The word “love” acquired a different meaning in my life when I became a mother. It was love at first sight when the doctor gave “him” to me. I had waited 9 long months to see him after all! Arguably, unconditional love is something only a parent can feel for one’s child. As a new mother, I’m also better able to appreciate and understand the love and sacrifice of my parents towards my siblings and me.

From the time I realized that there was a special someone growing in my womb, I became even more conscious of what went inside my stomach. The first trimester was terrible and I could not eat most foods that I loved. We could never imagine that I would abhor my all time favourite paneer and even the slightest aroma of fragrant ghee could send me into an extreme trip of nausea. For nearly 2 months I did not even step inside my kitchen!

I started to feel better once I completed 3 months and after I stepped into the 20^th week of pregnancy, it was a different story altogether. I could start eating and relish all my favourite foods once again. I even started craving sweets like never before. Ro’s constant attention to my needs and my mother’s frequent parcels ensured that I did not miss a single food that I craved. And then there were the surprise packages that made their way into my home. One day it was the courier of perfect chaklis (a savoury snack made with rice flour and spices) made by the 82 year old sister of my grandfather and another day it was special Ayurvedic herbs, devadaru, red sandalwood and jyeshtamadhu lovingly hand sewn with cotton to protect them from dust and moisture, with a beautiful poignant letter and a promise that it was good for me and good for my baby, an age old family recipe, sent by my 83 year old paternal grandmother. And how can I forget the parcel of white pumpkin barfi made specially for me by my maternal aunt Rekha with the message that it was good for pitta (heat) associated with pregnancy and the Kai Holiges (coconut pancakes) sent by my aunt Indira all the way from my hometown, Siddapur. And the couriers sent by my mother-in-law whenever I remembered the plum cake from the temple or the sohanpapdi from K.C Das Bangalore and my favourite amla chutney made by her. Those trips to my favourite restaurants and how my favourite chefs especially chef Sharief from Dum Pukth Restaurant, ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton made me feel so special by covering every inch of our table space with delicacies until I screamed “I can’t eat more!” It was a truly special time and I could go on and on about how my people indulged me and made me feel so very special. Although I digged into my favorites, rasgullas, ice cream and gelatos, cakes and pastries I never lost sight of my pregnancy diet. Milk with turmeric and saffron, almonds, soaked and peeled, greens, fresh vegetables and fruits, almonds and munakka (dry grapes) and my grandmother’s ayurvedic medicine for pregnancy, devadaru, red sandalwood and jyeshtamadhu ground in the said proportions for ½ hour everyday starting from the 4 month until the day I went into labour are a testimony to this.

Six months after my baby was born came the question of what to feed him. When Ro asked me “Why don’t you try the baby foods available in the markets?” I said to him “ When I make food for my baby at home, it is made with love, keeping in mind his specific tastes and special requirements. “How can any mass manufactured product cater to the individual needs of our baby?” I asked in return. Ofcourse it is time consuming, but I’m one of those people who like to make time especially when it comes to making and eating fresh food. I’m so happy when so many new mothers I meet feel the same.

The process of sprouting grains and powdering them is an age old tradition in India. People use different kinds of grains to prepare food for their babies. According to Ayurveda, Wheat is supposed to be heating to the body, Finger Millet is considered to be cooling to the body and Rice is neutral. This recipe was given to me by my relative Shubha kaku and is perfectly balancing to the body and works best for my baby.

The recipes given below require sprouting the grains before grinding them into a powder. Sprouting is known to increase life-sustaining properties and neutralize phytic acid, which blocks the absorption of many important nutrients. Read more about the benefits of sprouting grains here and here.

