3 Recipes to make Nachni/ Ragi Porridge for babies, toddlers

Ragi Porridge for Babies/ How to make ragi for babies, toddlers 

 

Ragi or Nachni or finger millet is a powerhouse of nutrition.Ragi is a rich source of calcium and potassium as well as iron. It is gluten-free and, low in fat and is thus easy to digest.

Sweet Ragi/nachni porridge

 

Nutrition Summary for 100 gms of raw ragi

Total Calories

378

Protein

11 g

Fat

0.4 g

Carbohydrate

72.9 g


Source : http://www.medindia.net

 

India is the biggest producer of ragi and still in many parts of India this cereal is virtually unknown. I grew up in North India and was unaware of this wonder cereal. When we moved to Bangalore, I came to know of its existence. Karnataka being the highest producer of Ragi, it is used widely. When my daughter was born, everyone from my baby’s pediatrician to friends to my well-meaning day helper suggested me to introduce ragi to her. I wanted to as well, but the recipe that was given to me appeared too complicated to a novice, with washing, sprouting, drying then milling. Now of course, it  does not look as daunting.

 

 

Anyway, I still wanted my daughter to get the benefits of ragi, so I procured sprouted ragi flour which is easily available in super-markets these days and used it to make porridges and ragi cheela/dosa for her. It was a modified version of porridge as I could make but was still delicious. Sprouting or malting is a process that increases the nutritional content of grains and legumes and also makes them easier to digest.

 

Ragi porridge for babies, How to make Ragi porridge for babies, toddlers

I recently got the authentic ragi porridge recipe from Megha Gopan, who from being a religious reader of ShishuWorld  has now become a dear friend. She is mother to a 2 year old angel and lives in Muscat, Oman.

 

Traditional Recipe – Malted Ragi porridge for babies

She says:

Ragi porridge is made by ragi seeds or ragi powder.Its better to use seeds because powder available in markets might be adulterated(harmful for babies).

1) Wash ragi thoroughly and put them under sun for drying.

2) You can keep the dried grains in a jar for later use too.

3) Soak the required amount of ragi seeds overnight ((quantity is your choice,1 tablespoon would be enough for a 6 month old)

4) The next day drain them and put them under the sun for drying.

5) The more they dry, the easier it is to crush them.

6) Grind the seeds in a mixer well with little water.

7) With the help of a strainer,extract the juice only after grinding, it would be a white coloured mucuous like substance.

8) Boil this with required quantity of water till it thickens and becomes shiny.

9) Make sure you keep stirring else it can get burnt.

10) After it thickens, add sugar or jaggery.

11) Mix well & serve in spoonable consistency.

Now, she has made it really easy even for novices, hasn’t she!

Now for the two recipes that I have been using at my home. They might be a little unconventional but I like to go with my instincts and the results are quite good.     

 

                                       

 
 

Ragi porridge for babies
Ragi porridge for babies, How to make Ragi porridge for babies, toddlers

 

Sweet Ragi porridge for Babies made with sprouted Ragi/ Nachni flour

When I brought the ragi flour, I realized it’s consistency was like atta., so I decided to make it like we make suji or atta halwa, but consistency is thinner and porridgy.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon ghee
2 tsp sprouted ragi flour
1 teaspoon grated jaggery
1 cardamom pod – powdered
1-2 Almonds chopped
Water/milk as required

Recipe

In a pan, heat ghee and roast ragi flour till you get a little roasted aroma. Keep stirring continuously.
Once roasted, take off heat and let it cool.
Once slightly cool, add 1 cup water and mix well using a whisk. It is best to mix well when cool and then put back on heat. I learnt it the hard way as it becomes very lumpy if you put water on hot flour, just like atta.
Put back on heat and cook while whisking constantly.
Add grated jaggery and keep cooking. This will take 2-3 minutes to thicken.
Add cardamom powder and take off from heat.
Add milk to adjust the consistency. If your child is finicky about lumps like mine, pass it through a sieve.
Garnish with chopped almonds
Yummy, easy and ready in a jiffy porridge. 🙂

Sweet ragi porridge for babies is ready in just a few minutes.

 

 

Savoury Ragi porridge for babies made with sprouted Ragi/ Nachni flour

 

Savoury Ragi/nachni porridge

Now my daughter is partial to savoury dishes and does not like sweets so much except for a few favorites. So, I got some tips and modified the sweet recipe to savoury.

Ingredients

1 tsp ghee
2 tsp sprouted ragi flour
Salt to taste
½ tsp sugar
Water as required
1 tsp homemade curd

Recipe

Like for sweet porridge, roast the ragi flour in ghee and keep aside to cool.
Once slightly cool, add 1 cup water and mix well using a whisk. It is best to mix well when cool and then put back on heat. I learnt it the hard way as it becomes very lumpy if you put water on hot flour, just like atta.
Put back on heat and cook while whisking constantly.
Add sugar and salt and keep cooking. This will take 2-3 minutes to thicken.
Take off heat and pass through a sieve to get rid of any lumps.
Once slightly cool, add curd and mix well.
The savoury ragi porridge for babies is ready. This is how my little one likes it, but you could make it tastier by tempering with mustard seeds and curry leaves like upma for older kids.

Hope you and your child enjoys these easy-peasy porridges made with ragi or nachni. If you like it, please share it in your circle. Please leave a comment to ask a question or let us know your feedback.  You can follow us on Facebook, twitter and pinterest.

 

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5 Replies to “3 Recipes to make Nachni/ Ragi Porridge for babies, toddlers”

  1. Dhvani says:

    Hi! Thanks so much for these recipes. I’m a ftm and there is so much said about what to give them when we start solids. I just wanted to ask if it is okay to give ragi and nachini to 6 month old babies?
    The last two recipes especially?

    Reply
    1. Priya Sachan says:

      Thank you Dhvani,
      I can understand your anxiety being a first time mom, but remember that babies are resilient and you are doing your best. Now to your question, you can give ragi to 6 months old baby. But the last two recipes use jaggery and salt and are meant for toddlers.

      Reply

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