Roma's Space

Instant Breakfast Mix

Has it ever happened to you that you are so late to work that you could not whisk up something to eat? Morning hours are always action packed at my place.
Every minute is important. However, some ready mixes make life easier. Instant Breakfast Mix is one such solution.

Once you make this mix ready it can be stored in an air-tight container for upto a month. Whenever you need to eat it just moisten it with some warm water, stir in a spoonful of ghee and mix well. Thats the maximum you need to do for a delicious breakfast. No need to even turn on the stove! Just warm 1/2 a cup of water for 20 s in a microwave. If you dont have a microwave use water from your geyser ( Ohh! JUST Kidding!! )

Different ways in which this can be eaten :

1. Simplest is as a Namkeen (Savoury mixture) with tea
2. You can add finely chopped cucumber, onion, tomato, coriander leaves and eat it like Bhel.
3. It can be moistened and eaten as a regular breakfast

Advantages of this mix :

1. Time saver – When you cant prepare breakfast in the morning rush hour
2. Any place meal – Useful while traveling with a baby and you dont want to give him outside food

In fact, thats how I came up with this recipe. I am going for a week long holiday and I dont want to give my one year old girl any train food. I am going to prepare this mix, moisten it with regular water and feed her at least one meal with this mix. You dont really have to use warm water, even normal room temperature water will work. Just that we all like to have food thats a little warm hence the recommendation.
Mixing of ghee before eating is important because while roasting we have not added any oil. That makes the masalas settle at the bottom of the poha, not mixing well into the dish. Once you add ghee the masalas will coat the poha evenly, making it tasty.

Ingredients :

• 1 cup beaten rice (poha – thin flakes)
• 2 teaspoons ground chutney dal powder
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon Channa dal
• 1/4 teaspoon white Urad dal
• Few curry leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon Red chillie powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Dry Tamarind powder
• Pinch of turmeric powder
• Pinch of hing

Procedure :

1. Heat the kadai. Add the mustard seeds, channa dal, urad dal and allow them to splutter (although there is no oil the hot kadai will crack them)
2. Add curry leaves, ground chutney dal powder and roast well.
3. Now Add poha and continue to stir till the Poha is crispy.
4. Add hing, turmeric powder, red chillie powder, dry tamarind powder and salt. Mix well.
5. Dont cook much more as the masalas will settle at the bottom of the poha and get burnt.

Variation :

If you want to improve the taste (and reduce the shelf life!) this is what you can do. To the mustard seeds and curry leaves add some roasted and ground groundnut powder. Instead of tamarind powder use Amchur / Dry Mango powder. Follow the remaining procedure in the same way. This mix will be tastier but will last for about a week.

To Store :
Store this mixture in an air tight container. Use a dry spoon while taking it out.

To Eat :
No need to turn on the stove.
Just dampen the poha mix will some warm water and add a spoonful of ghee. Mix well. Be careful not to pour water in as poha might become soggy.

Mixed Vegetable Soup

Soup is a safe drink to keep the stomach healthy and can be given almost every day to the baby. When babies start taking in new and different types of food they sometimes get constipated. Mixed vegetable soup is a way of giving babies some relief from this problem.

Carrot gives this soup sweetness while cabbage makes it mildly saline owing to its natural salts. Pudina leaves give it a minty flavor which serves as a welcome change to the developing taste buds.

Ingredients :

• 2 teaspoons of yellow moong dal
• Few pieces of lauki, carrot, cabbage and pudina leaves

Procedure :

1. Mix moong dal with lauki, carrot, cabbage and pudina leaves.
2. Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook till dal and veggies are done.
3. Now strain this using a juice strainer. The amount of roughage to keep or leave in the strainer is upto you. You can make the soup as thick as your baby likes.

Mashed Fruits

Most babies love fruits as thats the maximum sweet they get to eat. The mix described below is also useful in relieving the baby from constipation. If baby’s stomach is fine then you can go on to strain a few pieces of mashed apple to this fruit chaat as well.

Ingredients :

• 1/2 a pomegranate
• 1/2 a sweet lime (musambi)
• 1 small banana

Procedure :

1. Take out the seeds of the pomegranate.
2. Strain it with the mashed banana.
3. Squeeze the juice of sweet lime into it.
4. If baby doesnt have constipation mash an apple into it too.

This is the age when the baby has just started having something other than mother’s milk. It’s important to give things that are light to digest as well as nutritive. Salt has not been recommended in any of these recipes. Before feeding the baby with the suggested dishes please discuss with your doctor.

Ingredients :

• 3 teaspoons of raagi powder
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Ghee

Procedure :

To make raagi powder

1. Soak raagi overnight, allow it to sprout.
2. Remove skin and dry it in the sun.
3. Roast in ghee and powder it. This powder can now be stored in an air tight container.

Cooking procedure

1. When you need to feed the baby, mix 3 teaspoons of powder in equal quantity of milk and make a paste. Ensure there are no lumps.
2. Now heat milk and slowly mix in the raagi paste stirring continuously.
3. Add ghee, Stir for a few more minutes till the mixture comes together.

Variation

In this recipe, milk is preferred though you can use water too.

Please NOTE :

You can use more raagi powder or milk to alter the consistency of the paste as you like.

Porridge , Kheer or Payasam is the most common dish given to babies. There is a long list of base ingredients from which porridge can be made. In the description below, I have tried to cover most of them. The overall method is the same with only certain changes depending on the method of cooking the base ingredient used.

After boiling any of the kheers mentioned below you can add soaked & ground almonds, elaichi powder and jaggery till it thickens.

Wheat vermicilli:

1. Coarsely grind the vermicilli.
2. Roast in ghee till it becomes brown.
3. Boil in milk till it softens.

Sabu dana :

1. Gives good relief to children who are suffering from loose motions.
2. Soak sabu dana for 3-4 hrs.
3. Boil in milk till it becomes transparent.

Coarsely ground rice :

1. Wash rice and dry it under the sun.
2. Fry it in ghee and coarsely grind.
3. Boil in milk for approx 10 mins till rice becomes soft.

Chiroti rawa :

1. Fry in ghee for few minutes till it becomes opaque.
2. Add milk and cook till the kheer starts thickening.

Soaked wheat :

1. Soak for 3-4 hrs, grind coarsely.
2. In a teaspoon of ghee fry the wheat till it drys up.
3. Boil in milk till it softens.