Rice preparations are very healthy for the baby. If vegetables and pulses are added to the rice as in khichri then it becomes a full meal and is very nutritious and filling. Rice should be cooked well till tender. Here are some recipes.In many Indian households, rice-khichri cooked in a very thin consistency is the first solid food of the babies. Let us take a look at various rice-preparations that can serve as healthy homemade food for your baby.
Khichri (Moong Dal)
You will require 4 tablespoons of rice and 2 tablespoons of dehusked moong dal. Prepare khichri by cooking rice and dal together, with a pinch of salt (added to taste). Once khichri is cooked, you can add 2 teaspoons of ghee, butter or cooking oil to the final preparation. You can also add vegetables like carrots or spinach to the khichri and then mash the mixture. If you want to add spinach, first boil, mash and strain it, and then add this puree to the khichri and stir it. Cool the khichri and serve lukewarm.
When the baby is still young, you should mash the entire mixture in a blender so that it is easy for the baby to swallow. You can gradually increase the consistency to a semi-solid state so that the child's palate starts getting used to regular foods.
Mashed Boiled Rice with Milk (Similar to Kheer)
This is a simple recipe to ensure that the child gets rice (for carbohydrates) and milk (for calcium). Mix 1 cup of boiled rice with 1 cup of milk and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Cook it on the gas for 10 minutes (keep stirring) and allow the mixture to thicken. Cool and serve lukewarm. You can also add badaam (almonds) scrapings and elaichi powder for taste.
Pulav
First prepare the base for the pulav by sautéing onions, cumin and mustard seeds in oil. Then add onions, potatoes, peas, carrots and any other vegetables and cook them with a little water until they are tender. Once the vegetables are cooked, add boiled rice and heat mixture for a couple of minutes. Make sure that the consistency of pulav is not very thick. Cool and serve warm. Make sure that you mash the pulav properly before feeding it to your baby so that it is easier for your baby to swallow. You can also grind it using a grinder.
Curd Rice
Curd rice is one of the easy-to-prepare and healthier rice preparations for babies. All you need to do is, cook rice by adding a lot of water. Make sure that you actually cook the rice to a consistency that is similar to a paste. Mix the rice with curd while feeding it to your baby. You can also add a little
salt and sugar for taste.
Mango Rice
This rice can be prepared during the season of mangoes. Take freshly made mango pulp and mix it with fresh rice cooked in a paste like consistency. You can feed this preparation to your baby right away. Do not use packaged mango pulp as it may have added preservatives that can harm the health of your baby.
Vegetable Khichri
Take vegetables like carrot, beans, cauliflower, potato, tomato etc. Mix them with rice after cleaning and chopping them finely and cook them by adding a lot of water. Add a little oil or ghee to it while it is cooking. Add a little salt for taste. You need to cook it till its consistency becomes paste-like. You can add more water while cooking so that right consistency is maintained. You can grind this mixture in a blender in order to avoid any kind of
choking hazard.
When you cook for your baby, you must make sure that you take care of the hygiene. Always feed freshly cooked food to your little one. Check that the food is mashed properly and there are no pieces of vegetables or fruits left that can cause baby to choke.
