Oat Dalia porridge Recipe for babies / Oatmeal

porridge with a banana recipe for babies

Oats Dalia is a whole grain food, therefore, a good choice to add in the baby food chart. It is a powerhouse of energy and is rich in protein component. It is filled with important vitamins.

The Oatmeal recipe has a velvety texture and dissolves in the mouth easily, thereby, increasing the food appetite. This baby food recipe is one full meal to serve in breakfast/lunch with the fullness of the tiny stomach.

Recipe Time: 25 mins

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Powered Oatmeal – 2 tbsp.
• Mishri sugar – to taste
• Almonds (powdered) – a pinch
• Black/Green Cardamom (powdered) – a pinch
• Banana (mashed) – ¼ of full banana or as per the requirement
• Milk – 120 ml
• Water – 120 ml

Note: Milk and water to be taken in equal proportion.

How to Make

• Dry roast the oatmeal until fragrant and is a slightly brown colour. It takes around 5 mins for roasting.
• Grind the roasted oatmeal in the mixer grinder.
• Soak the powdered oatmeal in warm water (120 ml) for around 15mins before starting with the recipe. This step can be skipped, but as per personal experience, porridge prepared from it is soft and fluffy.
• Take the soaked oatmeal along with water in a cooking pan.
• Add the milk slowly and stir continuously to avoid lumps of oats.
• When the mixture starts to get thick add misri sugar and almonds to it.
• Simmer the flame and stir for another 5mins and add cardamom to it. It not only has great sight but also takes the recipe to another height. This attracts the baby to eat and stay healthy.
• Now the porridge starts sticking to the pan, close the gas stove and give a good stir to it.
• As per the liking of the baby add required quantity of mashed banana to the oatmeal porridge and mix it well. Since the banana has the sweetness of its own, therefore, add little sugar to the porridge.
• The mouth-watering oatmeal porridge is ready to serve.

Consistency of baby food

The first and primary question that arises in all mother’s mind, as the baby is about to introduce to the world of solids, is “what should be the consistency of food to feed to the baby?”  The obvious reply to this question from different sources is food should have flowing consistency. To be more precise consistency of baby food to keep when feeding depends on below mentioned factors:

• Age of the baby
• 6 to 9 months: Flowing consistency (crucial age as starting with solids)
• 10 to 12 months: slightly thick consistency
• 12 months onwards: Soft, chewable chunks

Useful Tips

• Do taste the recipe so prepared before feeding it to the baby.
• Avoid cow milk if your baby is under a year old.
• It is advisable to clean the whole oats before using.
• You can also add 1 tbsp whole oats to the recipe while adding the crushed oats. This gives a chewable texture to the porridge and is easy to swallow. You should try this after the age of 12 months as the liking of the baby shifts from liquid to thick texture food.
• One of the easiest ways to introduce banana to the baby is by adding it to the oatmeal porridge. Banana is rich in potassium and vitamin B6 mainly. It is a superfood to feed in all the months of the year.
• Cardamom reduces constipation in babies. Cardamom goes well with the oatmeal and adds a sweet aroma. It also helps in digestion of the banana.
• Store the roasted powdered oatmeal, roasted crushed almonds and powdered cardamom in an airtight container for longer use.
• Avoid adding the almonds during the summer season because of the excessive heat capacity (taasir) of it in the body.
• In winters, dry roast and crush almonds (10), cashew nuts (2), walnuts (1/2), pistachios (2) altogether and keep the mixture in an airtight container. Avoid adding the mixture to the recipe during the summer season.
• Try to serve warm porridge; otherwise, it will get thick.
• If serving with more interval, do make the porridge warm before serving. But most of the time it is noticed that on serving it later turns the consistency of the porridge more liquid. This reduces its flavour. Therefore, try to serve as early as possible after being prepared.
• Alter the proportion of the ingredients gradually.

Always check with your paediatrician before giving any new food to the baby.