Ragi Manni Ragi Halbai Finger Millet Custard Mangalorean Manni

Manni is a type of custard popular in the Coastal Karnataka region (Mangalore, Udupi, Kundapur) prepared using coconut milk, ragi milk, jaggery, and cardamom powder with some ghee (optional) Ragi Manni is also known as halbai or halubai, which means extract milk from ragi or any millet. It is also known as Ragi Kilsa. In konkani we call it nanchane duddali.

Other variations of manni include akki manni using rice, godhi manni using wheat, etc. Ragi Manni is also considered one of the healthiest and tastiest desserts that can be served for babies, kids, or even diabetic patients 🙂 Are you interested to know the benefits of ragi? You can read my post here on the health benefits of ragi or finger millet.

Also, ragi is my family’s new favorite millet or grain. You can check out some of our favorite ragi recipes below.

RAGI ROTTI RAGI MALT RAGI MUDDE RAGI SOUP RAGI NANKHATAI

Ingredients for Ragi Manni | Finger Millet Custard | Mangalorean Manni (Halbai)

1 ½ cups Ragi or Finger Millet 2 cups Water 2 cups Ragi Milk 2 cups Coconut Milk 1 ½ cups Jaggery ¼ teaspoon Salt 1 tablespoon Ghee + more to grease ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder

How to make Ragi Manni | Finger Millet Custard | Mangalorean Manni (Halubai)

Wash and soak ragi in water for 8 hours or overnight. Add ragi to the blender along with one cup of water and blend. Add this to a sieve/strainer to extract ragi milk. Check the video here. Now put the ragi grits or husk back into the blender along with one cup of water. Blend and add this again into the sieve/strainer and extract the milk. Squeeze the grits in your palms to extract all the milk. Discard the ragi grits once all the milk has been squeezed.

In a wide nonstick pan, add jaggery with coconut milk, ragi milk, ghee, salt, and mix continuously on medium flame. As the temperature of the milk mixture rises, it may form lumps, but thats ok. As you continue to stir, the mixture will smoothen and become lump-free over time. Once the mixture thickens and becomes glossy, maybe after 20 minutes, reduce the flame to medium-low and continue to stir for another 10 to 15 minutes. To know if the custard is done, drop ladle full of custard mixture back into the pan. When the mixture drops, it should fall as a thin sheet or form ribbons and hold its shape. Check the video here. Transfer the mixture to a greased tray or pan and let it cool completely for at least 2 hours. Cut them into the desired shape and size and enjoy. Ragi manni tastes even better as it cools down. After you cut them into pieces, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

The thickness of the nonstick pan, the intensity of the flame, and the quality of ingredients used will decide how long the mixture takes to thicken. The time it takes for you will vary. But see that the flame is on medium until it thickens and then reduce it to medium-low until the final stage is reached. Don’t forget to keep stirring; else, there is a good chance the custard will catch the bottom. I have extracted coconut milk at home. You can check the video here. Feel free to use store-bought coconut milk to make this recipe. If done right, there will hardly be any leftovers. And if there are any, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.