What is homemade porridge ?
Homemade Porridge – Porridge has been the main food for infants who are starting solids. It is available in a variety of flavours commercially under different brand names. But many mothers are unaware that it’s simple to prepare this quick, wholesome, and easy-to-feed food at home.
Benefits of homemade porridge
The goodness of several minerals that are crucial to your baby’s growth and development are present in this, and it is also packed with a lot of health benefits.
•Ragi: Rai/millet is high in both protein and carbohydrates. Through this, your baby also gets thiamine, iron, and calcium.
•Bajra: This food has a high energy quotient and is high in calcium and fibre. The grain is very helpful in preventing constipation.
•Wheat: Due to its abundance in nutrients like Vitamin B, manganese, potassium, calcium, zinc, and fibre, wheat is the main ingredient in Indian cuisine.
•Rice comes in a variety of colours, each with a distinct flavour and goodness. Unlike its white counterpart, brown rice keeps the bran and germ layers, which preserves the nutrients and minerals. Additionally, it contains a lot of fibre, antioxidants, selenium, and manganese.
•Green gramme: Green gramme is an excellent source of lean vegetarian protein that also strengthens the immune system. It contains iron, magnesium, vitamins A, B, C, and E.
•Dals: Rich in iron, protein, zinc, folate, and manganese, dals help prevent anaemia, boost immunity, and support healthy body and brain function.
Here are a few homemade porridge recipes for babies:
•Porridge made from Poha
- Choose the thick poha and thoroughly clean it.
- Dry roast it, then allow it to cool.
- Blend thoroughly in the mixer.
- Cook the powder in water till it thickens.
- Add breast milk and mashed fruit to this and combine well and serve!
•Porridge made of dry fruits
- Take some ragi flour and cook in water till it thickens
- Grind the almonds, pistachio, and walnuts separately. Combine all of these, store in an airtight container.
- mix the dry fruit powder with the cooked rahi porridge and breast milk before serving. You can add some date paste for sweetness.
•Porridge made of pulses
- Make sure to thoroughly wash the rice. Roast the rice in a kadai.
- Each dal like moong dhuli, masur split should be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed.
- For two to three days, dry them in the sun.
- Without adding additional oil, roast each sun-dried ingredient separately. The dals must all be dry-roasted until they turn golden. Ensure that they are crisp. The rice should be lightly puffed after roasting. Now pulverise them into a fine powder in the mixer.
- The ingredients should be kept in an airtight container.
- Take a tablespoon of the mix and cook in water until it thickens to the right consistency. Add some cardamom or cinnamon powder for flavour. You can add some breast milk to this before feeding your baby.
If you need to know more about such recipes, connect with Kanupriya Khanna who has been working in this field since 2003. She is regarded as one of the best dietitians in Delhi because of her unwavering commitment to making a difference in people’s lives by instilling good eating habits.