get all the skin separated in the strainer and cloth, and the strained skin will not have any traces of ragi.
• Control the use of water while grinding and initial straining coz straining through cloth needs a lot of water. Pores in the cloth get blocked easily so adding water frequently will speed up the process.
• So depending on the size of the vessel available divide the ragi into batches.
• If you finish these process by mid day and keep the vessel to rest, you will get the sediment by night. Hang it through out the night and by morning u can start sun drying.
• The hung ragi will have a slight fermented smell and will be in the form of a mass,break it into pieces before drying. Go on crushing the lumps as it dries.
• Once it is almost dry,Grind it in a mixer grinder so that you get a lump free fine powder.Dry this for one more day and store in air tight containers.
• The final product can be stored and kept for months.More you dry more it will last.
• Adding wheat along with ragi is a controversy,so if u want soak it along with ragi.