RAGI / NACHNI OR FINGER MILLET LADDU.

I have been exercising for about 5 years now. Yet, there was a time when I reached a plateau. No matter how much I exercised or changed my workout routine, I never dropped even 100 grams. In fact, I was gaining weight steadily.

Next wise thing I did was to change my gym, a decision I never regret. Here, the importance was on agility, endurance and core strengthening. For a person who was used to working out on machines, this 'functional training' was fun and challenging.

Apart from the workout, the owner of the gym, Kruttika, asked me to take up gluten free diet as a challenge, of course on a trail basis for a period of two months. I lost 3.5 kgs during this period.

As I am a vegetarian and very rigid about food choices, I had to come up with foods which were naturally protein rich and gluten free...I also had to take care of my weakness for sweets without touching the sugar.

I came upon this recipe while browsing the internet for health foods. Ragi being the staple of Karnataka, I was thrilled to try this. In this recipe, jaggery has been used. I wanted to use something more nutritious and not compromise on  the sweetness of the dish. So I used dates!

RAGI LADDU.
PREPARATION TIME : 20 Minutes
MAKING TIME : 40 Minutes
MAKES 15 medium sized laddus.

INGREDIENTS:
Ragi flour - 1 cup.
Peanuts - 1/2  cup.
Sesame seeds (white) - 1/2 cup
Dates (wet) - 1 cup
* You can also use dates pulp, just reduce the quantity to 3/4 cup.
Ghee - 7 to 8 tbsp
Elachi - 2 to 3 pods

METHOD :
- In a pan, dry roast peanuts till the skin becomes dark. Allow it to cool.

- Dry roast sesame seeds till they are light brown in colour. Allow it to cool.

- Roast the ragi flour with  2 tbsp of ghee until the raw smell gives way to a fragrant smell. Roast on medium flame stirring frequently.

- Now in a mixer jar, powder roasted sesame seeds and peanuts ( removing the skin off peanuts is optional. Remember peanut skin is packed with nutrients)

- To this powdered mixture add roasted ragi flour and grind  them together along with elachi seeds.

- Remove and empty it into a bowl.

-Now grind de-seeded dates. Note: use small quantity at a time to grind as it may not get evenly ground.

- To this date pulp add the powdered mixture and pulse for a few seconds so that they are mixed well.

- Empty this into a bowl. Add the remaining ghee and take a portion and make the laddus to the size you want.

Nutrients present in each ingredient:
1. Ragi - Contains important amino acids like isoleucine, leucine, methionine and phenyl alanine which are not present in other starchy meals. It has the highest amount of calcium (344 mg %) and potassium (408 mg %). Ragi is a great source of iron making it beneficial for individuals with low hemoglobin levels. It is a remarkable source of protein, a perfect vegetarian diet. Millets also contains B vitamins, especially niacin, B6 and folic acid. Due to its high content of polyphenols and dietary fiber ragi exhibits anti-diabetic and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Being low in fat and gluten free, ragi is easy to digest. It is therefore, given as first foods to babies in the form of ragi porridge.

2. Peanuts - Excellent source of biotin, protein, vitamin E, vitamin B1 and B3, managanese and folate among others. Rich in monosaturated fats, it is good for the heart. They have a high concentration of antioxidant polyphenols, primarily a compound p-coumaric acid, and the roasting increases this p-coumaric acid's levels boosting the antioxidant levels to as much as 22%. Reservatrol, a flavonoid present in peanut helps in improving the blood flow to the brain thus reducing the risk of stroke.

3. Sesame seeds -  Rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid, which comprises up to 50% fatty acids in them. Oleic acid helps lower LDL or "bad cholesterol" and increases HDL or "good cholesterol" in the blood. Also a very valuable source of dietary protein with fine quality amino acids that are essential for growth, especially in children. Just 100 g of seeds provide about 18 g of protein.  contain many health benefiting compounds such as sesamol, sesaminol, furyl-methanthiol, guajacol, phenylethanthiol and furaneol, vinylguacol, and decadienal. Sesamol and sesaminol are phenolic anti-oxidants. Together, these compounds help stave off harmful free radicals from the human body. Sesame is among the seeds rich in quality vitamins, and minerals. They are very good sources of B-complex vitamins such as niacin, folic acid, thiamin (vitamin B1), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), and riboflavin.

4.Dates - Rich in natural sugar, fiber, potassium, copper, vitamin B6 and megnisium. Good for the heart, it also helps in reducing blood pressure. It has anti inflammatory properties. Helps in weight loss, promotes respiratory and digestive health, good for pregrant woman, helps prevent hemorrhoids and reduces colitis risk.

5. Ghee - Rich in oil soluble vitamin A and E. Acts as a natural preservative. Rich in K2 and Conjugated Linolic Acid, an antioxidant with anti-viral properties (sourced from grass fed cows) Is converted directly into energy like carbohydrates. The energy from the medium chain fatty acids present in ghee can be used to burn other fats in the system and lose weight. Helps in digestion and strengthening of the immune system. It also builds appetite.

6. Elachi Seeds - Is carminative in nature and aids digestion. Reduces the inflammation of the stomach lining there by reducing the heartburn. Relieves the symptoms of actidity and upset stomach. Increases circulation of blood within the lungs aiding relieving the symptoms of asthma, cough and cold. Is rich in copper, iron, riboflavin, vitamin C and niacin, it helps in fight anemia. Is a great source of manganese which helps in detoxifying the body and destroying of the free radicals.

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