Multigrain-Lentils-Nuts "Health-Mix" Powder + Oatmeal- HealthMix Porridge

This is MIL's signature Health-Mix Powder recipe that she makes with so much love and care for her dear dear grandson. This powder is really something! You will see when you scroll down to look at the ingredient list. I have been feeding this "fortified porridge" since when my son Aran was 18 months old. I call this a "wonder powder". Sometimes I make this porridge for myself too. It is simply too good to resist!

Making this powder is truly a tedious process and is not something that I would even attempt to make it here simply because I wouldn't know where to find a "Flour Milling plant" and I am not buying the mini flour mill..Not yet atleast. In India though, every town has atleast one such plant. Every plant/factory has different Flour Mills for grinding Chili, Coriander, Grains, mixed-grains etc etc. The ingredients after going through the meticulous process of cleaning,drying,roasting gets mixed and is finally taken to the plant where it comes out as a finely milled product.

Note: Before feeding this powder to my son, I fed every ingredient separately and methodically for about a week or so to conclude that my son wasn't allergic to any ingredients that went into making the powder.Please do the same if planning on feeding this to young ones.

Ingredients:(Large Scale Prep, Yields ~4-5lbs of HealthMix Powder)
For the Health-Mix Powder:

• 2.2 lbs/1 Kg Finger Miller/Ragi
• 1/4 Cup Pearl Millet
• 1/4 Cup Sambha Wheat(Wiki: Better than Ordinary wheat with low GI)
• 1/3 Cup Each (Parboiled Rice,Red Rice,Barley,Roasted Split-Chickpea "Pottu Kadalai/Buna Channa",Dried Corn Kernels,Whole Green Gram, Sago,Dried Garbanzo Bean/ChickPea)
• 1/2 Cup Cashew
• 2-1/2 Cups Almonds (Not the blanched ones)
• 3-4 Tbsp Cardamom (With Pods)
• 2 Tbsp Dry Ginger

For the Porridge: (Yields 1 Serving for a 4-yr old)

• 1/4 Cup Old-Fashioned Oats
• 1-1/2 to 2 Tbsp Health-Mix Powder
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar, packed
• 2 to 2-1/2 Cups Whole Milk + 1/2 Cup more

Procedure:

• To Make the Health-Mix Powder: Wash the Finger Millet, Pearl Millet and Sambha Wheat. Dry it completely in the Sun. Dry roast it until it emits aroma. Set aside. Roast everything else in a large kadai until they emit aroma. Don't overdo this step, especially watch out for the Corn Kernels that might start popping. Dry Roasting ensures that there is no moisture and increases the shelf life of this powder. Mix the whole thing in a container and take it to the flour mill to make it into a "finely milled powder".

• Divide the HealthMix powder into small portions in a thick plastic bag and freeze them for upto a year. I keep a small portion of this in the refrigerator and the rest sits in the freezer.

•  To Make the Porridge: Add all the dry ingredients for the porridge into a sauce pan.

•  Pour the milk and mix with a whisk. Bring the mixture to a boil while constantly stirring. This step is important because they start clumping together and stick to the bottom of the pan. Once they attain a goopy consistency, switch off the stove.

•  More (cold) milk may be added if the mixture starts thickening. Top it with fruits of choice or not.

Enjoy! 
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