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Ragi ambali
రాగి అంబలి (ragi ambali): fermented finger-millet porridge thinned with buttermilk and onion
Across rural Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, farm workers drink a big glass of ragi ambali in the early morning before the summer heat, and clay pots of it are sold at roadside stalls in April and May. Finger-millet flour is cooked into a thick paste, left overnight to ferment lightly, then thinned with buttermilk and stirred with raw onion, green chilli and curry leaves into a cool, tangy, savoury drink. It is suitable as part of a balanced diet. About 140 kcal and 22 g carbohydrate per portion. The usual mistake is pouring the ragi flour straight into boiling water, which makes lumps; mix it with cold water first. Chef's tip: cook the paste until it turns glossy and darker, about 8 minutes; undercooked ragi tastes raw and floury.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ⅛ oz ragi (finger-millet) flour
- ¾ cup cold water
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 2 cups buttermilkchilled
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 shallots or small onionfinely chopped
- 1 green chillifinely chopped
- 6 curry leavestorn
- ¼ tsp roasted ground cumin (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk 2 ⅛ oz ragi (finger-millet) flour into ¾ cup cold water until there are no lumps.
2 minStep 2: Bring 1 ¾ cups water to the boil in a heavy pan, pour in the ragi mixture, and stir constantly over a medium-low heat for 7–8 minutes until it is thick, glossy and darker in colour.
8 minStep 3: Cool, cover and leave at room temperature overnight (8–10 hours) to ferment lightly; it will smell pleasantly sour. In very hot weather, ferment for 6 hours then refrigerate.
Step 4: Break up the set ragi and whisk in 2 cups buttermilk and ½ tsp salt until it is a pourable drink.
2 minStep 5: Stir in 2 shallots or small onion, 1 green chilli, 6 curry leaves and ¼ tsp roasted ground cumin. Serve cold.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ragi ambali take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of buttermilk?
- Milk with lemon juice or white vinegar: 1 tbsp per 240ml (1 cup) milk, left for 5 minutes.
- What can I use instead of shallots or small onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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