Ambali

Name: Ambali
Prep time: 12 h
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 12 h 15 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Telangana
Ingredients: 100 g jowar or ragi flour; 800 ml Water; 200 ml Buttermilk; 0.5 tsp Salt; 1 small Raw onion; 1 whole green chilli

A thin, tangy fermented gruel made from jowar or ragi flour, traditionally drunk as a cooling breakfast by farm labourers before heading to the fields.

🇮🇳India· Telangana

Prep: 720 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 735 min
Servings: 3
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 110 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 6 gathered

Servings

100 g jowar or ragi flour
800 ml Water — divided
200 ml Buttermilk — sour
½ tsp Salt — to taste
1 small Raw onion — finely chopped, for serving
1 whole green chilli — finely chopped, for serving

Equipment

•Heavy pot
•Earthen vessel for fermenting

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 110 kcal
fat: 1 g
carbs: 20 g
fibre: 4 g
protein: 4 g
calories: 110 kcal

Instructions

1
Mix the millet flour with 200 ml of cold water. Stir well to make a smooth runny paste without lumps.
2
Bring the remaining water to a boil. Slowly pour in the paste while stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
3
Cook on low heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring often. It should thicken into a thin porridge.
4
Let the porridge cool to room temperature. Transfer it into an earthen pot or steel container.
5
Cover and leave at room temperature for 8-10 hours or overnight to ferment lightly, depending on the weather.
6
Once lightly sour, whisk in buttermilk and salt. Stir until it is thin and easy to drink.
7
Serve chilled or at room temperature. Top with chopped raw onion and green chilli.

Chef's tips

Fermentation time depends heavily on room temperature. In hot weather a few hours is enough, while cooler weather needs longer. Ambali should be thin and pourable, not thick.