Foxtail Gola Moglai

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The recipe for gola moglai originates in West Bengal, and is usually made with wholewheat or refined flour. The versatile recipe varies from household to household, and Chef Sayani remembers these fluffy gola moglais as a staple in her childhood breakfasts and school tiffins. She compares them to making cheelas, with eggs added to the batter, and has replaced the besan of cheelas, and traditionally used wheat flour of gola moglais, with foxtail millet flour for this recipe.
Vegetable oil 4 tablespoons
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped ½ Cup
Green chillies, finely chopped 5 to 6
Ginger, grated or finely chopped 1 tablespoon
Onion, finely chopped ¾ cup
Eggs, whole 2
Water 2 ¼ cups (add ½ cup more for a thinner batter)
Foxtail flour 2 cups

A mixing bowl, whisk, non-stick or iron skillet, ladle, and spatula.

1

Add the foxtail flour, eggs, ginger, green chillies, onion, coriander leaves, and salt to a large mixing bowl.

 

2

Gradually add half of the water to the ingredients in the mixing bowl, and whisk well to make a smooth batter without any lumps. If you need to, use your clean fingers and palm at this stage to break any remaining lumps.

3

Add the remaining water, and whisk well. The consistency of the batter should be such that a thin layer should coat the back of the ladle. Check for salt, and rest the batter for half an hour.

 

4

Turn on the burner, and heat the non-stick or iron skillet till for a few minutes.

5

Turn the heat down to medium-high, take half a teaspoon of oil, and spread it on the skillet evenly with the help of a spatula.

6

Whisk the batter vigorously for a few seconds and pour a ladle full of it onto the hot skillet.

7

With the help of a kitchen pincer, or holding on to the skillet handle, move the batter around the skillet until it is evenly spread in a circle.

 

8

Keep the flame on medium-high. Once the edges of the gola moglai start separating from the edge of the skillet, flip it using the spatula, and cook the other side.

 

9

Cook the second side for about three to four minutes. The moglai should look golden-brown and cooked through on both sides when done.

10

Take the gola moglai off the skillet. Serve hot with a pickle of your choice.

11

Repeat the process from step 5 onwards, of spreading the oil and adding the whisked batter to the skillet, to make multiple gola moglais.

 

Tip

Taste the batter once all the ingredients are well mixed to check for salt, as it is easy to under or over salt the batter.

Variations

Use between half to one cup of extra water to make the batter thinner, if you prefer thinner gola moglais.

 

Finely chopped vegetables like carrots, mushrooms, green beans, and spring onions can also be mixed into the batter to add flavour and colour.

Sayani Sengupta is a chef volunteer for the MRP cooking lab and a home chef based out of Kolkata. Sayani runs her own food brand, Gooseberri, for which she often writes recipes. Her recipes have also featured in Bengali magazines, such as Sananda, as well as other publications like Times of India, Telegraph, and Indulge Express.

 

This recipe is part of the Millet Revival Project 2023, The Locavore’s modest attempt to demystify cooking with millets, and learn the impact that it has on our ecology. This initiative, in association with Rainmatter Foundation, aims to facilitate the gradual incorporation of millets into our diets, as well as create a space for meaningful conversation and engagement so that we can tap into the resilience of millets while also rediscovering its taste.

Rainmatter Foundation is a non-profit organisation that supports organisations and projects for climate action, a healthier environment, and livelihoods associated with them. The foundation and The Locavore have co-created this Millet Revival Project for a millet-climate outreach campaign for urban consumers. To learn more about the foundation and the other organisations they support, click here.

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