Nanchane Godu Polo (Finger Millet/ Ragi Sweet Dosa).

“Nanchane Godu Polo (Finger Millet/ Ragi Sweet Dosa)" served with homemade butter (loni) … one of my favourite dosa from childhood;  Amma prepared this delicious polo for us siblings when we came home hungry from school ... don’t go by the color, the darker the color the tastier this dosa is … tastes best served hot with a generous dollop of homemade fresh loni (butter) that begins to melt as you savour it ... do try this dosa, it is good for health; especially for growing children as ragi is high source of calcium, while jaggery contains iron ... Yummilicious …

** Nachani/ Finger millet/ Ragi, is a good source of calcium, highest of all among millet, that is very needed and beneficial for overall health. I have written many a times before that I had started adding them to my daily diet in all possible ways. I added it while making Idly, dosa, chapati, poori, roti, even bajia and also made coolants of the same etc. all of which are blogged. I see to it that I have it in some form at least thrice a week. This happened when I came to know 3 yrs back that my D3, B12 and Calcium levels had somewhat dipped below normal levels and I was having lots of body aches. My Doctor suggested I take supplements, but being a foodie I did my own research on food that were high on calcium and found that the highest source was on my fav. Millet nachani. 

** That’s it, though I did prepare many dishes using it from before, I increased the same and switched to jaggery as it had higher iron content which was also necessary for me. Jaggery as you know has loads of Iron content and in olden days when people come home in bright sunlight and where feeling tired people always offered jaggery with water to them. That’s was done so for instant energy, so keep that in mind the next time you feel dizzy in sunlight. Another important snack to carry with you when you travel is a chikki (peanut- jaggery bars)/ granola bars, they are also instant energy givers and I always make it a point to have it when I travel. I do not want to run into details of my recovery on the deficiencies though many have asked me to do so, I will definitely be doing a separate post on the same and if you watch out on my Blog you are sure to come across them.

** Coming to Nanchane Polo ie Nachani/ Finger Millet dosa this is my Amma's recipe which she prepared when we came from school in the evening tired and hungry. I have always loved this sweet dosa served with fresh homemade butter that tasted delicious, though at that time I did not know of its health benefits. After marriage and settling in Mumbai, I did prepare it in the initial years, however over years I switched over to bhakri a preparation with rava-nachani etc. that was much easier to prepare. Though Nachani Dosa is a delight to eat, it needs a little bit of practice to prepare the same perfectly as the dosa turns too soft and some find it very difficult to remove from tava as it often results in tearing off if not taken due care. You can add on a little bit of wheat flour or rava which gives it a better hold and is easier to remove, but today I have not done that, I wanted to prepare and relish it the same way that Mom prepared as I loved the dosa full of nachani flavor only. 

** Amma who has come over to stay in my home for a few days was also enthusiastic to help me, but I firmly made her sit on chair and just watch and give me oral guidance only. She is over 86 yrs of age and I did not want her to stand near the tava unnecessarily though she is very well capable of doing the whole lot single handed without my help. Try this dosa if you love sweet flavored dishes, children are sure to love it, with some practice and patience you will definitely pick it up fast and perfectly. I will share lots of tips below in the recipe to make it easier for all of you in preparing this awesome dosa/ polo. However, if you still have doubts you can always leave a comment or send me a mail and I will get back as soon as possible, however I am sure you will have no issues.

** Here is my recipe for “Nanchane Godu Polo (Finger Millet/ Ragi Sweet Dosa)" ... my Style which I learned from Amma; though I have added a few of my own tips and tricks on preparing the same …

** Ingredients :

Nachani / Finger Millet / Ragi Flour : 2 cups

Jaggery Powder / Godda Pitti / Gud/ Bella : ½ cup

Coconut/ Soyi/ Nariyal : ½ cup fresh finely grated.

Cardamom Powder/ Ellaichi/ Yella Pitti : 1/2 tsp

Salt/ Namak Meeta : to taste

** Ghee/ Toop : to remove the dosa.

** Add all the above mentioned ingredients ie. nachani powder, grated/ powdered jaggery, finely grated coconut and grind to a very fine paste adding water little by little until you get a thick smooth batter. Do not add water in excess as if the batter turns too thin it will become difficult to prepare the dosa's. 

** Remove the batter into a wide bowl, add cardamom powder, salt to taste and mix well. Check the consistency of the batter and add water as required to bring to thick pouring consistency. A perfect batter will coat the back of rounded spatula evenly. You may check the picture on the collage shared above for reference. 

** Note : In olden days nachani powder was not available easily in stores, so the whole nachani/ finger millet was washed and ground until smooth. You can follow the same method too, Amma used to follow that method and initially even I used to do so. However, nowadays we get good flour which makes easier in usage. 

** To Prepare the Dosa : This is an instant dosa, so once the batter is prepared the dosa's can be prepared immediately, in case you want to remove the dosas after a few hours then do keep it in fridge to avoid it turning rancid/ spoilt. To prepare the dosa, first heat a teflon coated/ non stick pan to heating point, then lower the heat, lightly brush in the ghee and evenly rub it over the tava with a tissue paper. Now with a help of rounded spatula add in about half a cup of batter in the center of the tava.

