Ragi Preparation for Infants

For all Indian expats.. away from the family and who has an infant mite be wondering.. How am i going to introduce solids for my infant??

Ragi / Red Millet / Nachni made into a porridge, is probably one of the best to start the solid diet for infants. I have done it for both my kids..

There are 2 options
1)You can buy powdered Ragi (Go to Preparing the Ragi Porridge)
2)You can buy Ragi and then powder it
You can get these from any Indian store here in Kuwait.

Steps for powdering Ragi (I learnt it from my mother-in-law)

1)Wash the Ragi properly and remove any particles in it(stones or dirt)
2)Drain it.. so that most of the water goes.
3)Spread it on a clean paper and keep it in sunlight if possible and let it dry
4)Once its completely dried, you can take a little quantity and put it in a mixer/grinder and powder it. You can powder and keep it in a air tight container and you can take it little by little and make the porridge

I know it does take time!! But you can really be sure, it is clean and has no unknown particles... When you are starting solids, its always better to powder it on your own, as its sure to be safe on your babies stomach...

Preparing the Ragi porridge
1)After the ragi is powdered, take the required quantity, start with 1 teaspoon
2)Mix it with 3/4 cup of water, depending upon the consistency and pour it through a fine sieve
3)You can add a little jaggery or sugar lumps for sweetening it
4)Cook it for 3-5 mins on low flame continuously stirring it to avoid lumps, the porridge is ready
5)Cool it and you can give it to your baby for feeding. You can add milk if desired. The best is to use infant milk powder (like NAN / Promil Gold / Aptamil) and best not to add cow's milk as it might cause allergies.