Through today’s post I am sharing the importance of brown rice for baby. I am also giving you brown rice moong dal porridge mix recipe that you can make at home and store for your little one.
Nowadays people are becoming more and more health conscious. Many of us have even started healthy diet in our families by choosing organic and unprocessed foods over processed pesticide injected foods.
Majority of us Indians, especially South Indians, have rice in our daily menu and most of us prefer to have the much popular white rice.
Have you ever thought of replacing white rice with brown rice that is more nutritious and less processed?
Well… after reading this post you will 🙂
Brown rice vs white rice:
When only the outermost layer of the rice grain (the husk) is removed, we get the brown rice. So it is a whole grain.
The bran and germ layers underneath the husk are removed, leaving mostly the starchy to produce white rice. Though white rice looks better, several Vitamins and dietary minerals are lost in this removal and the subsequent polishing process. So it is very clear that, we miss a lot of nutrients and minerals due to all those polishing and processing done to get the white rice.
Brown rice nutrition:
Brown rice is the top choice in terms of both nutritional and other inherent health benefits.
Brown rice is
- Rich in selenium
- High in manganese
- Rich in naturally occurring oils
- Rich in anti-oxidants
- High in fiber
From one cup of brown rice we get 88 % of manganese, 27.3 % of selenium, 20.9 % of magnesium, 18.7 % of tryptophan and 12 % of calories. It also has Vitamins like A, C, B1, B2, Niacin, folate and minerals like potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sodium and iron.
Health benefits of brown rice for baby:
Having a much better nutritional value it is not surprising that brown rice has many health benefits than white rice.
Brown rice is said to
- Lower the risk of diabetes
- Lower cholesterol
- Considered as the best baby food
- Reduce the risk of childhood asthma
When using brown rice to make rice, wash the rice first and soak the rice with required amount of water. It is advisable not to drain the water after you soak it. The same can be used to cook the rice to preserve the nutrients.
You can combine any cereals, vegetables or even fruits with brown rice for your baby.
How I use brown rice for my baby?
I started to include brown rice in my baby’s food from her 7th month.
When I went for vaccinating my baby, her pediatrician recommended a branded baby food that was very new to me. When we went to buy the recommended baby food, I noticed that it was a just a moong dal and white rice powder mix.
As we always prefer home made food for our baby, I and my hubby decided not to buy that packaged processed baby food. Instead we decided to prepare our own porridge mix with the same ingredients as in the recommended baby food.
Knowing all the benefits of brown rice, I took brown rice instead of white rice for making a much healthier version of the prescribed baby food. We also added moong dal/mung dal/split yellow lentils to enrich the nutritive value of the porridge.
The recipe came out so well and it was an instant hit with my little one.
Below is the recipe for the brown rice- moong dal porridge mix.
How to make brown rice moong dal porridge mix?
Brown rice moong dal porridge powder mix
For making this porridge mix you need only two ingredients brown rice and moong dal.
Dry roast moong dal and brown rice separately. Once cooled, mill to a fine powder. You can also sieve to get the fine smooth textured powder.
- Brown rice - 1 cup
- Moong dal - 1 cup
- Dry roast moong dal and brown rice separately
- Powder it once it is cools down
- Your porridge mix is ready
- Store in an airtight container
Method to make the brown rice moong dal porridge with the powdered mix:
Brown rice moong dal porridge
1. Dilute 1-2 spoon of our porridge powder mix to 200 ml of water
2. Cook until you get the cooked smell
3. Add salt or sugar
4. Add ghee or coconut oil
You can also add a pinch of jaggery powder/ salt which is purely optional.
This is one of the easiest and quickest preparations.
Yummy and healthy brown rice-moong dal porridge is ready. Isn’t that easy?
Note:
- Can be given to your baby even if she/he is down with fever
- When your baby has fever, make this porridge with salt and coconut oil instead of ghee and sugar
- You can also add a little chana dal to your porridge mix
- Not advisable for babies below 6 months
- Any vegetable mash or juice can be added to the porridge
Do try out this easy brown rice moong dal porridge and let me know if your little one liked it or not.
