Varagu Arisi Dosai/Kodo millet dosai
Varagu arisi is one of the important millets, which has a low glycemic index. It is supposed to prevent diabetes if used regularly. I see it marketed in many of the supermarkets as antidiabetic rice. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I had got some varagu arisi from DH’s native place. I had read in kumudam health magazine that it can be cooked like regular rice or made into batter to make dosa. Since DH loves dosa varieties I made dosa with it. It more or less tasted like regular rice dosa with a faint nutty flavour.It soaked very quickly also. I used it with urad dhal in the ratio of 4:1 and I was able to make thin crispy dosas.Even my two year old loved it. I served this with kadalai chutney.
Varagu Arisi Dosai/Kodo millet dosai
Ingredients:
4 cups varagu arisi/kodo millet
1 cup urad dhal
1/2 tsp fengreek seeds
salt to taste
Method:
- Clean and soak varagu arisi for an hour or two.
- Soak urad dhal separately with fenugreek seeds.
- Grind the dhal and rice separately .
- Mix them together with the required salt and allow it to ferment for 8 hours or overnight.
- Make soft idlies or crispy dosa. Serve with chutney of your choice.
Chef Hema 
Radha replied:
You said it soaked quickly. How to tell when something like rice or millet is done soaking so it doesn’t smell?
May 9, 2013 at 8:05 am. Permalink.
hema replied:
rice 3-4 hours should be sufficient, but varagu soaked in an hour, finger millet and other millets require 3-4 hours only.
May 24, 2013 at 11:54 am. Permalink.
Radha replied:
It would help if you made a chart for soak time for each type of millet and whole grain rices like red, brown and black and even for dals. I’m trying to figure out how to deal with the phytic acid in these grains that block iron absorption and I read soaking helps. But how to know we successfully soaked it so the iron is now available? I eat so much dal but my iron levels are still low. And can we use the soaking water for cooking or should it be thrown out because I want to maintain nutrients?
I once tried soaking red rice and Kambu. The Kambu ferments so rapidly the house smelled so foul! If red rice is old it rapidly ferments and should never be eaten! I soaked only for 3 hrs and it was smelling sourish than usual. I didn’t feel well after eating it. I stupidly used the rice past its expiration date which was expired by a few months but it was such a difference compared to cooking newer red rice.
May 24, 2013 at 8:13 pm. Permalink.
Radha replied:
It would help if you asked your relatives as much as you can on millets and documented it here. The knowledge is getting lost and I’m struggling to cook with them making many errors.
May 24, 2013 at 8:21 pm. Permalink.