Ragi Waffles — Crisp Outside, Soft Within, No Maida

Ragi waffles with no maida and no egg — crisp at the edges, soft in the squares, and on the plate in about fifteen minutes.

Two things a waffle needs that a pancake does not

Fat and lift. A pancake is happy with just premix and milk; a waffle iron presses the batter between two hot plates, so it needs a spoon of melted butter to stop it welding itself to the grid, and a little Eno so it does not come out dense. Skip either and you will be scraping the iron.

Grease the iron properly

This is not optional advice. Ragi has no gluten, so there is no elastic network holding the waffle together when you lift the lid. Brush both plates, not just the bottom one, and let the iron come fully up to heat before the batter goes in.

Ingredients

• 100g Kiro Ragi Premix
• 110ml milk or water
• 1 tbsp melted butter or neutral oil
• A pinch of salt
• 1–2 tsp jaggery powder, optional
• ½ tsp Eno fruit salt, for lift

Method

1. Whisk the premix with the milk until completely smooth.
2. Stir in the melted butter, salt and jaggery if using.
3. Rest 5 minutes. The batter should pour thickly, like pancake batter.
4. Heat the waffle iron and grease both plates properly.
5. Fold in the Eno just before cooking and use the batter straight away.
6. Pour enough to cover the plate, close, and cook 4–5 minutes until the steam slows.
7. Lift out carefully with a fork or spatula.
8. Serve with honey, fruit or a spoon of thick curd.

Tips

• Check the first one at four minutes. Ragi browns faster than wheat, so standard waffle timings overshoot.
• Do not open the iron early. The waffle is still soft at two minutes and will tear in half.
• They crisp as they cool. Give them a minute on a rack rather than stacking them, which steams them soft.
• Savoury version: skip the jaggery, add chopped onion, green chilli and coriander.

Questions

Can I make ragi waffles without eggs? This recipe has none. The premix binds on its own and the Eno provides the lift an egg white would.

Can I use the pancake batter? Nearly — add the tablespoon of fat and the Eno. Straight pancake batter in a waffle iron sticks and comes out heavy.

No waffle iron? Make ragi pancakes instead; it is the same batter without the fat and Eno.

How many does one pack make? A 300g pack makes six to nine waffles, depending on your iron.

One pack, ten dishes

The same premix makes chilla, idli, dhokla, uttapam, appe, pancakes, pizza, idli fry and tacos. All ten, with a batch calculator and tick-off steps, are in The Ragi Cookbook.

Shop Kiro Ragi Premix — 13g protein, no maida, no preservatives.