If you are looking for rice based recipes for your baby, you can try tomato rice and rice bhardi.
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30 Comments
Hi can I use Dawaat’s basmati brown rice?
Hi Sangeetha lovely site! Just want to know can i use Kerala red rice instead of brown rice?
In brown rice which brand is good? 24 mantra?
Hi there …
For how long should I soak brown rice?
Thank you so much it was very usefull god bless you
Hi ,my son is 7 month old can i give thus porridge to daily or weekly twice pls tell mee
Ur posts are really helpful for mommys like me who prefer homemade baby food.
Can the brown rice be soaked then washed, roasted,powdered and stored? I heard that brown rice should be soaked for a long time ~6 hours for aiding easy digestion for babies . So will soaking affect the shell life?
Hi
Sai
Yes you can soak it . but make sure it dried completely.
Good website. Really helping a lot. Thanks
Dear sister,
For how long should we dry roast the rice and dal?
Hi reshma .
When dry roasting you will notice colour change . don’t roast too much like dark brown colour . light brownish is fine .
i want to say that before making powder washing of rice and dal is not necessary plz suggest me
You can wash both if required. But make sure its dried well otherwise the powder can get spoiled soon.
hi sangeetha
wonderful recipee…I il try 4 my dd bt for how many days can we store it?
in a airtight container in fridge or outside?
You can store in an air tight container at room temperature if its not too humid or hot. Otherwise keep it in the fridge.
Hi
My son is 19months old? Can I giv dis as snacks with som veggie in it?? Or not necessary ?
Dhivya, this is a meal in itself and will be heavy. You can use this as a lunch or dinner item with the inclusion of veggies like beans, carrots, potatoes etc.
Hi Sangeetha, is the kerala rice which you get as matta rice like nirapara and pavizham brown rice? If not where can I get brown rice?
Dhanya, any rice which has brown lines on it can be considered as brown rice. Matta is red rice which is found in Kerala.
Hi Yamuna. Thanks for the wonderful recipe. My son is 6 months old and I’m sure to try this out. I have a question.. Is it ok to introdice ghee or cocunut oil to a 6 months old. Will he be able to digest it. Currently I’m giving him ragi porridge with palm sugar which he likes a lot 🙂
Hi Saranya,
Commenting on behalf of Yamuna. Yes its completely fine to start ghee for a 6 month old. Coconut oil is good too.
Hii sangeetha.
My son is 7.5months old…he used to take this porridges before but now he doesn’t like…he doesn’t allow spoonfed….is it ok to give mashed brown rice with dal or yogurt or curries…both for lunch d dinner..
Thanks..
Anna
Hi Sangeetha,
I am a silent admirer of you. Thanks a ton to you and other ladies who share information and recipes with us. My baby will turn 6 months this month, i will surely try above recipe.
Thanks once again, Nidhi
hi divya
moong dal is good for your baby you can add it to his diet.
Hi they say dat moong dal is cold fo the babies body is it OK to giv or can I used to or dal instead of moong dal plz reply?
Divya,
Moong dal is easily digestible compared to toor dal hence its used here. You can use it no probs.
Hi thanx for sharing such a informative n useful recipe ..my baby is four months plus.so whenever I’ll start solids I’ll surely make this porridge for her. ♥
Hi Yamuna,
Even I used to make the powder the same way. This combination of brown rice and moong dal smells so great, u know. My son used to love it in his baby days and even me. One suggestion- It’s a good idea to soak the brown rice overnight and discard the soak water. Rinse it thoroughly, dry it in shade, then dry roast it and powder. This way, it’s easier for babies to digest and even for adults
Hi,
this is a great website for new mommies and if I have any doubt I refer ur website. You do a great job.
My litte one is 8 months old.He likes only porridges and carrot puree. So i giv him rice porridge and ragi porridge. I have tried giving him fruits like Apple n pear.but he doesn’t like fruits and Kichidis.
Is there any way I can include fruits in his diet? And can i mash rice in porridge consistency and giv him.Please advise
Sathiya,
Puree fruits and add in his porridge , like puree apple / pear and add in his porridges.