Paneer & Onion Ragi Adai

Ragi (finger millet) flour is a hardy and nutritious substitute for rice or wheat. However, it is not always easy to directly substitute this millet for rice or wheat, because its structural properties interfere with the texture of the food and its visual appeal. But, if one looks beyond how the dish looks, there are many tasty, filling, and healthy meals that can be prepared with such millets. 

One among them is this adai (or savory pancake). My mom often prepares these, but when I was growing up, no one was a fan of these, mainly because of a preconceived notion and determination that it would not taste good if it looks weird! And most often, these adais are prepared with no other embellishments, and are simple and bare-boned with just ragi flour and salt. Doesn't sound particularly appetizing if put that way, does it? Sometimes, vegetables such as carrots and beans are added, but again, as kids, very rarely did we look forward to beans or carrots! So, it's partly all about the packaging and bells and whistles.

And like many others, I am also of the belief that one doesn't have to necessarily compromise on taste and flavor by choosing to eat healthy. Therefore, to market this dish, one can add an endless variety of spices or popular foods that carry mass appeal. So, in this adai, I added paneer and onions to boost the appeal and flavor of the dish.

Ingredients (serves 5):

1. 3 cups ragi flour / finger millet flour
2. salt, as needed
3. 1 tablespoon sesame oil + a few more spoons
4. 1 3/4 cups finely chopped onion
5. 1 cup grated paneer
6. 2 green chillies, chopped
7. 1/3 cup chopped coriander leaves / cilantro

Preparation:

1. In a deep and wide bowl, mix ragi flour, salt, onion, paneer, chillies, and cilantro. Slowly add 1 3/4 cups of water (or as needed) to knead the dough to form a smooth and pliable mass. Due to the lack of gluten, the dough will not be elastic and hold together like wheat-flour dough. When the dough comes together, add oil and knead a little more.
   
2. Heat a cast-iron skillet. Meanwhile, take a plastic sheet or aluminum foil and smear with a little sesame oil. Take a lime-sized ball of the dough and flatten it on the sheet with the heel of your palm and fingers. Flatten the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness, or slightly thinner if you can manage.  This adai will be slightly thick, so worry not if you can't flatten it thin. Due to the presence of onions, it is slightly tricky to pat the dough into a perfect and thin disc, so again, worry not :)
3. Gently remove the adai from the sheet and transfer to the hot skillet. Drizzle very little oil on the sides of the adai and cook both sides until the color of the adai changes to a dark maroon color. 

Remove from heat and serve hot or warm. This adai is best had fresh off the skillet. 

Serve the adai with yogurt, pickle or chutney.

You can also add some spice powders such as garam masala powder to mask the earthy flavor of ragi (which is actually quite nice!)