How to Make Ragi Porridge for Babies & Toddlers - FirstCry Parenting

Ragi Porridge Recipe

Ragi malt and ragi porridge are the same things with different names. Ragi is cooked in either milk or water and it is very healthy for babies and adults alike. Ragi can be given to babies as early as they start on solids because it has high nutritional value; it is a good source of Vitamin B1 and B3, calcium, and iron.

Ragi is also known as finger millet and is widely consumed in southern parts of India. As ragi does not have a taste of its own, its porridge can be made in two ways, either sweet or salty. If you want to know how you can make ragi porridge for your baby, read on. We have a quick recipe for you!

Cooking Time 

Type Time (hh:mm:ss)
Preparation Time 00:01:00
Cook Time 00:05:00
Total Time 00:06:00

Cooking Method

Gas stove

Type of Meal

Vegetarian

Suitable For

Any baby above 7 months of age

Meal Schedule

Breakfast or mid-morning snack or evening snack

Recipe Type

Side dish

Ingredients

For Sweet Porridge

Ingredient Quantity
Ragi flour 4 tbsp
Water 1.5 cups
Sugar or dates or jaggery 1.5 tbsp
Milk (optional) 1 cup
Ghee (optional) 1 tsp
Cardamom powder (optional) ¼ tsp


For Salted Porridge

Ingredient Quantity
Ragi flour 4 tbsp
Water 1.5 cup
Buttermilk 1 cup
Salt As per taste
Cumin powder 1 tbsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) 1 tbsp
Oil or ghee 1 tsp

Instructions

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make both salty as well as sweet ragi porridge.

Sweet Porridge

1. First Method: Heat a pan, and take ragi flour in it. Next, add water to it. Mix it well and let it cook. Keep stirring it constantly to prevent it from burning and until the mixture thickens. Once it turns thick, your ragi malt will be ready. Turn off the heat and serve warm.

2. Second Method:

  1. Mix the ragi flour in ¾ cup of water.
  2. Heat the remaining water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Next, add the ragi mixture to it.
  3. Keep on stirring and cook it on medium heat.
  4. Turn off the flame when the mixture thickens.
  5. Now add dates or sugar or jaggery and milk to adjust the consistency and make it sweet.
  6. Add some ghee and dry fruits to make the recipe more nutritious.
  7. Your sweet porridge is ready to serve.

Salted Porridge

  1. Take ragi flour and water in a pan and cook well. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens.
  2. Now add salt and buttermilk to adjust consistency and bring taste.
  3. Salted porridge is ready to serve.
  4. If you wish to add a tempering then, heat ghee or oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let them splutter. Switch off the flame. Put this seasoning and coriander leaves to the prepare ragi porridge to enhance the taste.
  5. Serve the yummy porridge to your little one!

Recipe Tips

Follow the below tips to enhance the nutrition content and taste of this simple ragi porridge recipe:

  1. It is better if you prepare the porridge without milk. Because adding milk reduces the iron content of ragi.
  2. Adding fruit like apple or banana helps in the absorption of iron from ragi. So you can add fruit to the sweet porridge.

Nutrition Information (Per 100 Grams)

Type Quantity
Energy 165 kCal
Carbohydrates 25 g
Protein 5 g
Fat 4 g
Dietary Fiber 11.1 g
Vitamin C 2.3 mg
Iron 0.6 mg
Calcium 143 mg
Potassium 195 mg
Sodium 62 mg

Note: These values are only for the sweet porridge.

Health Benefits

Following is the list of benefits your child will get out of this homemade ragi porridge baby food recipe:

  1. Ragi is extremely beneficial for your growing child. As you can see from the table above, the calcium content of this recipe is so high. Calcium will help in the development of bones and teeth and avoiding bone-related diseases.
  2. Ragi is a good source of natural iron. When mixed with a fruit, the Vitamin C present in the fruit leads to easy absorption of iron. This helps in increasing the haemoglobin in kids.
  3. Not only iron and calcium, but ragi is also loaded with a good amount of protein, phosphorous and calcium. These minerals also serve as the building blocks in growing children.
  4. Ragi also keeps the child full for long.

Buying Guide

Ideally, you should make ragi flour at home by sprouting the ragi grains and dry roasting them. After this, they can be powdered in the mixer. This serves best for the babies. But if you cannot prepare it at home, buy the prepared ragi flour from the supermarket!

Follow the instructions and prepare this effortless and nutritious recipe for your growing child. This will keep him healthy and energetic. Happy Parenting!

References:

https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/ragi-malt-ragi-java-recipe-ragi-recipes/

https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/blog/article/7-health-benefits-of-ragi-6-great-ragi-recipes

https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/benefits-of-ragi-a-wonder-grain-1400676

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