5 Delicious Upma Recipes For Your Little Ones

Delicious Upma Recipes For Your Little One

Your baby has started making little bites on you and the things around him with his tiny emerging tooth. It is the perfect time for you to introduce semi-solid and solid foods to your babies so that they get to feed their appetites and get something to nibble. While offering them a wide variety of delicious foods to chew and chomp, you must ensure that the treats are rich in all the essential macro and micronutrients. An ideal and pocket-friendly choice is the – “Upma”. It is one of the most delicious and nutritious Indian food that your baby can enjoy. Even though there are thousands of traditional and modern recipes, we will stick with the simple and quick ones.

Suji or Semolina upma with carrots

Ingredients

• ¾ cup of suji/semolina 
• ¼ teaspoon of mustard seeds
• 1-2 springs of curry leaves
• 1 pinch of asafoetida
• 1 finely chopped onion
• ½ teaspoon of grated ginger
• 3 tablespoons of finely chopped carrots
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of ghee
• 1½ cups of water 

Preparation

Take a kadhai/wok and roast suji on low flame until it turns light brown. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in separate kadhai then add mustard seeds. As they begin to splutter, add chopped onion and grated ginger and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add chopped carrots, curry leaves and asafoetida and again sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add water and boil the mixture. Add roasted suji and lemon juice to the mix. Stir the mixture continuously to avoid lumps and let it cook on low flame. Once cooked, serve warm to your baby.

Vegetable upma recipe for babies

Ingredients

• ¾ cup of suji
• ¼ tablespoons of mustard seeds
• 1 pinch of asafoetida
• 1 pinch of turmeric powder
• ½ tablespoons of cumin powder
• 3-4 tablespoons of cooked and mashed vegetables
• 2 tablespoons of ghee
• 2 cups of water 

Preparation

Take a kadhai/wok and roast suji on low flame until it turns light brown. Add a tablespoon of ghee and continue roasting it. Add 2 cups of water and boil. Then, lower the flame and let it simmer. Take a separate pan and heat ghee and cumin powder in it. Stir it well and add turmeric powder, asafoetida, and mashed vegetables to the pan. Add the cooked suji to the pan and mix well. Add 1 cup of water to give the upma a semi-solid to solid texture while 2 cups of water can give a runny texture. 

Sweet corn and peas upma

Ingredients

• Few kernels of sweet corn and green peas
• ¼ teaspoon of mustard seeds
• 1 ½ roasted suji
• 1 ½ white urad dal 
• ½ finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon of ghee
• ½ cup of hot water 

Preparation

Steam and cook the sweet corn and peas to make them soft and squishy. Mash them properly. Heat a teaspoon of ghee in another pan and add mustard seeds and urad dal to it. Once it begins to crack, add finely chopped onion and fry it well. Add the mashed peas, sweetcorn and stir it well. Now, add hot water to the pan and add roasted suji while stirring continuously. Close the lid and let the semolina cook. This upma recipe is suitable for 1-year-old babies.

Broken wheat upma

Ingredients

• 1 cup of dry roasted broken wheat
• ¼ tablespoons of mustard seeds
• 1 finely chopped onions
• 1.5 tablespoons of ginger garlic paste 
• 1 pinch of turmeric powder
• ¼ cup of cooked and mashed carrots, beetroot, potato, capsicum, cauliflower, beans and green peas
• 1 tablespoon of oil 
• 1 tablespoon of ghee
• 1 cup of water

Preparation

Heat the oil in a pan, and sauté mustard seeds and ginger garlic paste. Add onion and fry until translucent. Add other veggies and turmeric powder and stir well. Now add the broken wheat and mix well for 2-3 minutes. Add water and pressure-cook the mix for 3-5 whistles. Add ghee and feed your baby while it is warm. You can control the texture of the mix to provide chewable bits, as your baby gets older.

Oats upma

Ingredients

• 1 cup of oats
• 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds 
• 1 tablespoon of urad dal
• 8-10 cashews 
• ¼ cup of finely chopped onion, carrots, cooked and mashed, peas and French beans,
• ½ tablespoon of ginger
• 1½ tablespoon of oil
• 2¼ cup of water

Preparation

Heat oil in a pan and add 1 cup of oats. Stir on low flame for 3-4 minutes until brown in colour and transfer it onto a plate. Add 1½ tablespoon of oil in the same pan and heat. Then, add mustard seeds and stir until they crackle. Add cumin seeds, urad dal, and cashew and sauté the mix until brown. Then, add onion and other veggies to it and sauté it well. Add water and let it cook for 8-9 minutes. Finally, add the roasted oats and stir well. Serve the upma warm to your baby.

Even though your baby can enjoy these most convenient and highly nutritious recipes, feel free to experiment with the recipes because every baby is unique and has a different palate. Include veggies and ingredients that your baby loves and watch your beloved enjoy the meal wholeheartedly- Bon Appétit!

Click here to learn what this father learned on his journey while preparing a nutritious diet for his baby.