Mudde

| Indian recipes

Ragi Mudde

Mudde is a compact ball of dough made from finger millet. It is a lunchtime staple of rural communities in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in South India, and an important source of long-lasting energy among the rural poor.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups ragi (finger millet) flour
• 5 cups water
• Ghee

Procedure

1. Boil the water and add a little of the flour to make a paste, then add the rest of the flour.
2. Stir once with the handle of a wooden spoon and leave it in the pot.
3. Keep on a low fire for about 10 minutes until it smells cooked.
4. Stir until the mixture turns dark reddish-brown. Once it begins to leave the sides of the pot, remove the pot from the fire and stir vigorously for 5-10 minutes--it's hard work, but the longer you keep at it, the lighter it will be.
5. Pull the dough out and form into balls of about fist size.

Makes about 6 balls.

Serving immediately is preferable, but the balls can also be packed and eaten cold later. Before eating, if desired, poke a hole in the ball with your finger and pour in a little ghee. Dip pieces of the ragi dough in a watery sauce like upeseru broth and swallow; do not attempt to chew. Eat along with the solid upeseru for a complete meal that will keep you going all day.