Millet preparations certainly won’t make you wince! Millets can easily
replace rice and wheat in many of the food items we eat and they make
for a tasty, wholesome meal. Enjoy the recipes here!
Millets can be given to babies in different forms. They are easy
to digest, non-glutinous and very nourishing – an excellent meal for
your baby. You can start getting your infant on these foods from when
they are 4 months old. Of course, you would follow the regular procedure
of giving just a spoonful on the first day and incrementally increasing
the quantity over a week’s time.
Sama (Little Millet) rice – 2 tbsp
Varagu (Kodo Millet) rice – 2 tbsp
Thenai(Foxtail Millet) rice – 2 tbsp
Whole Wheat Dalia (Broken Wheat) – 2 tbsp
Paddy rice (red, white, brown) – 2 tbsp
Whole Mung (Green Gram) – 2 tbsp
Roast each grain separately till you can smell a fragrant aroma of roasted grain. Each grain needs a different amount of time, so don;t mix them up lest you end up with some under-roasted and some over-roasted and hence bitter grains. Let them cool down and then powder them in a mixie till you get a rava consistency. Grind the grains in batches based on grain size – sama, varagu and korra can go in one batch. Mung and rice in another.
Cook the mixture in a pressure cooker with sufficient water. You will need to check if the cooked mixture has a soft, mashed-up texture. Puree if required.
Suggestions for serving:
1. With milk
2. with buttermilk, if your baby is old enough for it/used to it
3. boiled and pureed vegetables
4. pureed fruits
You can eat it or drink it based on the consistency you like. It has a delicious flavor and is nutritious.
Ragi grain – 1 cup
Water – as required
Soak 1 cup of ragi overnight. Puree the soaked grain with less water till you can see that the grains are getting pulped. Do not pour too much water at the beginning, the grains will not get crushed. Once your have a paste, add water and puree some more. Now pass the mixture through a muslin cloth to extract the ragi milk. You can extract milk a couple of times. Now bring the extract to boil on a slow flame, stirring occasionally to make sure that no lumps are formed. Allow it to cook for about 10 minutes and till it starts to thicken.
If you add too little water, the mixture will thicken too soon, before the ragi extract has cooked. If you add too much water, you will need to cook it for longer till you get the desired consistency.
Some suggestions on what to add to this extract:
1. boiled and pureed apple
2. boiled and pureed carrots or other vegetables your baby likes
3. jaggery if your baby is used to the taste
4. just like that, your baby might lap it up!
A traditional recipe and thanks to Anjali Purohit for making it sound delicious in the ragini custard recipe she provides in her book, Ragi-Ragini.
Ragi Huri Hittu (Sprouted and Roasted Ragi) – 3 spoons
Jaggery – 3 spoons
Water – 1.5 glasses (adjust according to the thickness of the porridge you like)
Salt – pinch
Almonds – 8-10 soaked overnight
Boil to melt the jaggery in 1 cup of water and strain to remove impurities. Add salt. Mix the ragi huri hittu in about 1/4 glass of water. Peel the soaked almonds. Place the almonds and 1/4 cup of water in a blender and blend till you get a smooth mixture. Strain the mixture through a cheese/khadi cloth to separate the pulp from the milk. (Note: If you add the pulp to the porridge, it will not come together and become thick)
Bring the strained water to a boil. Add the water with the ragi powder. Allow the mixture to cook for half a minute and add the almond milk. Cook till the mixture thickens. Add water if the porridge is too thick for you.
Ragi is an excellent source of calcium, among other nutrients, for kids. Adding almonds adds a good source of fat, Vitamin E and many more nutrients for your child.
