In India ragi is a popular first food for babies. This millet is a powerhouse of nutrients and adds that extra nutrient boost to a child’s diet plan. In this post let us look at popular ragi recipes for babies and toddlers.
BENEFITS OF RAGI FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS
Ragi (finger millet) can be called as an Indian superfood. Not only does it have a mild flavor which makes it easy to incorporate into many dishes, it contains many nutrients that are needed by growing children.
- Ragi is a rich source of calcium for kids. Approximately 344mg of calcium/100gms
- Good source of fibre.
- Good source of iron. About 4mg of iron/100 gms of sprouted ragi.
Besides including a good amount of nutrients like calcium, potassium and iron, including ragi in the diet can help manage blood sugar levels, weight and reduce inflammation which makes the grain a healthy option for all age groups.
Related reading: Quick and healthy oats recipes for babies and toddlers
RAGI RECIPES FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS
Note: For babies under 1, remember to avoid jaggery, sugar, honey, and salt. You can substitute with a mashed banana for sweetness wherever needed.
Ragi Porridge
Ragi porridge is a great breakfast for babies and toddlers. One that most children can enjoy because it has a mild flavor that can be sweetened using mashed bananas or jaggery.
Ingredients
5 tbsp ragi flour
11/2 cup water
1 tsp jaggery (skip for babies can add mashed banana instead)
¼ tsp cardamom powder
Instructions
In a hot pan dry roast the ragi flour until an aroma is released. Once the ragi flour is well roasted add the water, jaggery powder and cardamom powder. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve with some almond flakes or almond powder on the top.
Ragi Pancake
This ragi pancake recipe is so easy to make and a smart way to add ragi to foods that toddlers usually like.
Ragi Ladoo
Another easy to make ragi recipe for toddlers. For an even quicker version of this ragi ladoo and some more easy snacks, check my ebook The Easy Toddler Snack Book. It includes 36 healthy snack recipes for kids that you can whip up in a jiffy.
Ragi Dosa
To make a yummy ragi dosa, I use the same dosa batter proportions I usually do, which is 2:1 (rice: urad dal). Once the batter is ready, I add 5 tbsps of sprouted ragi flour to it, mix well and use to make the dosa.
Plain dosa batter procedure
Soak rice:urad dal in 2:1 proportions in water for 6- 8 hours. (you can add a handful of poha or leftover cooked rice to this rice dal mix too. These really elevate the taste of the dosa.)
Grind it and leave the batter to ferment overnight.
The batter will rise by morning, add a little salt, (I add ragi flour at this stage to make ragi dosa) and the dosa batter is ready to use.
Here is a quick sambar recipe to go along with the dosa.
Some more quick lentil recipes for babies.
Ragi Malt
A yummy and healthy drink for children is ragi malt. Its easy to make and a perfect immune boosting drink for winters.
Add 2 tbsp of sprouted ragi powder to one cup of water. Let this boil and reduce. Stir well to get rid of any lumps. It should reach a glossy texture. Now add one cup milk, a tsp or two of jaggery powder mix well and serve.
Ragi Chapati
Add a tablespoon of sprouted ragi powder to your the whole wheat flour as you make the chapati dough. It’s a great way to boost the nutrient content of everyday foods like chapati. Our favorite toddler snack food is nut butter chapati roll.
Ragi Idli
Here is a quick ragi idli recipe for you to try.
I like that this ragi idli recipe involves no soaking, grinding or fermentation process. You can make instant ragi idli’s on a busy morning.
Ragi Utappam
This combination of ragi flour, rice flour and coriander makes the perfect ragi uttapam. You can adjust the spice level to match your child’s preference.
Ragi Cookies
These ragi cookies are plant based, made using an unrefined sugar option and suited to toddlers and adults alike.
Pressed for time? Early Foods makes many varieties of millet cookies using very little jaggery and whole ingredients.
These are a big hit in our home and now you too can enjoy them with an 10% discount on your next purchase from Early Foods. Use code EASYMOMMYLIFE10 at checkout.
Ragi Cake
As children grow older they are exposed to more and sweet foods like cakes and cookies. They demand for these cakes and cookies and one way to avoid eating overly processed bakery items from outside is to bake at home.
We recently tried baking a chocolate ragi cake and it turned out just right. Our little one did not even notice anything different. Win-win for us.
Ingredients
1 cup of whole wheat flour
½ cup ragi flour
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2-4 drops of pure vanilla extract
Instructions
In a mixing bowl sieve the whole wheat flour, ragi flour, baking soda, baking powder, powdered sugar and salt 2-3 times. Keep this aside.
In another bowl add the molten butter, 2 eggs, milk, vanilla extract and whisk well.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Bake in a preheated oven for 30 min at 180 °C.
Serve with a glass of milk.
I hope this post inspires you to add this super millet in your daily diet more often.
For more such easy recipes, check recipes section of the blog.
Comment below and tell me which ragi foods are your favorites? If you have some unique ragi recipes of your own feel free to leave me a recipe in the comments section, I would love to try more.