Ragi

183 days ago

Yes, I finally got it. This is authentic Ragi (not to be confused with the millet) – not the one from our Chinese Medicinal halls but one actually from Indonesia! One of my readers had some and he (or she) sent them to me. Thank you! Greatly appreciate it. And I am going to make myself some Tapai Ubi Kayu soon. The problem now is getting young tapioca. Went to Sheng Siong the other day and found only old tubers  which would make the Tapai fibrous. Not something you would like to bite into – trust me, getting young tapioca is very important when making Tapai Ubi Kayu. I have tried before those fibrous ones and I hate having to pick out thin pieces of tough stick-like thingy from my mouth every once in a while. It is not good.

Anyway, here are some of the photos of the Ragi. Looks very much like the Chinese Wine Biscuits used to make Chinese Rice Wine. In fact, I think there are almost identical except maybe a slight difference in the composition of mold and yeast (since they came from Indonesia). They are usually made from flour and ginger and then left in the open to attract the correct mold and yeast. After that they are immediately dried. If I am not wrong, it should be left in the open for 2-3 days to attract the correct mold and yeast. I am waiting for someone to make a pseudo Ragi from the mold and yeast found in actual Ragi. This would ensure that we get the same taste and result everytime.

It comes in twos. Individually wrapped so there should not be any worry about hygiene here. The process is exactly the as making Rice Wine. Pound the Ragi till it becomes fine powder. Cook the tapioca (half cooked) and then let them cool. After it is cool enough to handle, add the Ragi powder to the tapioca. Let this sit (in a clean container) in a dark warm room for about 2-3 days. You should see the tapioca changing colour slightly and there will be a sweet smell coming from the container. And yes, that would be Tapai Ubi Kayu or fermented tapioca. Add a little sugar and you are ready to eat.

Yes, pretty small. Much smaller than the Wine Biscuits we get here. But from my experience, you don’t really need a lot of it. The mold grows pretty well especially if you feed them the correct type of starch. However it is often the yeast that is going to give problems. But no worries, I always keep a pack of bread yeast as standby when making Tapai or Rice Wine. If after 3 days you are not seeing any liquid forming (which would mean no fermentation), just add the pack of yeast to the container. You should see fermentation soon enough.

Have a look at my previous attempt at making Tapai Ubi Kayu.

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