CEREALS/ MILLETS	BOTANICAL NAME-FAMILY	Tamil	Malayalam	Hindi	Telugu	Sanskrit	Marathi	fiber
Ragi	Elucine coracana - Graminae	Ragi	Panja-pullu, pullu, Ragi	MANDIKA

Finger millet, Eleusine coracana L., is also known as African millet, koracan, ragi (India), wimbi (Swahili), bulo (Uganda) and telebun (the Sudan). The colour of grains may vary from white through orange-red deep brown and purple, to almost black. It is an important staple food in parts of eastern and central Africa and India.     

Ragi is praised for its unique diet for reducing weight (least fat containing grain) and also good for diabetes , hyper cholesterol and triglycerides. It is one of the most healthy foods due to to its rich content of nutrients. 

        Finger millet is especially valuable as it contains the amino acid methionine, which is lacking in the diets of hundreds of millions of the poor who live on starchy staples such as cassava, plantain, polished rice, or maize meal. Finger millet can be ground and cooked into cakes, puddings or porridge.

These millets should also be used after soaking and if possible partially fermented before use to get maximum nutrition.

Common names for finger millet

• Arabic: Tailabon
• Chinese: 穇子 (Traditional), 䅟子 (Simplified), cǎnzi (pinyin)
• English: Finger millet, African millet, ragi, koracan
• Ethiopia: Dagussa (Amharic/Sodo), tokuso (amharic), barankiya (Oromo)
• French: eleusine cultivee, coracan, koracan
• German: Fingerhirse
• India: Ragi (Kannada, Telugu), Kelvaragu (Tamil), Maduva (in some parts of north India), Nachani (Marathi)
• Kenya: Wimbi (Kiswahili), Kal (Dholuo), Ugimbi (Kikuyu)
• Nepal: Koddo
• Sri Lanka: Kurakkan
• Sudan: Tailabon (Arabic), ceyut (Bari)
• Swahili: Wimbi, ulezi
• Tanzania: Mwimbi, mbege
• Uganda: Bulo
• Zambia: Kambale, lupoko, mawele, majolothi, amale, bule
• Zimbabwe: Rapoko, zviyo, njera, rukweza, mazhovole, uphoko, poho
• Vietnam: Hong mi, Chi ke

 

Variation in grain composition

Like other cereals, sorghum and millets are predominantly starchy. The protein content is nearly equal among these grains and is comparable to that of wheat and maize (Table1). Finger millet contains the lowest fat. One of the characteristic features of the grain composition of millets is their high ash content. They are also relatively rich in iron and phosphorus. Finger millet has high fibre content and the highest calcium content among all the food grains. Generally, the whole grains are important sources of B-complex vitamins, which are mainly concentrated in the outer bran layers of the grain. Sorghum and millets do not contain vitamin A, although certain yellow endosperm varieties contain small amounts of 13-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. No vitamin C is present in the raw millet grains.

TABLE 1: Nutrient composition of Ragi or Finger millet and other cereals (per 100 g edible portion; 12 percent moisture)

http://www.blackherbals.com/sorghum_and_millet_in_african_nu.htm

Ragi Recipies

Here are some traditional and modern recipes for ragi. 

These millets should also be used after soaking and if possible partially fermented before use to get maximum nutrition.

1. Click this link for Sakthifoundation recipes  

African Millet (Ragi) Porridge
Though this Millet is used mostly by Indians it is called African millet or finger millet. This is dark brown in color.

 Ingredients:

• Millet flour                    - 1 cup
• Water                         - 3 cups
• Grated coconut             - ½ cup
• Palm jaggery/Raw sugar  - 25 gm
• Nutonix mix                   - 2 tablespoon
• Milk                             - 1 cup
• Mixed dry fruits             - 1 tablespoon

Preparation:

Mix cold milk, water and millet flour well and boil it with constant stirring to prevent formation of lumps. After cooking well (5 minutes) add grated coconuts, nutonic mix, mixed dry fruits and serve for breakfast.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes.

Ragi Idli (steamed)

      The above recipe for porridge can be poured into 'idli' plates and can be steamed and used as 'idli'.

      We found that instead of store - bought flour where flour sold is devoid of all the bran that is rich in fiber, soaking ragi grain overnight and grinding it in a mixer or blender is best, especially for diabetics. This is an excellent food for diabetics, full of fiber and nutrients. The tired feeling in diabetics and any other sick person is alleviated by eating wholegrain ragi. Ragi given to children will give them bone strength because of  higher nutrient content.

2. Other ragi recipes - in Nanyala.org for these recipes  

http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/archives/category/5/millet/