Recipes to make Nachni/ Ragi Porridge 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

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Nutrition Summary for 100 gms of raw ragi
Total Calories	378
Protein	11 g
Fat	0.4 g
Carbohydrate	72.9 g

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.

Traditional Recipe – Malted Ragi porridge for babies

agi 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 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.     

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

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.