Ragi Dosai | Instant Finger Millet Dosai

Name: Ragi Dosai – Instant Finger Millet Dosai
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup Ragi flour; ¼ cup Wheat flour; ¼ cup Rice flour; 1 large Onion (Finely chopped); 2 Green chilies (Finely chopped); ½ inch piece Ginger (Grated finely); few Curry leaves; ½ tsp Mustard seeds; 1 tsp Cumin seeds / jeeragam; ¾ cup Buttermilk (Preferably sour); to taste Salt; 1 tsp Oil

Published: Nov 18, 2013 · Modified: Jun 16, 2021 by Sandhya Ramakrishnan · This post may contain affiliate links

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This Ragi Dosai is a quick dosa and perfect for a weeknight dinner. One can make the Instant Finger Millet Dosai in less than 30 minutes and hence a perfect one for busy days/nights

Ragi Dosai layered and stacked in a plate

Recently after my father was diagnosed with Diabetes, I have been looking for recipes that my mother can make for him. Swathi who blogs at Zesty South Indian Kitchen had got together few bloggers to write for World Diabetes Day.

It was amazing to see so many different mouthwatering recipes at the event. This is another recipe for my mother to try for my dad. We really liked the dosai and it was no different than any other instant dosais.

What is ragi / finger millet?

Ragi or finger millet is a widely grown plant in Asia and Africa. This is called Kezhvaragu in Tamil and is often the main ingredient in cereals made for babies. Ragi is ground with water and then the milk is extracted out of it which is then sun-dried and powdered again to use as porridge for babies.

Both my kids grew up on Ragi kanji. In fact, my little one still eats the ragi Kanchi mixed with some oats for his morning breakfast. One other dosai that I make with ragi is the sweet ragi dosai that both my boys love. It is one of the best one and I make it along with this savory ragi dosai.

This week I am going to be making instant idlis and dosas for the Blogging marathon. This is a quick dosa and perfect for a weeknight dinner. I added wheat flour and rice flour with ragi flour, but if you are making this for a diabetic person, leave the rice flour out and increase the wheat flour quantity.

Ingredients needed

Ragi flour (can use sprouted ragi flour as well) – 1 cup
Wheat flour – ¼ cup
Rice flour – ¼ cup
Onion – 1 large (finely chopped)
Green chilies – 2 (finely chopped)
Ginger – ½ inch piece (grated finely)
Curry leaves – few
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds / jeeragam – 1 tsp
Buttermilk – ¾ cup (preferably sour)
Salt – to taste
Oil – 1 teaspoon plus more for making dosai

Step by step process

Mix all the flours in a wide bowl. Add the buttermilk and enough salt and mix well. Now add water to make it into a very thin batter. The batter should be much thinner than regular dosai batter.
Protip to make buttermilk - Use ¼ cup of thick plain yogurt and dilute it with water to make buttermilk. Do not use buttermilk made with milk and vinegar for this recipe.

In a small pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chilies, ginger, and curry leaves. Let it fry for a minute and then add it to the prepared dosai batter. Add the chopped onions as well and mix.

Heat a griddle/Tawa on medium-high heat. Once the Tawa is heated through very well, pour the batter from outside to inside to form a circle. The dosai will have holes and spaces in them (just like rawa dosai). Add a little oil around the edges and let it cook.

Once cooked, flip over the dosai and let it cook on the other side.

Remove from the griddle and then repeat the same with the rest of the batter.

Serve with your favorite chutney or sambhar! I served it with some peanut chutney.

Notes and observation

The dosai can be made only with ragi and wheat flour and you could leave the rice flour. In that case, use ½ cup of wheat flour instead of ¼ cup. If making for a diabetic person, I would leave the rice flour out.

The dosai will be darker than the regular dosai, since the ragi flour is dark in color.

Adding onions adds a sweet flavor to the dosai. If needed onions can be omitted.

Sprouted ragi flour can be added instead of the regular ragi flour. It adds more nutrition to the recipe.

The seasoning ingredients can also be added directly without frying. When I am short on time, I add everything along with the batter and make dosa.

If making the dosai vegan, then skip the buttermilk and use all water.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I buy ragi flour?

I buy organic finger millet / ragi flour from my local Indian grocery stores. We can also order them online. I have also started using sprouted ragi flour which is healthier than the regular one.

Can I skip the wheat flour and rice flour in the recipe?

I would not skip the wheat flour as it helps add a little more structure to the ragi dosai and also enhances the taste. Ragi flour by itself has a little bitter flavor. But when added with wheat flour, it helps reduce the bitterness. The rice flour can be skipped, but it will yield softer dosai.

How long can I store the ragi dosai?

Ragi dosai tastes best right after it is made. The batter can be made couple of hours earlier but the dosai when stored for later becomes very soft and sticky.

What can I use instead of buttermilk?

We can skip the buttermilk and make the finger millet dosai batter using water. I make it with just water when making it for my vegan friends.

More Instant Dosai Recipes

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