Ragi Mudde (Ragi balls) is a favourite with the local people staying in and around Bangalore and Mysore. It came under the lime light when H.D. Deve Gowda was the Prime Minister. It was his favourite food wherever he went.

To relish this Ragi Mudde walk into Hotel Trilok situated in Gandhinagar wherein at the entrance a banner is put up which reads "Hittam Thindam Dittam, Hittam Bittam Kettam" (Eating ragi balls is good, leaving it is bad).

"When I planned to open a hotel here in 1974 I was not confident as there were already 3 to 4 hotels existing here and it was a tough competition. So I planned something different and introduced Ragi Mudde, which no other hotels around had," says Mr Srinivas Reddy, Proprietor.

They have many regular customers. According to Mr. Reddy, even though many new hotels have introduced Ragi Mudde, people prefer coming to his hotel as they serve them hot as it is prepared only after it is ordered.

They start the day at 12 noon and the business goes on till 11:30 pm in the night and the peak time is usually from 12 to 4 in the afternoon.They sell around 300 ragi balls on an average everyday. It used to be much more in the earlier days.

"After the one-way was implemented and the timings of the films changed in the surrounding area, our business gradually dropped," says Uday Reddy, son of Srinivas Reddy who is also into this business.

Soppina saaru (a type of gravy made with spinach and other greens) is considered to be the best combination for Ragi Mudde. It even goes well with non-vegetarian curries like Mutton Masala and Chicken Masala where the former costs Rs 35 per plate and the latter Rs. 25 per plate. People who prefer only Ragi Mudde can have it for Rs 5 a plate and with rice or Chappathi it costs Rs. 10 which includes other dishes also. In the beginning they used to serve only ragi balls but now they serve other items like rice, chappathi, etc.

Many famous film personalities, politicians and other celebrities have visited this place. He recalls the day when film actor Dr. Rajkumar had visited his hotel. He fondly cherishes that memory.

Reddy feels that Ragi Mudde could be famous throughout the world if someone is ready to introduce it to the new places and he is confident of its success.

According to Mr. Reddy, Ragi Mudde is good for people suffering from diabetes. In fact some diabetics come to his place regularly to eat Ragi Mudde.

How Ragi Mudde is made

They avoid using machines to prepare Ragi Mudde and are following the same old style used in villages. It takes just 15 minutes to prepare. First the water is boiled in a container to which a small amount of ragi flour, which should be very fine, is added. Then it is again allowed to boil. Later the ragi flour is added according to the requirement and further boiled till a paste-like consistency is formed. Then with a strong round wooden stick this paste is stirred in a circular motion for mixing thoroughly and bringing a uniform consistency. It is kneaded on a rough stone and rolled into balls which are slightly bigger than the size of a tennis ball

How Ragi Mudde is to be eaten

It should be eaten when it is hot. Using your fingers, mould small balls out of the Ragi Mudde and dip it in Soppina Saru or any other gravy like Mutton Masala and swallow it. It is not to be chewed.

To savour this delicious Ragi Mudde meal drop into Hotel Trilok.

Hotel Trilok
35/1, 1st Main,
Gandhinagar,
Bangalore - 560 009
Phone: 226 5331

Jai Prasad V.Rai

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