Name: Rajasthani Bajra Raab
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 3 tbsp Pearl Millet Flour, Bajra flour; 1½ tbsp Ghee, for roasting; 1 cup Buttermilk, slightly sour preferred; 2 cup Water, to adjust consistency; ½ tsp Carom Seeds, ajwain; ½ tsp Ground Dried Ginger, saunth; ½ tsp Rock Salt, sendha namak, to taste

20 mintotal

Prep 5 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Mild

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Ingredients

3 tbspPearl Millet FlourBajra flour
1½ tbspGheefor roasting
1 cupButtermilkslightly sour preferred
2 cupWaterto adjust consistency
½ tspCarom Seedsajwain
½ tspGround Dried Gingersaunth
½ tspRock Saltsendha namak, to taste

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Twenty minutes. The flour needs a proper slow roast in ghee before any liquid goes in, and that step decides the flavour.

Method

In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the ghee on low flame. Add the carom seeds and let them crackle.
Add the pearl millet flour (bajra) and roast continuously on low heat for 3-4 minutes until it turns aromatic and slightly darkens.
3–4 min
Slowly pour in the buttermilk while whisking constantly to ensure no lumps are formed.
Add the water, dry ginger powder, and rock salt. Whisk everything well.
Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it simmer for 5-7 minutes until it thickens to a soup-like consistency.
5–7 min
Serve immediately while it is piping hot.

How to tell it's done

A smooth, slightly thick, rustic greyish-brown soup with the nutty aroma of roasted millet and a tangy kick.

Getting it right

Tip

Constant whisking while adding buttermilk is crucial; otherwise, the buttermilk might curdle.

What to serve it with

Drink directly from a large mug. It is an excellent remedy for cold and acts as an internal warmer during extreme winters.

Common mistakes

The raab is lumpy.: Roast the flour in the ghee first, then take the pan off the heat before the liquid goes in, and whisk as you pour. Bajra flour meeting hot liquid in the pan seizes instantly.
It tastes raw and pasty.: Roast the flour until it smells nutty and darkens a shade — several minutes on low heat, not one. Under-roasted millet flour has a chalky taste that the buttermilk cannot cover.

Substitutions

Jowar or wheat flour can replace the bajra, though neither has the same earthiness.
Water alone works if you have no buttermilk, but the raab loses the slight sourness that balances the ghee.

Storing and reheating

Drink it hot, fresh from the pan. It thickens to a solid as it cools and separates when reheated. If you must, loosen with hot water and whisk hard, but it is a drink made in the twenty minutes before it is wanted.

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