Baby Foods

Some baby food recipes for new mothers:

This post is for my 'new mom' friends (baby foods or ('kurukku' in malayalam)

BANANA

You can pressure cook ripe banana and give it to the baby…
Add sugar candy(kalkanddam) ,ghee to it for taste. Or
Mash the cooked banana with little milk,sugar candy (kalkandam).(6 months+)

Otherwise you can fry the ripe banana by placing it on a tawa. cover it with a lid so that banana gets cooked.(6months+)

In olden days our grandmas’ used to fry it in fire-place(chutedukuka).It is also given during dysentery times.

BANANA POWDER

Cut  4 or 5 unripe bananas. into thin round slices.
Sundry it. The dried bananas can be powdered and can be stored in an airtight container. 

Take 2 or 3 spoon banana powder
 Add 1 cup water, 1/2 cup  milk ,remove any lumps by stirring and cook till it boils(stir continuously) .
Add some sugar candy( kalkandam) to it for taste.(This is also good for stomach,as it has medicinal values)

Unripe  bananas contains resistant starch which is good for stomach.

RAGI

Soak a cup of ragi overnight.
In the morning you can powder it in a mixer .
Filter and remove its black skin,add little water for ease of filtering. (use only little amount of water)
Mix the filtered white milk like extract  with 1/2 cup  milk, (if needed can add 1/2 cup water) and cook till it boils.stir continuously.

 Add palm jaggery (karipetti) to it for taste.(karipetti has medicinal values).

Ragi is not given during cold weather,as its cold for the body.

BROKEN WHEAT

Soak 1 cup soochi 2 to 3 hrs.
Then powder and filter the brown fibrous skin.(add water for ease of filtration)
Mix filtered milk like juice with 1/2 cup milk, little water and cook till it boils.
 Stir continuously.
Add sugar candy for taste. This can be given during cold weather..as its hot for body.

ARROW ROOT POWDER (KOOVA PODI)

2 or 3 spoon Koova podi can be directly mixed in 1 cup water,1/2 cup milk and cooked ,
stir continuously till it boils and thickens .

Can add sugar candy for taste.
Koova podi is also good during dysentery times, as it will soothes the stomach and its easily digestible.

You can add more (milk &water) to this and can give it to the baby in milk bottle (after 4 months).

RAISIN TONIC

Wash 1/4 cup raisins and soak it overnight .Take the juice of it and add sugar candy( kalkandam) .This helps prevent constipation for baby.

Fenugreek lehyam for new mothers

Take a cup of roasted fenugreek.
Powder it and cook it with a cup of coconut milk ,palm jaggery added to it .(you can pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles).
It will look like a lehyam .(dark brown in colour)

This is a good medicine for mothers(increases milk production and relieves back pain).

see the benefits of fenugreek here http://health.india.com/diseases-conditions/15-health-benefits-of-methi/