5 good-tasting healthy porridge recipes that will delight your little one

Wholesome and balanced meals are essential for toddlers since they grow very rapidly. However, it is not always easy to come up with dishes that contain all necessary nutrients and are tasty too. Porridge can be of immense help in this situation. They are rich in fibre and you can add fruits or nuts to make them denser in vitamins and minerals. Savoury porridge with vegetables is also a good idea. So, here are 5 healthy porridge recipes you can try to delight your little one.

Broken wheat and fruity porridge

It is a tasty bowl packed with fibre and other healthy nutrients. Addition of fruit and nuts enhances the taste and flavour of this porridge. You can prepare this recipe for your kids not only for breakfast but also for other meals.

Ingredients:

• Broken wheat (Dalia)
• Instant oats
• Water
• Milk (If no allergies)
• Cinnamon powder (dalchini, optional)
• Butter
• Sugar or honey for taste
• Apple (washed, peeled and diced)
• Strawberries (washed and sliced)

Method

• Clean and wash the broken wheat and soak it for 30 minutes in water.
• Pressure-cook the broken wheat with water until 3-4 whistles and slow down. Later, turn off the flame. Open the cooker once the pressure is released.
• Transfer the cooked broken wheat to a pan. Mix in the apple, cinnamon powder and butter, sugar, and stir well. Add oats and milk and let the mixture come to a boil. Let it cook till the apple gets cooked. Depending on the consistency required, add milk or water.
• When you are ready to serve the porridge, add small pieces of apple, sliced strawberries or other fruits for seasoning.

Banana and coconut oatmeal porridge

It is an easy and simple recipe where you can add nuts, seeds or dry fruits for more taste and texture. It can also be a nutritious snack option for kids.

Ingredients:

• Instant oats (Oatmeal)
• Sliced bananas
• Fresh tender sliced coconut
• Honey or sugar to taste
• Milk, depending on the consistency
• Water, as needed

Method

• Initially, in a pan, cook the oats with milk and water. Once the oats start thickening, add milk, sugar and allow the oats to cook. Once the oats get prepared, and the porridge is thick enough, switch off the flame and let it cool down.
• The fruits need to be sliced and kept ready.
• Serve the porridge, stir in the coconut, top it with fruits and add some honey. Adding nuts is optional.
• Serve the delicious porridge, either warm or cold.

Nachni and oats kanji porridge

This recipe is again a wholesome meal for your kids. It can be made in the sweet or the savoury form. The kanji recipe is made by adding oats and nachni flour. To make it sweet, either add jaggery or honey or just add sliced bananas. And to make it savoury, add salt as per taste.

It is a highly nutritious breakfast, rich in fibre, calcium and protein. This can be fed to kids before they head out for school.

Ingredients:

• Ragi Flour (Nachni)
• Instant Oats
• Water
• Milk
• Honey or sugar to taste/salt

Method

• In a saucepan, add nachni flour and oats on a medium flame. Add water and mix in the nachni powder until it dissolves with no lumps.
• Once the nachni kanji gets thick, add the milk and continue stirring until the porridge thickens and gets cooked. Keep stirring till all lumps disappear.
• Once the mixture gets thick and cooked properly, add honey and switch off the flame. It is optional to add salt or sliced bananas with honey to the porridge.
• Transfer the porridge to a serving bowl, cover it and let the contents sit for 5 minutes.

Rice porridge with pumpkin in Chinese style

This recipe boasts of a Chinese taste which is quite delicious and unique. It is for those kids who prefer savoury meals over sweet dishes.

Ingredients

• Rice
• Pumpkin (Kaddu): cut in cube shapes
• Water or vegetable stock
• Salt, as per taste
• Peppercorn (optional)
• Ginger (grated or cut into stripes)

For garnishing

• Chopped spring onions
• Chopped coriander (dhania) leaves

Method

• In a pan, add rice with water or vegetable stock, salt as per taste, and pieces of ginger. Mix well and add cubes of pumpkin.
• Cover the vessel and allow it to cook on a low or medium flame for approximately half-an-hour to 40 minutes or till the rice is cooked correctly (soft consistency).
• Add seasoning of black pepper.
• Before serving, sprinkle chopped coriander and chopped spring onions on top.
• Serve this warm, healthy porridge to your kid in a bowl.

Savoury porridge with oatmeal and vegetables

This recipe is a quick, easy and tasty way to include oats in your child's meal plan. Oats is rich in fibre and other nutrients. You can serve this porridge with eggs and fruits on the side too, to make it a wholesome meal. This recipe consists of a variety of vegetables, which are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre and more.

Ingredients

• Instant oats
• Water
• Finely chopped onions
• Finely chopped carrots
• Finely chopped French beans
• Finely chopped green pepper
• Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• Salt, as per taste
• Chopped coriander leaves (dhania)

For seasoning

• Cooking oil
• Mustard seeds

Method

• Chop and keep the vegetables ready for cooking.
• Take a kadhai, add cooking oil and place it on a low or medium flame. Then add mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Once it starts crackling, add the chopped onions. Sautee the onions till they turn soft and brown.
• Then add other vegetables such as carrots, capsicum and French beans. Add a little salt and water and let it cook for some time. It takes around 4-5 minutes. Cover the pan, so the vegetables get cooked faster in the steam.
• Add turmeric powder, oats and water. As per taste, adjust the salt. Keep stirring the savoury porridge well, till the oats get cooked properly.
• Add some chopped dhania leaves once the oats get cooked appropriately.
• Serve in a bowl after the porridge cools a bit.

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