I have started ragi koozhu(porridge) for my baby.Its pretty good . Ragi is very nutritious and is very good for adults also .I found this really interesting link on Ragi's nutritive value http://vegweightlossdiets.com/ragi-nutrition/
Ragi is very high in calcium and iron . In many parts of south India babies are given ragi as a first food .Sprouted ragi powder for the baby is pretty easy to make.When stored well it keeps as well though I make it once a month .
Ragi(Finger MIllet) is available in some Indian grocers I buy it from Udaya Spices at Station Street in WentworthVille.
First wash the Ragi and immerse it in water for 2 -3 hours then allow it to sprout I put the ragi in a muslin cloth and put it into my oven (any warm place should do).It takes 7-8 hours to sprout but this will vary depending on the season.
Once its sprouted the ragi is to be dried fully .I put the ragi into my oven and put the oven on fan heat for 15-20 mins .
This porridge also uses wheat and chatni chana. I buy whole wheat grains from Udaya spices wash the whole wheat and dry it in the oven for 15-20mins .I only toast the chatni chana .
The ratio I use for this porridge is ragi:wheat:chatnichana is 2:1:1 .The porridge powder can vary slightly so I Just eyeball the ratios . Now grind the roasted ragi,wheat and chatni chana till it becomes a fine powder I then run this into a seive and then store the powder in an airtight container.
To prepare the porridge I mix one spoon of the porridge powder with water and cook it .
To this I add cooked banana or pumpkin or cooked apple ,pears etc .In India I am told that its customary to use milk to cook the porridge or if cooked in water ghee is added finally. I have refrained from doing this as of now since I would like to wait before I introduce milk to the baby.
