We wish we were in Mangalore eating this

Ragi mudde with a fiery chicken curry in Mangalore. Photograph courtesy: the3hungrymen.com

Back in the day, ragi mudde (steamed balls made of ragi) was what most people in Karnataka eat, especially in the rural areas. It was part of most lunches and was had with a saaru (a mutton, chicken or greens curry).  Ragi, as we are all aware , is a great source of energy and fibre, and the mudde is a kind of food that never spoils. If you were a farmer, you simply had ragi mudde and some curry and went about your work. Today, it’s different story, and you’d find very few places in Karnataka serving ragi muddes with that heavenly, fiery-looking gravy. But our friends, the3hungrymen, who relentlessly record the food scene in Karnataka, recently made a great discovery — they stumbled upon a ragi mudde seller, and Nikhil Pai and Colin D’Souza are pretty sure that this is the only place in the city where you get this once sumptuous staple. (Log on to their site to get the exact directions.)

Chicken sukka and neer dosa. The ragi mudde stall is located near Kavoor Junction, near Aramane Sweets, in Mangalore. Photograph courtesy: the3hungrymen.com

The lady manning the ragi mudde stall doesn’t just offer the mudde and chicken gashi. She also serves, among others, Thale Mamasa (Mutton Brain Meat Curry), and Chicken Sukka and Neer Dosas. Quite naturally, everything is astoundingly cheap — the muddes cost Rs 15 apiece, mutton soup is for Rs 20, and the Chicken Sukka is yours for Rs 50. Pai and D’Souza loved the food, especially the ragi muddes that were drenched in a fiery Chicken Gashi. Moral of the story? If you are in Mangalore and reading this, head to where this lovely lady’s stall is.

PS and FYI: The Bengaluru Oota Company, too, does a good Radi Mudde and Mutton Chops. We had it a few months ago, and highly recommend it.