barley baby cereal recipe, make your own baby food
Barley Carrot Cereal / Payasam / kheer for babies and kids has been adapted from Pandit Elchuri’s Andariki Ayurvedam show that was telecasted on Maa Tv channel almost 2 yrs ago. Pandit Elchuri is an Ayurvedic expert based in Hyderabad and has been selflessly serving people thru his ayurvedic knowledge and pharmacy at a reasonable cost. I have made a small change to the original recipe by adding carrot puree to make it more nutritious.
Most of us do not like barley due to their chewy texture but using it in the powdered form gives a good texture to the payasam. So do try this for your loved ones. Absolutely delicious!
Barley is a wonder grain and a better source of fiber, iron, potassium and folate than white rice & brown rice and has numerous health benefits like protecting the intestine, lowering cholestral, lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes and many more.
Barley for babies (above 10 months baby, start with ½ tsp barley powder)
Barley is an easily digestible whole grain and makes a good nutritious baby food provided adequate care is taken towards preparing the cereal. Excess fiber in barley can lead to colic, so do moderate the quantity and cook thoroughly. Many say barley is cooling to the body, so always serve your baby warm barley to prevent colds. I started serving this to my son when he was 10 months old and it’s been 2 yrs both my kids cherish, no bloating and no indigestion.
Important notes:
Barley if not cooked thoroughly can upset the stomach. If you wish to consume whole barley, soak for 3 to 4 hrs before cooking and cook till barley turns mushy.
Always consume barley in moderation, it can lead to bloating due to the excess fiber in it.
How to make the barley cereal (dry cereal powder) mentioned in the notes in the recipe below
make your own baby food, barley cereal step by step pictures
barley baby cereal recipe
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- 1 carrot medium , (about ½ cup of cubes) (pureed) (optional)
- 2 tbsp Barley coarse powder refer notes how to make
- 1 ½ cup water (can increase by another ¼ to ½ cup)
- ½ cup milk
- 1/8 tsp cardamom powder
- 1 ½ tbsps Coconut Palm sugar / jaggery / karupatti (adjust as per your taste)
- 1 tbsp ghee
How to make the recipe
- Soak barley powder in water for at least 10 mins.
- Puree carrot with milk and set aside.
- Cook barley thoroughly till all the coarse grains become smooth. It took around 15 mins on a low flame for me. Keep stirring to prevent lumps.
- Once thoroughly cooked, pour the carrot pure. Mix well and cook on a low flame for 2 mins. If you do not wish to use carrot for this just skip and pour milk at this step and continue.
- Add the cardamom powder, palm sugar and mix well.
- Add ghee & Cook it for a min or 2 on a low flame and off the heat
- Serve warm with ghee (I have added nuts since my kids can chew them, if yours cannot do not add them).
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Notes
Wash barley thoroughly in surplus water,
Fan dry for about an hr on a dry cloth
Roast them on a pan on a medium flame till they become crunchy
Make a coarse powder. Store in an airtight container, stays good for 6 months.
Tips
This tastes good only when consumed with in 45 mins to 1hr after preparation and tends to turn sticky later.
Do not use fine flour, the powder had to be like semolina, else the cereal / Payasam becomes very sticky
If you are new to cooking, follow my detailed step by step photo instructions for best results.
you can view a complete Indian baby food chart
for more homemade baby cereal recipes, check
dal khichdi
whole wheat baby cereal
carrot baby food
potato baby food
ragi malt
zarri says
awesome recipe i must say,
can i use barley grits for above recipe?and if yes then will it b healthy option?n how can i make powder of barley grits because my 2 yr old boy dont like chewy texture of barley grits
swasthi says
Hi Zarri
You can just make a fine powder of the barley grits in a spice jar and use.
zarri says
thnx alot
should i soak them or not?
swasthi says
Zarri,
Actually it is good to soak but some brands sell grits that are too tiny. Soaking them may not be good as it turns to a dough like texture. Just give a try if it works soak and then cook.