Ragi a.k.a finger millet is a very wholesome and a nutritious food that can be introduced as one of the first solid foods to your child. To know about the nutritional facts of ragi click here. Ragi is rich in Calcium and other minerals that are essential for healthy bone development in kids. Besides, once you have the ragi flour ready, it usually takes less than 5 minutes to cook ragi porridge. Easy, isn't it???
Ragi is very affordable and can be found in any grocery store/supermarket. You also have an option between organic ragi and conventional ragi, though as many of us are aware, organic ragi is a little more expensive. If you can afford, organic food is definitely a wise option for your baby as it does not contain synthetic fertilizers/insecticides/pesticides.
How to prepare Ragi flour??
1. Sprouted ragi has more nutrients than normal ragi. So it is worth it to sprout the ragi. I found a wonderful link that gives step by step representation on how to go about the entire sprouting process.
2. Once your sprouted ragi is ready, let it air dry till all the moisture is gone. During summer it would take about a day or two, during winter it could take longer depending on the part of India/world one lives. While air-drying ensure that sprouted ragi is covered with a thin muslin cloth to prevent it from dirt and bugs.
3. Add the dried sprouted ragi to a dry kadai. (If you feel the quantity is too much for the kadai to hold, split the ragi into desired quantity). Turn on the stove. Dried roast the ragi till you get the malted flavor.
4. Let the ragi cool for 10 to 15 mins.
5. Put the ragi into a mixer and powder it till it becomes very fine.
6. Now take the finest sieve you have at home and sieve the powdered ragi. Store the fine ragi flour in an airtight container.
Once your child is a little older you can get ragi flour directly from any grocery store. Again, try going in for organic option if you can.
How to make Ragi Porridge??
1. Take two tablespoons of Ragi flour in a cooking bowl. Add 3/4 th cup of water to it.
2. Mix it well so that no lumps are visible.
3. Put the cooking bowl on the stove and keep stirring the mixture (If you don't stir continuously, then Ragi flour could settle at the bottom of the bowl and can get burnt).
4. In a couple of minutes you should be able to see the mixture thickening, if you feel the mixture is a little too thick, add water to it. (Children who have just started with solids prefer thin porridge. So add more water to it. Once your child is a Pro solid eater, he should like thicker porridge)
5. Finally when you see the porridge boiling, turn off the stove.
6. Let the porridge cool to the room temperature before feeding it to the little one.
Ah yes! You don't need to add sugar/salt to the porridge.
Your baby should like the natural taste. Again, if your child does not eat the porridge for the first time, give him some time. He perhaps needs to get used to the texture and taste of ragi. If he still does not eat even after relentlessly trying for a few days add expressed breast milk to the porridge.
Once your child it accustomed to ragi, you can add barley, rice, jowar, wheat (one by one though!!) and other millet to the ragi flour.
Ragi is very affordable and can be found in any grocery store/supermarket. You also have an option between organic ragi and conventional ragi, though as many of us are aware, organic ragi is a little more expensive. If you can afford, organic food is definitely a wise option for your baby as it does not contain synthetic fertilizers/insecticides/pesticides.
How to prepare Ragi flour??
1. Sprouted ragi has more nutrients than normal ragi. So it is worth it to sprout the ragi. I found a wonderful link that gives step by step representation on how to go about the entire sprouting process.
2. Once your sprouted ragi is ready, let it air dry till all the moisture is gone. During summer it would take about a day or two, during winter it could take longer depending on the part of India/world one lives. While air-drying ensure that sprouted ragi is covered with a thin muslin cloth to prevent it from dirt and bugs.
3. Add the dried sprouted ragi to a dry kadai. (If you feel the quantity is too much for the kadai to hold, split the ragi into desired quantity). Turn on the stove. Dried roast the ragi till you get the malted flavor.
4. Let the ragi cool for 10 to 15 mins.
5. Put the ragi into a mixer and powder it till it becomes very fine.
6. Now take the finest sieve you have at home and sieve the powdered ragi. Store the fine ragi flour in an airtight container.
Once your child is a little older you can get ragi flour directly from any grocery store. Again, try going in for organic option if you can.
How to make Ragi Porridge??
1. Take two tablespoons of Ragi flour in a cooking bowl. Add 3/4 th cup of water to it.
2. Mix it well so that no lumps are visible.
3. Put the cooking bowl on the stove and keep stirring the mixture (If you don't stir continuously, then Ragi flour could settle at the bottom of the bowl and can get burnt).
4. In a couple of minutes you should be able to see the mixture thickening, if you feel the mixture is a little too thick, add water to it. (Children who have just started with solids prefer thin porridge. So add more water to it. Once your child is a Pro solid eater, he should like thicker porridge)
5. Finally when you see the porridge boiling, turn off the stove.
6. Let the porridge cool to the room temperature before feeding it to the little one.
Ah yes! You don't need to add sugar/salt to the porridge.
Your baby should like the natural taste. Again, if your child does not eat the porridge for the first time, give him some time. He perhaps needs to get used to the texture and taste of ragi. If he still does not eat even after relentlessly trying for a few days add expressed breast milk to the porridge.
Once your child it accustomed to ragi, you can add barley, rice, jowar, wheat (one by one though!!) and other millet to the ragi flour.
2 comments:
Who remembers the Ragimalt of yester years!
Mee!!! I remember the yummy drink, how can one forget its enticing aroma??!!
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