Malt Powder

Ingredients:
1 cup finger millet (Ragi or Nachni)

1 cup rice

1 cup whole wheat

Method:

Wash and soak the finger millet, rice and wheat in separate containers, overnight or for 6 to 8 hours.Discard the water and place the grains in separate muslin cloths or cheesecloth. Tie the cloth to any horizontal surface and allow the grains to sprout. Keep the surface of the cloth moist by sprinkling water. Don’t allow the cloth to go dry. The sprouting can take about 2 days when the temperature is approximately 25 degrees Celsius.

Once the grains sprout spread them over a clean cloth separately and cover them with another cloth. Allow the grains to dry this way for about 4 to 6 hours.

In a thick, heavy bottomed utensil, preferably a wok or kadhai dry roast the grains on a very low flame until they are completely dry and have a lovely toasted fragrance. The best way to test is when the grains break easily when crushed. This step is a bit crucial since over toasting the grains can burn them easily, increasing the carbon content which is not good for the digestion of your baby.

Allow the toasted grains to cool well and grind them to a fine powder in a mixer, grinder or grain mill. Pass the ground powder through a fine sieve. This separates the husk and other particles, which are not easy for your baby to digest.

Mix all the ground grains together and store in an airtight container. Preferably use in a month’s time.

How to proceed:

Malt food recipe

1 tbsp grain malt mixture (made above)

200 ml (3/4 cup) milk

1 ½ tsp jaggery

A pinch of dry ginger powder (optional)

A pinch of nutmeg powder (optional)

A few shavings of freshly grated almond (optional)

½ tsp date syrup (optional)

Method:
In a bowl assemble the malt, jaggery and the other optional ingredients and mix with 2 tbsp milk to form a smooth paste. Pour in the remaining milk and cook over a medium flame until the milk comes to a boil. Cool and serve warm.

A Few notes:

·Like I said above, you can use different grains for sprouting. Try using Whole Moong Dal or Buckwheat for example to make it gluten free.

·I use semi-polished rice. You can use unpolished rice if that suits your baby.

·You can add mashed fruits of your choice to the above recipe to make it more nutritious and it would also be a welcome change to most babies.

·If your pediatrician allows it, then add a pinch of salt, water instead of milk and finely grated vegetables of your choice to make a soup. This would also make it vegan.

·Ginger powder is supposed to aid digestion and prevent colds.

·Date Syrup and grated almonds are supposed to be rich in natural vitamins and minerals. I would rather trust nature than a chemist to supply my baby’s vitamins.

·A pinch of nutmeg powder promotes sound sleep.

·You can vary the thickness or the consistency by adding more or less of the malt powder.

·It is best to use organic grains for the preparation of this malt powder.

Source: http://www.divinetaste.com/archives/homemade-baby-food/

Healthy Baby Cereal Recipe

If you'd like to make your own breakfast for baby, then try this baby cereal recipe which is both wholesome and easy to prepare.

Wholesome Rice Cereal
1/4 cup (around 1 oz) brown rice powder
8 fl oz (1 cup) water
a little formula/breastmilk

To make the rice powder, grind brown rice in a blender or food processor. This is best achieved by grinding in small quantities - but to make the powder REALLY fine, we recommend trying a Coffee and Spice Grinder(advertisement).

You can use white rice if you prefer, but this page explains why brown rice is more nutritious.

Bring the water to a boil.

Add the rice powder, stirring constantly with a wire whisk.

Reduce the heat to very low and simmer gently for about 10 minutes (don't forget to keep stirring, or the rice will stick).

Then stir in enough formula or breastmilk to give the consistency that's best for your baby.

Once baby has been introduced to fruit, you could always add a little of his favourite puree.

Source: http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/baby-cereal-recipe.html