** The batter rolls out on itself into a round shape and if need be only then gently give a round shape with the bottom of the rounded spatula. Do not make the dosa thin, keep it thicker in texture, check the picture attached. Increase the heat to medium and let cook. This dosa does not need to be flipped over. But you may do so for a few seconds like me if you like to have it a little bit cooked on top too.

** Once the bottom side of the dosa is cooked, sprinkle a few drops of ghee or apply with a brush on the top side evenly and remove the dosa with the help of a spatula and place it over a serving plate. If you desire to flip it over, then do so and cook it just for a minute and then flip it back directly on serving plate. The dosa is done and ready, repeat the above procedure and remove the dosa’s with the remaining dosa batter.

** “Nanchane Godu Polo (Finger Millet/ Ragi Sweet Dosa)" is done and ready to be served. This dosa/ polo tastes best served hot from directly from tava on to a serving plate along with a generous/ small blob of fresh homemade butter (loni). However, if you do not want to add on too much butter you can serve it as it is too as it fried in ghee and tastes great. In some homes it is served with honey which tastes equally good, though I prefer to relish it ether with loni (butter) or khajjur ravo (dates syrup). 

** But trust me, it tastes best with loni (butter) and when it comes to dosa's I am crazy of eating them with butter and have always loved it with any type of dosa from childhood and still follow the same, I know its loaded with calories, but just a little bit too gives satisfaction. Try this delicious sweet dosa and enjoy with your family and friends, children are sure to love it and so will older aged people. In my home I always prepare it for breakfast as we hardly eat anything in evening, you may chose either way. 

** Notes : Do go through some of the tips on the notes below.

** You can remove the dosa either with just oil or ghee only too or in a combination of both together in 1:1 ratio. Somehow I have always carried on this method from my Mom, who usually adds oil and ghee in equal measures and melts it to applying consistency and uses the same for dosas, but for this dosa I chose ghee.

** You can increase the amount of jaggery if desired. The quantity mentioned is enough as per organic powder jaggery available in Mumbai. But the sweet content in jaggery differs from place to place so you have to either taste a bit and check the batter before adding on more if required. Do use your own judgement.

** I always use Iron tava for preparing dosa's, however for this dosa, I suggest you use a non stick dosa pan as the usage jaggery tends to stick to the tava and its a bit tricky to remove them smoothly. In non-stick pans they come off easily, however if you have a very good iron tava you may chose do so. I have used non-stick ones as you can see in the picture for easier and perfect outcome of these dosa's.

** Always cook the dosa on medium heat as it is very important to do so. If the heat level is low the dosa does not turn out well and if you keep it too high the jaggery in the dosa gets heated over faster and the dosa gets burnt in the process. So do keep this point on mind while you prepare the dosa's.

** Again, check the consistency of batter given picture. Do not make the batter thin as it is very difficult to remove the same if done so. The dosa is very soft in texture and will tear if done so. Keep the consistency thicker and remove the first dosa and check the same out. You can add in a little bit if need be once you get to see the first one.

** Another important point to keep in mind is remove small sized dosas and in over confidence or out of hurry/ laziness do not try removing them larger in size. It is not easy at all to lift it off the tava and serve it onto plate. It is always better to keep the size small so that you get to serve them in beautiful, round and nice shape.

** Again if you find that the oil or ghee applied on top portion of the dosa is more as it starts to glaze once the dosa is done and removed, also melting on further coz. of the heat. You can gently press a tissue paper and remove the excess amount, thus making it that much more healthier, but applying on top surface ensures that the dosa gets cooked from top side too without drying out, so follow the method.

** Addition of fresh coconut gratings is must as the taste is increased and so is the texture of the dosa. If avoid adding it, the dosa you get turn brittle and will look like a dried out roti on final finish and not at all appealing. 

** Another Important point is addition of a little bit of wheat flour or fine rava. Now this tip is only for those who still are not able to remove dosa's intact. After the removal of 1-2 dosa if you still find it difficult  you can always add on a little bit of fine rava or wheat flour and mix the batter well and then continue removing the dosa. There is a slight difference in taste, but at least the batter will not go waste.

** A simple trick to lift the dosa intact with tearing the dosa or breaking it up on lifting from tava and placing it on plate is to gently push the dosa spatula at least upto ¾ th dia of the dosa. Then with the help of a blunt knife do so from another side say at an angle of about 60 deg. angle from the first spatula. Yes somewhat a upside down V shape, now lift the dosa giving balance by both spatula and blunt knife and put it on the plate. Though with practice you will not need this tip for lifting dosa at all.

** Last and final tip is no to get upset/ angry/ heart broken if things do not turn out well. There is always a next time. None of us were born perfect, nor have we all perfected the art of cooking well. Cooking is a learning process throughout your life, and the main ingredients are love and patience while doing so, the rest will always fall in place in the long run. Remember Rome was not built in one day … So keep trying … Keeping going on with enthusiasm … You will definitely succeed in the long run.