Millets were part of our daily food for long time. Bajri (pearl millet) or jwari (sorghum) were used to prepare bhakari and was consumed at least in one meal of the day. Bhakari from bajari was prepared in winter and jwari bhakari rest of the year. Gradually this practice dwindled and we were eating chapati from wheat two times a day.
I was used to bhakari made from jwari flour, bajari flour and sometimes from rice flour. I was introduced to nachani bhakari bit late .As a kid the dark colour bhakari was not attractive enough to eat. One day my sister in law prepared nachani bhakari, smeared it with muthel (a fist size clump of kokam butter).It was common practice in kokan region. Nonavailability of kokam butter made us turn to ghee for nachani bhakari. So gradually smearing kokam butter became history but ragi/nachani bread remained.
Though eating bhakari (flatbread) was a practice followed for a long time, some family members did not had liking for bhakari. For old people chewing bhakari became cumbersome. So the search for different acceptable recipes started.
We always prepared ghawane or rice crepes. Then we replaced part of rice flour with nachani /ragi flour. These crepes were accepted readily. We had our own ‘amboli’ to go with our specialty curries like mutton curry or chicken curry. The recipe for amboli was tweaked and nachani flour was added. Now a days Sorghum floor also is added to make jowar or sorghum dosa.
Idli dosa or our amboli technique of making batter is similar. But when we are using millets or millet flours slight changes of proportion and technique are inevitable. Once one is successful in this replacement of rice in idli and dosa batter ,there are innumerable recipes to try.