Dal Khichdi is one the most regular foods that you would be including in your baby’s diet, because its easy to digest and has lots of protein. In this recipe, we are making a small innovation by adding whole moong sprouts to the dal khichdi that will double the nutritional values of the khichdi. The anti-nutrients will be effectively reduced and hence more minerals will be bioavailable for absorption. This recipe will give you the ultimate satisfaction of feeding a wholesome meal to your baby.

An important thing to keep in mind is not all babies digest sprouts easily for the first time, hence it is very important that it has to be cooked well with the combination of hing to prevent colic in babies.

Preparation Time for Sprouts: ~1 Day
Preparation Time for Khichdi: 3-4 mins
Total Cooking Time: 20 Mins

Ingredients :

Sprouted Green Moong dal (soaked) - 1 cup
Yellow Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
Rice - 1/2 cups
Ghee - 2 Tsps
Salt (Not necessary for babies less than 1 yr) : To taste for toddlers
Hing : 1 pinch
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 pinch
Garlic peeled & chopped - 3-4 pods
Coriander (chopped) - Handful

Steps for Sprouting Whole Moong Beans:

1. Wash and soak green whole moong for 6-10 hours.
2. Drain the water, and transfer the moong into a soft clean cotton cloth. Better if this is slightly thin.
3. Wrap the moong beans entirely in this cloth. And sprinkle some water from the top.
4. Keep this in a closed container for about 12 hours. Don’t close the lid too tight, just let it sit on top of the container. During summers it may take a shorter time to sprout, but winters may take upto a day.

Method for Making Khichdi:

Wash the dal and rice changing waters two times

1. Soak this mixture for 15-20 mins in 4 cups of water.
2. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and sauté the garlic and hing.
3. Add soaked rice and dal in the pressure cooker, including the water it was soaked in.
4. Add the sprouts, salt (optional), turmeric powder
5. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and let it whistle 6-8 times.
6. Once the cooker cools, add the freshly chopped coriander, mix well.

 Serve it to your child after it cools down. You can feed it along with cow’s curd to maximize its nutritional value.

Drop in your comments and let us know how your little one enjoyed this nutritious khichdi.