Stuffed Ragi Paratha for Babies and Kids

Today I bring to you a calcium rich recipe for babies and toddlers – stuffed ragi paratha.

We all know that calcium is one of the most important components for a balanced diet. It is required to maintain strong healthy bones and teeth. It also helps in proper functioning of vascular and muscular system.

Most of us rely on milk for our calcium needs. But there are so many kids or babies out there who do not like smell of milk / taste of milk and even the look of milk 😛

My daughter is one of such kids and I always keep searching for ways to give her milk / calcium rich diet to improve her calcium intake.

In this struggle to find out the best non-milk options I came across so many alternatives to milk and trust me; all ensure that you can meet the calcium requirements by using these alternatives.

You can also refer to the milk in 8 unique natural flavors and almond chocolate powder that can be mixed in milk.

The recipe shared in this post is very simple and easy to make with basic ingredients. The ingredients for stuffed ragi paratha are ragi flour, whole wheat flour and paneer for stuffing.

These stuffed ragi parathas can be served to babies above 10 months.

Benefits of stuffed ragi paratha for babies and kids:

Ragi or finger millet is the best source of calcium among cereals (344 mg of calcium/100g). Ragi also has the advantage of being an immunity boosting cereal with good amount of iron as well.

Paneer /Cottage cheese has loads of benefits. It has a good amount of calcium and is high in protein. It is particularly good for underweight babies and boosts the immune system as well.

Spice wise, we will be using only cumin or jeera powder and turmeric. Both these spices add just enough flavor as required for young taste buds and also add to the nutritional value.

Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

FOR FILLING:

• Paneer / Cottage Cheese – 1/3 Cup
• Jeera / Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric – 1 Pinch
• Salt to taste

FOR DOUGH:

• Whole wheat flour – 1/2 cup
• Ragi /Finger Millet Flour- ½ cup
• Salt – 1 pinch
• Water – as required
• Oil – 1.5 tsp

FOR PARATHA:

• Oil / butter / Ghee – 2 tbsp

Ragi paratha – preparation method:

FOR DOUGH:

In a wide mixing bowl, add the whole wheat flour/atta, ragi flour, salt and mix. Add water a little by little to make a soft dough. Once mixed add in the oil and knead it again so as to non sticky dough.

FOR THE FILLING:

Just mix crumble / grate the paneer / cottage cheese and add in jeera powder, turmeric and salt. Mix well.

In case, you are using store-bought paneer, suggest you to cook the paneer in 1 tsp of oil for a minute. Add in jeera powder, turmeric, salt and mix well.

You can also refer to the post on how to make paneer at home.

FOR PARATHA:

• Take the dough (size depends on your preference, big lemon sized ball work fine) and make small equal sized balls of the dough
• Heat the tawa / non stick pan on medium heat
• Take one ball and roll it out into a small round shape and add a tablespoon of filling.
• Gather the round shape from all sides and close it
• Take the rolling pin and roll the filled ball again. Do this step very gently. Do dust the rolling table / surface with a little flour to avoid the paratha from sticking
• Cook the paratha on the tawa / pan on both sides . Each side will take approximately 1-2 minutes each. Add oil / butter / ghee as per your preference
• Our Calcium rich parathas are ready for serving

You can serve these ragi parathas with tomato sauce or curd.

If you are looking for other paratha varieties, you can refer to the cheese paneer paratha.

Notes:

• You can also add more spices as needed and if preparing for older kids / adults
• Chopped coriander leaves can also be added in the filling.

Do try these stuffed ragi parathas for your baby or kid at home. Share with me in comments your little one’s response.