Tag: babypotatoes

Manni / Porridge-Initial Baby Food:

November 23, 2017

Regarding baby food lots and lots of notions are there. What to feed, when to start solids, which age is ideal etc. According to me, each situation or each baby is different than the other. In my condition, it was twin babies and almost 20 days pre-mature too.

With two babies, breast feeding was not sufficient, and I started this porridge in a very diluted form (For 200 ml of water, I used to use 1 tsp of powder) as early as 40 days of their birth. Yes, my father who is a doctor himself, advised me to start this instead of any packaged milk powder or cow’s milk. I used to feed them this a couple of times in a day (100ml at a time) as a top food to suffice their needs.

Jaggery is very good for infants and this is the only way they get their iron supplement, if they are on top food. This is what our paediatrician told me. According to her suggestion, I used to add tiny jaggery piece while preparing porridge.

When days passed by I did increased the quantity of porridge powder and when they became 4 to 5 months old, I started feeding them one small bowl of porridge by using spoon.

If you are raising your brows while reading this, Yes!!! My daughters are healthy grown up teenagers now. I personally never ever recommend readymade food over natural food.

How to Prepare Porridge Powder:

pic 1_Fotor

Ingredients:

Finger millet / Ragi – 500 gms

Whole wheat – 500 gms

Almonds- 100 gms

Method:

  • Clean Ragi and whole wheat by rinsing couple of times with water.
  • Drain water completely.
  • Spread this on a clean cloth and dry in the shade.
  • When it is dry, take little by little and dry roast for a couple of minutes to remove any remaining moisture.
  • You can use almond by roasting or without as well.
  • Cool this by spreading it again.
  • Take a mixer jar and powder it, sieve it and collect the fine powder and proceed.
  • Cool this and store this powder in an air tight container.
  • If you want to store this for too long, keep it in a fridge.

How to prepare porridge:

  • Take water according to your requirement, add powder and mix thoroughly.

Ribbet collage 2

  • If you are feeding for two to three-month-old, by using feeding bottle, take ½ to 1 tsp of powder,100 ml of water and boil. (adjust according to the requirement)
  • If you want a little thicker consistency, take 2 tsp of powder and 100 ml of water and boil.

Ribbet collage 3

  • Add jaggery or rock candy (kallu sakkare)
  • Boil this by stirring in a low flame, when it is cooked, it becomes a little shiny and transparent (top becomes glossy).
  • Remove from the fire. If you are okay with addition of milk, add couple of spoons of milk and adjust the consistency, or adjust with water and feed the baby either by feeding bottle or spoon.

 

 

 

Vegetable Nagercoil Biryani:

January 27, 2017

When I saw this Nagercoil biryani on this website, I couldn’t wait more and tried it with a vegetarian option. Instead of mutton, I tried with double beans, baby potatoes and sweet corn. Kids liked it and I’m happy to share it with you all.

It is little different than our usual biryanis. Usage of small grain rice is a highlight of this biryani.

pic 3

Ingredient:

Jeera or small grain rice – 3 cups

Vegetables – ½ kg

Oil – 3 table spoon

Ghee – 3 table spoon

Onion – 3 (chopped)

Ginger garlic paste – 1 table spoon

Green chillies – 4

Tomato – 2

Turmeric – ½ teaspoon

Red chilli powder – ½ teaspoon

Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon

Coriander leaves – handful

Mint leaves –handful

Curd- ½ cup

Cashew – 10

Raisins – 10

Salt

Whole masala: Cinnamon -1 stick, clove -4, Cardamom-2, Bay leaf – ½, star anise -2, stone flower -2, Cumin – 1 tsp, Mace – 2 petals .

Method:

  • Wash and soak rice for half an hour. After half an hour drain the water and keep aside.
  • Chop vegetables, here I have taken sweet corn cob, baby potatoes, carrot, beans and double beans.
  • Heat oil and 2 table spoon of ghee in a cooker. Add whole masalas.

pic 1

  • Add Chopped onions and green chillies, fry until it becomes light brown.
  • Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a while.
  • Add chopped tomatoes, chopped veggies, sufficient salt and fry until tomatoes becomes mushy and veggies are coated with masala.
  • Add turmeric, red chilli powder and coriander powder and fry for a while.
  • Add chopped coriander, mint and curd.
  • Add drained rice and mix everything together and add sufficient water (here I took 5 ½ cups of water)

pic 2

  • Fry cashews and raisins in a table spoon of ghee and add it to cooker vessel.
  • Check for salt and close the lid and cook until one whistle, keep it in a simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and switch off the gas.
  • When pressure relieves, open the lid and mix everything together and serve this tasty biryani with onion raita.

pic 4

NOTE:

  • I usually take 1 ½ cups of water for 1 cup of Jeera/small grain rice.
  • Additional 1 cup of water for veggies to cook.