Homemade Baby Malt Powder Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup finger millet (Ragi or Nachni)

1 cup rice

1 cup whole wheat

Method:

Wash and soak the finger millet, rice and wheat in separate containers, overnight or for 6 to 8 hours.Discard the water and place the grains in separate muslin cloths or cheesecloth. Tie the cloth to any horizontal surface and allow the grains to sprout. Keep the surface of the cloth moist by sprinkling water. Don’t allow the cloth to go dry. The sprouting can take about 2 days when the temperature is approximately 25 degrees Celsius.

Once the grains sprout spread them over a clean cloth separately and cover them with another cloth. Allow the grains to dry this way for about 4 to 6 hours.

In a thick, heavy bottomed utensil, preferably a wok or kadhai dry roast the grains on a very low flame until they are completely dry and have a lovely toasted fragrance. The best way to test is when the grains break easily when crushed. This step is a bit crucial since over toasting the grains can burn them easily, increasing the carbon content which is not good for the digestion of your baby.

Allow the toasted grains to cool well and grind them to a fine powder in a mixer, grinder or grain mill. Pass the ground powder through a fine sieve. This separates the husk and other particles, which are not easy for your baby to digest.

Mix all the ground grains together and store in an airtight container. Preferably use in a month’s time.

How to proceed:

Malt food recipe

1 tbsp grain malt mixture (made above)

200 ml (3/4 cup) milk

1 ½ tsp jaggery

A pinch of dry ginger powder (optional)

A pinch of nutmeg powder (optional)

A few shavings of freshly grated almond (optional)

½ tsp date syrup (optional)

Method:

In a bowl assemble the malt, jaggery and the other optional ingredients and mix with 2 tbsp milk to form a smooth paste. Pour in the remaining milk and cook over a medium flame until the milk comes to a boil. Cool and serve warm.

A Few notes:

·Like I said above, you can use different grains for sprouting. Try using Whole Moong Dal or Buckwheat for example to make it gluten free.

·I use semi-polished rice. You can use unpolished rice if that suits your baby.

·You can add mashed fruits of your choice to the above recipe to make it more nutritious and it would also be a welcome change to most babies.

·If your pediatrician allows it, then add a pinch of salt, water instead of milk and finely grated vegetables of your choice to make a soup. This would also make it vegan.

·Ginger powder is supposed to aid digestion and prevent colds.

·Date Syrup and grated almonds are supposed to be rich in natural vitamins and minerals. I would rather trust nature than a chemist to supply my baby’s vitamins.

·A pinch of nutmeg powder promotes sound sleep.

·You can vary the thickness or the consistency by adding more or less of the malt powder.

·It is best to use organic grains for the preparation of this malt powder.

Rice and Dal (Kitchdi Soup) Recipe

This recipe was given to me by my friend Shweta Joshi whose 1 year old Asmi loves it from the time she was 6 months old.

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) Rice

½ cup (125 ml)Moong Dal (Green Gram)

½ cup (125 ml)Toovar Dal(Red Gram)

¾ tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)

Method:

Wash and soak the rice and dals in water, in separate containers for a couple of hours. Discard the water and spread them over a clean cloth separately and cover them with another cloth. Allow them to dry this way for 2 to 3 hours.

In a heavy bottomed wok or kadhai place cumin seeds and roast on a low flame, about 2 minutes. Remove the seeds and place them in a separate container and allow them to cool. Now put in the rice and roast until completely dry and have a lovely toasted fragrance. The best way to test is when the grains break easily when crushed. Follow the same procedure for the dals.

Once the grains cool, powder them in a mixer, grinder or grain mill with the cumin seeds.

Mix all the ground grains together and store in an airtight container. Preferably use in a month’s time.

To prepare the soup:

Take 1 tbsp of the ground powder and mix it with ¾ cup of water. You can add a pinch of salt to taste and turmeric to this mixture.Cook over a medium flame and bring to a boil. Sir in ½ a tsp of ghee and serve luke warm.

A Few Notes:

·You can add cooked, mashed or grated vegetables to this soup.

·Adjust the consistency of the soup to your liking by increasing or decreasing the ground powder.