Ragi for Babies, Garlic-Flavored Ragi Porridge for Babies, Toddlers, Kids

When Devansh started eating solids, a lot of my Maharashtrian friends and relatives told me to give him nachni satva (ragi malt), as ragi is rich in calcium. It is undoubtedly one of the healthier foods for babies. Usually ragi malt is given to babies mixed with milk. However, I didn’t want to start giving Devansh cow/buffalo milk till he turned one. So, I cooked ragi malt in water. I bought sugarless ragi malt and so I used to add jaggery to it. Devansh didn’t like the sweet ragi porridge at all. He’d eat a couple of spoonfuls and then turn his face away. Even 7 month olds know how to be extremely stubborn. So I had to relent and gave up trying to feed him ragi porridge.

Garlic-Flavored Ragi Porridge
Garlic-Flavored Ragi Porridge

But I was desperate to include ragi in his diet. That’s when a dear friend of mine, Sangeeta, told me to try giving him garlic ragi porridge I decided to give it a try. And much to my delight Devansh liked the garlic ragi porridge. He still wouldn’t eat as much as I wanted him to. So I tried adding a little jaggery to it and voila this garlic ragi porridge was a hit. Discussing healthy food ideas with others sure helps. :-)

I have to admit, initially I was very skeptical to start giving garlic to an eight month old but Devansh loved it. Garlic is known to be good for digestion and if the mother is eating spicy food during the time she’s breastfeeding the baby, the baby is familiar with the spicy taste anyways. So it’s really up to you when you want to include garlic in your baby’s diet but I’d say this porridge is suitable for eight month and older babies. Just make sure that you grate the garlic finely so your baby can swallow it properly. Give it a try. :-)

Also See:
Baby Food Recipes

Toddler Food Recipes

MumMumTime on Twitter

Garlic Ragi Porridge Recipe

Ragi for Babies,Garlic Ragi Porridge Recipe

Print Recipe
Garlic ragi porridge recipe for babies, toddlers, kids—made with calcium-rich finger millet (nachni) and garlic which is good for digestion.
Course Main Dish
Servings 1 person

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp ragi flour (finger millet four)
  • 1/4th tsp jeera powder (cumin seeds powder)
  • 1 tbsp grated jaggery
  • 1 medium clove of garlic
  • salt to taste (optional see note below)

Instructions

  • Take a bowl and mix ragi flour with half a cup of water in it. Ensure that there are no lumps in the mixture.
  • Add salt and a cup of water.
  • Grate a clove of garlic finely. If you think your baby won’t like his/her porridge too garlicky, you can use one small clove of garlic.
  • Heat a pan and add ghee to it.
  • Immediately add jeera powder and stir it.
  • Add grated garlic and stir.
  • Add the mixture in the bowl to the pan. Remember that ghee heats up very quickly and you don’t want the burnt taste so you need to quickly add jeera powder, garlic, and flour mixture one after other.
  • Add jaggery and stir well.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring continuously.
  • Turn off heat. This mixture will thicken after it cools off. So decide on the consistency accordingly before turning off the heat.

Notes

  • It is recommended to avoid adding salt in babies’ food till they turn one.
  • However, in my case I found that Devansh just wouldn’t eat his food without salt. Hence, I started adding little bit of salt in his food. You can decide whether you want to add salt or not after talking to your child’s pediatrician.
  • If you’re using ready made finger millet (ragi) flour, I strongly recommend that you use an organic one. I doubt if the grains are washed properly before powdering them, which results in plenty of pesticide residue in the flour.

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




Ads Blocker Image Powered by Code Help Pro

Disable Your AD Blocker, Support Our SIte!!!

We have detected that you are using extensions to block ads. Please support us by disabling these ads blocker.