Ragi Powder is a very healthy millet flour with which we can do many healthy dishes. Especially for babies, this Ragi porridge would be their first semi-solid food when they are 4-5 months old. I started giving a teaspoon or two to my kids when they are 5 months old and slowly increased the quantity when they grow up. All the millets are rich in nutrients and hence takes more time to digest. so its always good to start with little quantities for babies. Instead of buying store bought Ragi Flour, making sprouted ragi powder at home is so healthy.
Preparing sprouted ragi powder is a time consuming process but surely not a complex process. Its just for sprouting, we need to give really good time based on the weather. For me, sprouting took nearly 28 hours as it was a so cold weather, but if you have a warm or hot weather, then sprouting happens quickly mostly in 12 hours itself. Once ragi is sprouted, then its only matter of time to make homemade ragi powder. If we have access to rice mill, then our job is even more easier, we can just roast the sprouted ragi till they are hot and then take it to mill to grind it to a smooth powder or if you have a hot weather, then you can spread the sprouted ragi in a towel and keep it a sunny place for 3-4 hours and then grind it to a smooth powder. I don't have access to rice mill, so I used my mixer to make the ragi powder from sprouted ragi. Remember to sieve the ragi powder if you are grinding it in mixer as we need more smooth powder especially for making ragi porridge for babies.
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| Homemade Sprouted Ragi Powder Recipe | Ragi Porridge for Babies |
Preparation and Yield:
| Soaking time | 12 hours |
| Preparation Time | 12 hours + 20 mins |
| Yield | 200gms |
| Recipe Category | Homemade Powder |
| Recipe Cuisine | South Indian |
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| Homemade Sprouted Ragi Powder Recipe | Ragi Porridge for Babies |
Ingredients:
| Ragi / Finger Millet | 1 Cup* |
* 1 Cup = 250ml
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| Homemade Sprouted Ragi Powder Recipe | Ragi Porridge for Babies |
Method:
- Wash the ragi thoroughly. Add water to soak the ragi and keep it soaked overnight.
- The next morning, drain the water from soaked ragi. In a clean white cloth, add drained ragi in the cloth and bring all the edges of towel together and tie it like a potli.
- Keep this potli aside in a cool place till the ragi is sprouted. Generally if the weather is hot or warm, then it will take approximately 12 hours. Since the weather in my place is cold, it took nearly 28 hours for the ragi to get sprouted. So patiently wait and leave the tied up towel aside in a cool place till the ragi gets sprouted.
- Once the ragi is sprouted, heat a pan and dry roast the sprouted ragi till it is hot. If you have a sunny weather, then you can spread the sprouted ragi in a towel and keep it in a sunny place for 4-5 hours
- Take the hot sprouted ragi in a mixer jar and grind it to a smooth powder. If you have access to rice mill, then grind the sprouted ragi in mill then the flour will be very very smooth. But if you don't have access to mill, then use your mixer jar and grind it in intervals to get a smooth powder and make sure you are not overloading the mixer and also not making the motor hot.
- Once ragi powder is ready, sieve the powder to get a smooth powder without any fibers
- Store the Sprouted Ragi Powder in an air-tight container to retain the freshness
Ragi Porridge
Each baby has a different digestive nature and hence you need to consult the doctor to give any homemade porridge or purees. I started ragi porridge for my kids at the age of their 3 months. For the first time use, always start with very very little quantity. That too for much younger babies (less than 6 months of age), try giving only a teaspoon and study the baby reaction like if there is any change in stool.
Each baby has a different digestive nature and hence you need to consult the doctor to give any homemade porridge or purees. I started ragi porridge for my kids at the age of their 3 months. For the first time use, always start with very very little quantity. That too for much younger babies (less than 6 months of age), try giving only a teaspoon and study the baby reaction like if there is any change in stool.
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| Homemade Sprouted Ragi Powder Recipe | Ragi Porridge for Babies |
| Homemade Sprouted Ragi Flour | 1/2 Tablespoon for less than 6 month baby |
| Homemade Sprouted Ragi Flour | 1 Tablespoon for 6-9 month baby |
| Homemade Sprouted Ragi Flour | 2 Tablespoon for 9-12 month baby |
| Homemade Sprouted Ragi Flour | 4 Tablespoon for 1 year+ baby |
| Palm sugar / Palm Jaggery | 1-2 Tablespoon |
| Milk (Optional) | as Needed |
Method for making Ragi Porridge:
- First in a sauce pan, add water and palm sugar and bring it to boil till it gets completely dissolved. Keep this juice aside
- In another sauce pan, add water and ragi flour and stir well to break the lumps. Heat this mixture and stir continuously in medium flame till the porridge gets thicker.
- Strain the palm sugar juice to the thick porridge and keep stirring till it is thicker
- Switch off the flame. Allow the porridge to cool off completely. Milk is optional. Serve immediately