Ragi Nankhatai

Hello all. I am sure atleast some of you might be thinking that I am obsessed with ragi these days 🙂 Well, maybe I am. After a successful attempt at making ragi-oats chocolate cookies (got really good reviews from all those who tasted it), I was ready to try out some more ragi bakes. And obviously, the most easy ones are these

nankhatais. All you need is some fresh ragi flour, chickpea flour and fresh ghee.

I am sure that each one of you is very well aware of the health benefits of ragi. For more details, you may click here. For those who are chocolate fans, you might be interested in these chocolate ragi cookies. Moreover, with Diwali soon approaching, it could be a healthy treat in your Diwali menu. Oh, how did I forget, I have a couple of other nankhatai recipes in my blog:

Custard Nankhatai

Whole Wheat Nankhatais

Chocolate nankhatai

Besan nankhatai

Traditional nankhatai

As always, I have used a 240 ml cup. Please do not skip the semolina as it lends a texture to these yummy nankhatais. Also, do not skip roasting the ragi flour as it removes the strong earthy flavour of ragi flour. The amount of ghee can vary a bit depending on the quality of your flour, so please adjust it accordingly. The dough should be very soft and smooth. If you want a sweeter cookie, please increase the quantity of sugar by a tablespoon or two. Another healthy ragi cookie recipe to be updated soon…. Stay tuned for the same.

Ingredients:

• Ragi flour 75 gm
• Besan/chickpea flour 50 gm
• Semolina 2 tbsp
• Cane sugar 50 gm
• Ghee 75-90 gm
• Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
• Almond/pistachio slivers as needed

Method:

• Dry roast the ragi flour in a heavy bottom pan over low flame for 4-5 minutes. Transfer it into a big mixing bowl.
• Now roast the besan flour in the same pan till the raw smell goes off. Tip this into bowl containing the roasted ragi flour.
• Add semolina and cardamom powder to this and mix well.

• Take thick ghee (if its melted, refrigerate it for few minutes) in another bowl and add sugar to it. (If the sugar granules are big, pluse them in a mixer for few minutes). I pulsed the sugar and few cardamom seeds in the mixer for few seconds.

• Cream the ghee and sugar till it’s light and fluffy.

• Add the dry ingredients to this mixture and combine well. Do not knead hard.

• Refrigerate the dough for 15-20 minutes.
• Now preheat the oven at around 160-170 degree Celsius for ten minutes.
• Line a baking sheet/tray with parchment paper.
• Take small ball sized dough and flatten it in your palm. Place it on the prepared tray.
• You can top these with some finely chopped almonds or pistachios.
• Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Now bake these for 20-22 minutes or till the top looks firm. The baking time will vary according to each oven. I think I over baked it a bit today as I got occupied with some other work.

• Remove the tray from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to rest in the tray for 4-5 minutes.
• Transfer these gently on to the cooling rack using a flat spatula or ladle.
• On cooling completely, store it in airtight containers.