Ragi Roti | Nachni Roti
Ragi roti or nachni roti are rustic and healthy rotis made with ragi aka finger millet flour and whole wheat flour. Ragi is one ingredient I tend to use often in the food I make as its rich in calcium and protein. Made with minimal ingredients these healthy rotis can be served with any vegetable or lentil dish.
One of the best and easiest way to use ragi is by making ragi chapatis or ragi rotis. So I often add some ragi flour in the whole wheat flour and make chapatis. At times I also add jowar flour, gram flour, bajra flour and make multigrain rotis.
This ragi roti is similar to the way Phulka or Jowar roti are made. I make ragi roti and ragi pooris using this method. I vary the proportion by 1:1 or 2:1 of ragi flour and whole wheat flour. In this recipe post, I have used 2:1 proportion of ragi flour and whole wheat flour respectively.
Adding whole wheat flour makes it easier to roll the ragi chapatis. This recipe is not the Karnataka version of ragi roti which is made with a different technique and method.
It’s no rocket science to make this Ragi Roti, and once the dough is kneaded and rested for about 20 minutes, you can start preparing the rotis or chapattis, just like the way you do with your regular whole wheat flour dough. The final thing is also to roast these rotis on a tawa or griddle. Keep these rotis soft by applying some ghee (clarified butter) or oil on them.
The taste and texture of these ragi roti is similar to Bajra roti. It is best to serve them hot.
You can serve nachni roti with any sabzi, stir fry, dal or legumes curry like usal or gutti vankaya kura or sprouts curry recipe or ennegayi recipe or baingan bharta.
How to make ragi roti
Making Ragi Dough
1. Take 2 cups ragi flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour in a parat (large plate) or a large bowl. Also, add 1 teaspoon salt or add as required.
2. Mix everything with a spoon.
3. Add 1.5 cups of hot boiling water. You can heat water in a pan or in an electric kettle.
4. Mix with a spoon. After mixing wait for a few minutes till the heat is enough to handle.
5. Then begin to knead when the mixture is still hot. Once you are able to form the dough, then keep on sprinkling warm water bit by bit and knead till you get a soft dough.
6. The dough should be soft. Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
7. Then make medium sized balls from the dough.
Making ragi roti
8. Flatten the ball. Sprinkle some whole wheat flour or ragi flour on the dough ball. Turn on the gas stove and put the tawa to make it hot. The tawa has to be sufficiently hot to make soft rotis.
9. While tawa is getting hot, start rolling the dough ball into a flat round circle. Add more flour if required, so that while rolling the dough does not break.
In case the dough starts sticking to the rolling pin, then sprinkle some flour on the roti evenly and continue to roll it.
10. Place the ragi roti on the hot tawa. Keep the flame to high.
11. First roast one side. It should be less than half cooked or about one-fourth cooked as shown in the pic below. Then flip the roti. Turn and cook the other side.
The second side should be a little bit more cooked than the first side. Some brown spots should be visible.
12. Now hold the roti with tongs and keep the first side which was cooked, directly on the fire. Keep on moving roti with the tongs roasting the edges as well.
15. The roti will start to puff.
16. When the roti has puffed well, then turn and keep the other side on fire and roast ragi roti for some seconds. Avoid burning the rotis and also don’t overdo the fire roasting as then these ragi rotis become dense.
17. Remove and place them in a roti basket/roti dabba or casserole.
18. Spread some ghee oor oil on the rotis. Applying ghee or oil keeps these rotis soft. Ragi rotis made with this method is ideally served hot.
If you cannot serve them hot, then you can keep them in a container that keeps food warm like a casserole or in a roti basket. Make ragi chapati this way and stack them in the roti dabba if not serving straight away.
18. Serve ragi roti hot or warm with any Indian vegetable dish or dal of your choice.
More roti varieties for you!
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
- 2 cups ragi flour (finger millet flour or nachni)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt or add as required
- 1.5 cups hot boiling water + 1 to 2 tablespoons or add as required
- ghee or oil as required
Instructions
making dough
- Take 2 cups ragi flour and 1 cup atta in a parat or a large bowl. Also add 1 teaspoon salt or add as required.
- Mix everything with a spoon. Add 1.5 cups hot boiling water.
- Mix with a spoon. After mixing wait for a few minutes till heat is enough to handle.
- Then begin to knead when the mixture is still hot. Once you are able to form the dough, then keep on sprinkling warm water bit by bit and knead till you get a soft dough.
- The dough should be soft. Cover and let dough rest for 20 minutes. then make medium sized balls from the dough.
rolling ragi roti
- Flatten the ball. Sprinkle some whole wheat flour or ragi flour on the dough ball. Turn on the gas stove and put the tawa to make it hot. The tawa has to be sufficiently hot to make soft rotis.
- While tawa is getting hot, start rolling the dough ball into a flat round circle. Add more flour if required, so that while rolling the dough does not break.
- In case the dough starts sticking to the rolling pin, then sprinkle some flour on the roti evenly and continue to roll it.
cooking ragi roti
- Place the roti on the hot tawa. Keep the flame to high.
- First roast one side. It should be less than half cooked or about one-fourth cooked.
- Turn and cook the other side. This side should be a little bit more cooked than the first side. Some brown spots should be visible.
- Now hold the roti with tongs and keep the first side which was cooked, directly on fire. Keep on moving roti with the tongs roasting the edges as well.
- The roti will start to puff.
- When the roti has puffed well, then turn and keep the other side on fire and roast roti for some seconds. Avoid burning the rotis and also don’t overdo the fire roasting as then these rotis become dense.
- Remove and place them in a roti basket/roti dabba or casserole.
- Spread some ghee on the rotis. Applying ghee or oil keep these nachni roti soft. Rotis made with this method is ideally served hot.
- If you cannot serve them hot, then you can keep them in a container that keeps food warm like a casserole or in a roti basket. Make rotis this way and stack them in the roti dabba if not serving straight away.
- Serve ragi roti with any indian vegetable dish or dal of your choice.
Notes
- Recipe can be doubled or tripled.
Nutrition
This Ragi Roti post from the archives first published on Jan 2018 has been republished and updated in January 2023.
Can we save the extra leftover ragi dough in the fridge for next day?
Yes, you could keep it for a day in the fridge.
Is pouring hot water to knead the dough necessary? can one do the same with normal water?
Yes it helps to soften the roti. With water at room temperature, the roti will have a dense texture.
Thanks a lot for the prompt reply and the detailed instructions.Will try as explained.
welcome winnie.
These rotis turned out so nice and soft.Can we skip the wheat flour and use only ragi? In that case will the rotis be soft?
thanks winnie. wheat flour can be skipped, but then knead ragi flour with hot water. add some hot boiling water to the flour & salt. mix well. cover and keep aside. then when the dough mixture becomes less hot, then knead to a smooth dough. these rotis need to be patted with hands like jowar bhakri or bajra roti. you can even use ziplock bags and roll them on it. it requires some practice, that’s why adding wheat flour makes rolling the roti easy. the gluten in wheat flour helps.