Morning times are the most hectic times. Packing off lunch for everyone and hustling at the breakfast table is all part of the morning. Cooking breakfast for adults is a piece of cake, but when it comes to breakfast ideas for toddlers, I pretty much freeze. I am constantly harassing my friends with toddlers to share some ideas.
One such close friend gave me an excellent recipe for breakfast that is very high in protein and digests real quick for babies and toddlers. When my daughter was younger, I used to make Millet (Ragi) porridge, either sweetened or salted for her. Now, that she is a big girl with her shiny pearls, anything that does not involve chewing just goes down the eating table. If you are going through this phase with your toddler too, this dosa recipe is a lifesaver.
Ingredients
- Organic Ragi flour – 3 big tbsp. Tbsp. is the biggest eating spoon in your house.
Note: You can also use sprouted Ragi flour. It takes some amount of effort to sprout the raw millet, dry it, and then pound it to flour. I have always used organic Ragi flour with my daughter and it never gave her any troubles. So, I tend to stick to it. If you can find sprouted millet flour, grab it with both hands!
- Curd – 1 tbsp. Use the same spoon that you measured flour with.
- Coriander leaves – chopped finely
- Cumin powder – ½ tsp. or ¼ tbsp.
- Salt – to taste
- Pepper powder – just a pinch.
Procedure
- In a small bowl, add the flour and curd and mix to form a paste. Make sure no lumps are formed.
- Add ingredients from no.2 to no.6 and mix well.
- Add water to this mixture. This is the tricky part. Add just enough water such that dosa/pancakes are formed on the pan. I always suck at this part. Some amount of trial and error and now I know the exact amount of water or the consistency. Keep the mixture thick and keep making small pancakes till you know the consistency is perfect.
- Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.
- Heat a non-stick griddle. Pour a ladle of the mixture. Drop some oil or clarified butter and let it cook.
- After you see that the pancake is lifting itself from the griddle, flip it over. Give it 30 seconds and remove from fire.
- Serve with ketchup or curd.
This recipe is so yummy that I end up making a big batch for all at home. The resting time (step 4) is very important for crispy pancakes. Breakfast ideas for toddlers are not easy to find, and the ones that are a hit with them every single time, are like gold to me.
Thankfully, my daughter is not a picky eater, so my effort reduces to a large extent. How do you pacify your picky eater?
