Keppai koozh/ Ragi porridge

Keppai / Ragi Koozh is a perfect cooling drink and its very good for the health. It has amazing amount of iron, Vitamin B, complex protein, amino acids, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium and can be given to babies from age 5+ months as baby food like a porridge or combine it with milk/ yogurt/ veggies/ fruits which is a complete nutritious baby meal. Ragi flour cooked with a little milk and sugar is a tasty and easily digestible breakfast. Ragi koozh is one of the popular items  prepared in Tamil Nadu in those days.  I am happy to share this healthy recipe to you all.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup - Ragi Flour / Keppai
• 1/2 cup - Cooked Rice
• 1 cup -  Butter milk
• 2 tbsp – Curd (for fermentation)
• Salt  to taste

Preparation method:

Dough fermentation:

1. Take a mixing bowl, add ragi flour, salt, 2 tbsp of curd and enough water, mix everything well so that there are no lumps. Batter should be like a dosai batter.
2. Keep this mixture aside for 4 hours for fermentation. After 4 hours, heat the heavy bottomed pan, measure the ragi mix and add same amount of water in the pan.
3. When water starts boiling add ragi mixture along with cooked rice ( add rice to the ragi mix). Cook the mixture in the medium flame for about  20 mins or until it is well cooked. Make sure that you stir continuously to avoid burning.
4. In 20 mins it will become thick batter consistency. Switch off the flame and close the pan. Keep it overnight for fermentation. Its nutritional benefits will increase and tastes good if it is fermented.

Making of koozh:

1. The next day, to make1 cup of Koozh, add 3/4 cup of dough (that you prepared the day before and kept for fermentation) and 1/4 cup of butter milk. Adjust salt according to your taste. If required add water and mix well. Serve with pickles or jaggery or small onion.

Notes:

• If the mixture is not cooked properly or completely, then it will surely create stomach ache. So to be on the safer side, cook it for 20 minutes / well cook on medium flame.
• Instead of adding the cooked rice, you can also add the raw rice in the boiling water before adding the ragi mix. When ragi is cooked, the rice will also be cooked.