Ragi mudde - Soppina saru : finger-millet balls and dill curry

Dill leaves, sabbasige soppu in Kannada is also known as dill weed, this is a green herb with wiry, thread-like leaves that grow in clusters. It has a strong, distinctive taste that is like a combination of fennel, anise and celery. Dill leaves are highly nutritious with many anti oxidants, vitamins and dietary fibers.

Here is a simple recipe of a comfort food that's dill curry and finger millet balls aka Ragi mudde.

Dill curry /Soppina saru: 

Ingredients:

Dill leaves :3 cups

Yellow Pegion peas (togaribele/Toor dal) : 1 cup

Dry red chillies : 4-5

Peppercorn : 1 tsp

Coriander seeds : 1 tsp

Cumin seeds : 1 tsp

Small onion : 1

Garlic : 4-5 cloves

Dry coconut : 2 tsp

Tamarind : 1 small marble size

Oil: 1 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Jaggery : 1 tsp

Method:

1. Wash and cook toor dal with a pinch of turmeric and few drops of oil.

2. Clean and wash dill leaves, remove hard stems and finely chop the leaves and keep aside. 

3. In a mixer jar add red chillies, coriander - cumin seeds, peppercorns, garlic, onion, dry coconut and tamarind and a little water and grind to a coarse paste.

4. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pot and add cumin seeds.

5. When the cumin seeds sizzle,  mix in ground masala and jaggery and sauté until the oil separates.

6. Add chopped dill leaves and 1/2 cup water and cook until the leaves wither, takes about 2-3 minutes.

7. Now add cooked dal and salt and bring to boil. Turn off after 4-5 minutes

For tempering:

Clarified butter /ghee : 1 tsp

Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida : 1 big pinch

Broken dry red chili : 1

Curry leaves : 1 spring.

8. In a small tempering pan, heat clarified butter and add mustard seeds, when it crackles add asafoetida, curry leaves and broken red chilli and fry.

9. Add this tempering to the curry and close the lid. Let it sit for 5 minutes so that all the flavors are combined well.

10. Serve hot with Ragi balls or plain rice.

Ragi balls:

Finger-millet or Ragi balls or Ragi mudde is a very popular dish in south Karnataka. It's made by cooking Ragi flour with hot water until there is soft dough like consistency. It's then rolled into balls served with soppina saru/huli (spinach/greens curries). Nonvegetarian also relish with chicken/mutton curries.

Ingredients:

Ragi/finger-millet flour : 3 cups

Salt: 1 tsp

Water: 6 cups

Oil: 1 tsp (optional)

Method: 

1. In a thick bottomed pot add water and bring to boil, add salt and oil.

2. Reduce the flame and start adding the Ragi flour slowly and keep mixing it continuously until cooked. It will take about 8-10 minutes. 

3.Taste a small pinch of dough, if it feels rubbery let it cook for another 2-3 minutes. 

4. Remove it on a wet cloth and let it cool down a bit.

5. Wet your fingers and palm with water and take a big pinch of dough and make mudde/balls. Take care not to burn your fingers. Serve hot with dill curry.

Notes:

1. You can make the curry with Indian spinach (palak) or round spinach (dantina soppu).

2. You can skip the ghee tempering totally, but it enhances the taste of the curry.