Suji is vital ingredient in many Indian foods like upma, halwa, vada, laddoos, rava dosas etc. A porridge made of suji is a good weaning food for toddlers. Suji rava is prepared from wheat. The wheat grains are fed into rollers to remove the bran and germ. The remaining starchy part or the endosperm is broken down into pieces. A sieve made of net or mesh is used to separate the lighter part which is bran. The semolina pieces are further crushed to obtain fine flour.
Suji is a high calorie diet which provides energy for long period after consumption. It provides complex carbohydrates to our body. It is a processed food and vital components of grains like bran (fiber rich part) and germ (rich source of vitamin B complex, vitamin E, and minerals like Iron and calcium and magnesium) are lost during processing.
However nutritional value of any food item depends a lot on the method of preparation also. Many dishes like suji roti, rava-ragi rotis, rava idlis, rava dosas etc can be prepared using very less amount of oil. This will reduce the fat intake and also reduce the cholesterol levels. We can also add some grated vegetables in these dishes to supplement other nutritional requirements. We can prepare a wide variety of yummy dishes by slightly changing the formula of cooking. Isn’t that great about suji!
Porridge of suji with milk and sugar is cherished by infants. This gets easily digested and can be supplemented with smashed vegetables and fruits for a wholesome diet. Suji is generally stored in containers on the shelf and does not require refrigeration. Rava can be considered to be good until the rava granules are separate like that of sugar. However upon infestation, it starts forming threads. We can increase the shelf life of suji. All we need to do is fry siji for a few minutes over a low flame. After frying for few minutes the colour of rava turns out to be light brown accompanied with nice aroma. This should be cooled properly and then packed in air tight containers. This technique extends the shelf life of suji. Even after this if we find any signs of infestation it should be sun dried and used as soon as possible.
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