Ragi Kanji for infants | Ragi Porridge | Muthari Kurukku | Fingermillet Porridge

It's been a long time since I'm thinking to post the recipes of food that I feed DD. Being a first time mom, I was at a very great dilemma of what to feed and what not to feed, advises pouring in from all sides. I'm sure many of you would have been or are now or are going to be in that situation :) As they say in an ad, there is no right way or wrong way ofparenting, there is only your way. You are the best person to decide what is best for your child :) But having said all that, it's always best to consult your child's pediatrician to guide you for do's and don'ts.

I wanted to start the baby food recipe series with DD's first food. Yes, this was what he had first. Ragi kanji or ragi paal koozh. It is also called as kooravu or muthari in Malayalam. I started this after he turned 5 months old. He liked it and was very enthusiastic to have it then. Now he gets bored at times. After a week of having this for his morning brunch he would need a break of another week ;) Some say that ragi can cause cold and is not suitable to be had in the evening or night. I give DD kooravu only during daytime and that too before 11 am and I avoid it when he has cold. Again it is a personal choice :)

This way of making ragi kanji by extracting milk was taught to me by my mom. My mil also does in the same way but she has another method too. She extracts the milk out of ragi in bulk (say around 500g to 1 kg). Then she dries them in sun for 2-3 days and then makes powder which can be used to make instant ragi kanji. Then you need not soak the ragi overnight. The process is tedious but it will save you if you forget to soak ragi overnight and making porridge daily out of that powder is also a breeze. No grinding and no soaking ! Maybe some other time I shall post that way too !

Recipe Source: Ma

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

I Used:

Ragi/Muthari/Finger millet	-	2 tbsp
Water	-	As Needed
Salt	-	As Needed
Ghee	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Rinse ragi in water for 3-4 times. Then soak it in water overnight. In the morning before using, again rinse for 2-3 times in water.

2. Take the soaked and rinsed ragi in a mixer. Add some water and grind it. I add quarter cup of water. 

3. Transfer the ground ragi into a sieve and extract the milk using a spoon. You can use a muslin cloth as well. Both would work. 

4. Add little more water to the ground ragi and grind again. Extract the milk again.

5. If the milk is too thick add little more water. I add around half to three-fourth cup of water as DD likes it to be a little thick than very watery. So adjust water according to your needs. 

6. If you are using salt then add at this point. If you like to make it sweet, then add when the porridge starts to get thick.

7. Mix well and on the flame.

8. Keep stirring with a spoon, else they will form lumps as shown in the second pic below. Keep cooking in a low flame.

9. It will start getting thick. If you want to add sweetener (like jaggery syrup or palm sugar candy) add when it becomes slightly thick. You can add ghee also if you prefer. 

10. Once it becomes thick and starts to leave the sides of the pan, it is done. Switch off the flame.

Allow to cool for a few minutes. And feed warm. 

As the porridge sits, it thickens. So adjust water and cooling time according to your baby's preferences :)

Cheers,

Chitz