Millet Recipes for Babies
Mixed Millet food
Varagu (Kodo Millet) rice – 2 tbsp
Thenai(Foxtail Millet) rice – 2 tbsp
Whole Wheat Dalia (Broken Wheat) – 2 tbsp
Paddy rice (red, white, brown) – 2 tbsp
Whole Mung (Green Gram) – 2 tbsp
Roast each grain separately till you can smell a fragrant aroma of roasted grain. Each grain needs a different amount of time, so don;t mix them up lest you end up with some under-roasted and some over-roasted and hence bitter grains. Let them cool down and then powder them in a mixie till you get a rava consistency. Grind the grains in batches based on grain size – sama, varagu and korra can go in one batch. Mung and rice in another.
Cook the mixture in a pressure cooker with sufficient water. You will need to check if the cooked mixture has a soft, mashed-up texture. Puree if required.
Suggestions for serving:
1. With milk
2. with buttermilk, if your baby is old enough for it/used to it
3. boiled and pureed vegetables
4. pureed fruits
You can eat it or drink it based on the consistency you like. It has a delicious flavor and is nutritious.
Ragi Extract
Water – as required
Soak 1 cup of ragi overnight. Puree the soaked grain with less water till you can see that the grains are getting pulped. Do not pour too much water at the beginning, the grains will not get crushed. Once your have a paste, add water and puree some more. Now pass the mixture through a muslin cloth to extract the ragi milk. You can extract milk a couple of times. Now bring the extract to boil on a slow flame, stirring occasionally to make sure that no lumps are formed. Allow it to cook for about 10 minutes and till it starts to thicken.
If you add too little water, the mixture will thicken too soon, before the ragi extract has cooked. If you add too much water, you will need to cook it for longer till you get the desired consistency.
Some suggestions on what to add to this extract:
1. boiled and pureed apple
2. boiled and pureed carrots or other vegetables your baby likes
3. jaggery if your baby is used to the taste
4. just like that, your baby might lap it up!
A traditional recipe and thanks to Anjali Purohit for making it sound delicious in the ragini custard recipe she provides in her book, Ragi-Ragini.
Ragi – Ragini: Chronicles from Aji’s Kitchen by Anjali Purohit
Ragi, which is known by
many names – Nachani, Nagli, Kelvaragu, Mutthari, Coracano, or finger
millet – is a much neglected wonder food and an indigenous grain that
has been grown and consumed in India’s rural areas for centuries.
Ragi-Ragini is a collection of ragi recipes-traditional ones, variations
of the traditional as well as entirely new innovations. The author
believes thatRagi has the potential to take a weak and ailing body and
lead it towards health, wisdom and self-realisation, and she infuses her
recipes with this faith. The recipes are accompanied by a sparkling
little tale about a little girl called Ragini, her life with her genius
grandmother Aji and fiesty Masi in a small, coastal Konkan village, and
the transcendental ragi grain. Adorning the narrative and recipes are
‘ovis’ or verses composed by the renowned Maharashtrian poet Bahinabai
which have been sung by generations of women while going about their
daily chores, and which talk about the life, work and concerns of women
in the region. This unusual little book by Anjali Purohit not only
offers simple tips to include ragi in your daily diet, but is also a
delight to read!
Ragi Porridge with Almond Milk
Jaggery – 3 spoons
Water – 1.5 glasses (adjust according to the thickness of the porridge you like)
Salt – pinch
Almonds – 8-10 soaked overnight
Boil to melt the jaggery in 1 cup of water and strain to remove impurities. Add salt. Mix the ragi huri hittu in about 1/4 glass of water. Peel the soaked almonds. Place the almonds and 1/4 cup of water in a blender and blend till you get a smooth mixture. Strain the mixture through a cheese/khadi cloth to separate the pulp from the milk. (Note: If you add the pulp to the porridge, it will not come together and become thick)
Bring the strained water to a boil. Add the water with the ragi powder. Allow the mixture to cook for half a minute and add the almond milk. Cook till the mixture thickens. Add water if the porridge is too thick for you.
Ragi is an excellent source of calcium, among other nutrients, for kids. Adding almonds adds a good source of fat, Vitamin E and many more nutrients for your child.
No comments:
Post a Comment