RAGI AMBALI

Summers are the time when my mom used to make this porridge, which acts as a coolant to the body. This is my kinda Summer drink which is very popular in states of Telangana and Karnataka(Ragi Ambil). I really love this drink, amma used to make it almost every other day in Summer. We(me n my younger brother, along with kids in neighborhood) used to drink this and play at home during summer noons. We used to play games like ashta chemma(chowka bhara), snakes & ladders, make drawings of mountains and Sunset riverside, or hut with playyard…. Awwww missing those lovely precious moments of childhood.

I cannot go back to my childhood but wanted to relive those memories so played this Jenga at home, while enjoying this Ragi Ambali 🥰. These are some of my childhood Summer memories. .This variation of ragi porridge is made Telangana and Northern Karnataka region. They make a similar porridge in Andhra region and they call it as RAGI JAAVA. A popular recipe called RAGI MUDDE is made in Rayalaseema and Karnataka region, which is very healthy and tasty.

• In a mixing bowl add in ragi flour, cup of warm water and whisk them together and let it rest overnight.
• Now heat up a stock pot and add in a 2 cups of water, tbsp of chopped raw mango slices/flesh peels and let it come to a rolling boil.
• Now add in the ragi mixture to the boiling water and mix well and let the mixture boil on a medium flame, keep stirring in between to make sure it’s not sticking to the pan.
• In a bowl whisk the yogurt and add the yogurt to the boiling ragi mixture, add some salt and let it boil for more 10-15 min.
• Switch off the flame when the porridge reduced by 1 and 1/2 cup, the consistency should be not too thick and not too runny.

• You can also add in spices like cumin powder, crushed carom seeds or crushed black pepper to enhance the flavor
• Using sour yogurt and letting the ragi mixture overnight is the key for achieving authentic taste of this dish.