Panji Pullu Idiyappam | Finger Millet (Ragi) String Hoppers

Ragi (Finger Millet) is popularly known as 'panji pullu' in malayalam.When I was an infant,mom used to prepare panjipullu kurukku(ragi porridge) as it is an iron and calcium rich food.But to my kids,I never had the chance of feeding kurukku as they used to get nasal congestion and cold very soon after feeding kurukku.This is because ragi(finger millet) is considered to be a cold food and when mixed with milk,some kids don't tolerate much,so had stopped giving completely.But ever since I started developing a passion in cooking,my brain is exploring for ideas to feed the same healthy foods in different ways.And that's how I ended up making these string hoppers and few other recipes that I will share sooner.As the traditional rice string hoppers are my kids favorite,I thought can sneak in easily but the first day when I made,they just refused looking at it.I somehow managed to feed one and then repeated the second time,they showed some interest- 'brown idiyappam" to them.This time I made a simple onion tomato curry and that perfectly paired with the idiyappam.They loved this combination and we too felt that a curry with spice & sour flavors blends well with the ragi(panji pullu) idiyappam.Try & enjoy,you may love this ragi idiyappam for a healthy change !!

Ingredients
* roasted ragi flour 1 cup
* roasted rice flour 1/4 cup
salt
oil 1 tsp
boiled water 3/4 -1 cup approx

to garnish
shredded coconut 1/2 cup

Method

• Roast the flours together in a pan on medium heat until the raw smell of flour disappears(takes about 5 mins).
• Heat water in a pot until boiling.Switch off flame.In a bowl,add the flours and salt,stir well.Add the boiled water in the flour slowly and using the back of a wooden spoon or spatula,keep stirring the flour until it forms lumps.Don't drench completely,Make a dough like as for chapathis.Add in the oil and mix well.

• Scoop out dough in the idiyappam press or mould and grease the idli mould with oil,keep ready.Start pressing the dough in each idli mould as strings or noodles until half way through.Now add shredded coconut and then top with another layer of  strings/noodles.
• Place and steam in an idli cooker for 6-7 mins on medium flame or until done.
• Scoop out once warm with a spoon in a plate and serve with spicy tangy curries.(I served with a simple bell pepper tomato masala curry.

 Servings ~8 idiyappam(numbers may vary as per the sizes)

NOTES
* Adding rice flour adds a stability to the dough.I tried with ragi flour alone too but it was too soft that I couldn't press down the strings properly(breaking).
* You can add wheat flour instead of rice flour,will come out good.

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