HEALTHY RAGI HITTU PAYASA/MILLET PORRIDGE

Here comes a healthy and easy dessert not too common yet very tasty. I made this for the first time today as I was quite bored of making the traditional payasas and wanted to make something different. I was quite surprised by how such a simple preparation made of Ragi (which many do not like) turned out to be so good. It encourages me to make this payasa more often. Ragi is a health fad currently and rightly so. The use of Jaggery instead of sugar in this recipe makes this suitable for diabetic people too.

Yields: 4 cups

Ingredients

Store bought Plain ragi hittu/powder: 2 tbsp
Jaggery: 5 tbsp(powdered)
Water: 1 1/2 cup
Milk: 1 1/2
Almond/Badam powder: 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder: 1/4 tsp
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Almonds/Badam pieces: 1 tbsp

Preparation

1. Take a pan, add ghee and roast ragi powder in it for 4-5 minutes.(till it releases a flavorful aroma)
2. Add water and mix it without lumps. (if needed switch off stove and mix to avoid lumps)
3. Add jaggery, mix it and bring it to boil.
4. Add milk, badam powder, mix and cook for 1- 2 minutes.
5. Switch off the stove and add cardamom powder and mix it.
6. Garnish it with badam pieces.
7. Serve hot or cold.

Notes

1. Quantity of Milk can be increased or decreased depending on desired consistency.
2. This payasa thickens fast and doesn't need much of cooking time, since the ragi powder is already roasted. If left to cook for a longer duration, the end result will be of very thick consistency, almost halwa-like.
3. Badam powder is added for added flavour, however it is not a necessary ingredient and can be skipped too.
4. Cashewnuts can be added instead of badam pieces. I used almonds just to make it different.
5. Instead of jaggery, dates can be added to make it more healthier (soak dates for 1/2 an hour, grind by adding milk and add it at the stage when milk is added).