Bola Guli (nachni-gahu satva sun-dried balls for babies)

This is a great konkani recipe for baby food that I learnt from my mother-in-law (Thanks Aamma). I wanted to share this with all mothers.

The main advantages of this recipe are:
1. This is portable - you can carry these dried balls in a tin. All you need is a little boiled milk and gas (or hotplate) in order to make a highly nutritious meal for your baby. We have carried these balls all around India when my baby was small.
2. Highly nutritious - the balance of wheat and nachni (ragi) is great for babies. My son thrived on it.
3. Tasty

Here is the procedure to make these balls of goodness.

Ingredients:
1/2 kg wheat (whole grains)
1/2 kg nachani (whole grains)
Water

The above ingredients make about 80 balls (1.5 inch diameter) . 1 ball is required for 4 month old baby for a meal. 2 balls for 5 months to 1 year baby.

Procedure:
1. Soak the wheat and nachani together in the morning with enough water to cover.
2. In the evening after about 10-12 hours, drain the water. It is fine if a little water remains.
3. Grind the mixture of wheat and nachani in a mixer-grinder (mine is a Bajaj mixer-grinder) with enough water till it achieves sand like consistency. You will have to do it in about 3-4 batches.
4. Put the ground mixture in a vessel.
5. Now, take a large vessel. Tie a folded muslin cloth tightly on it's mouth (use a rope to tie). Strain the sand like mixture. The procedure for straining is - take about 2 - 3 large scoops of the mixture and pour on cloth. add water. Move the mixture around vigorously on the cloth. Water and the fine particles will go into the vessel through the muslin cloth. Keep doing this till only the husk remains. Use as much water as is required till only husk like mixture remains.
6. Once all the ground mixture is thus processed, remove the muslin cloth.
7. Keep a lid on the vessel. Keep the vessel still in a corner for the entire night. Do not keep for more than 10-12 hours else it might ferment.
8. In the morning, slowly open the lid - you will see that the satva has separated and gone to the bottom of the vessel and water remains on top.
9. Slowly, take the vessel to the sink without disturbing it. Drain off the water on top till you can see the paste at the bottom.
10. Take a big spoon and mix the remaining paste so that the nachni and wheat paste is mixed together.
11. Now, take a towel (or pancha if you have one) and fold it 2-3 times. Keep this on top of another thick towel. Put half the paste on the top towel so that the water drains into the lower towel. Keep folding - unfolding the top towel to wring off the water.
12. After doing this for some time, you will find that an elastic paste remains behind.
13. Make small balls of this and keep on foil on a big plate. Remember to make a depression on each of the balls to avoid ball shape (since only ball shaped foods are considered inauspicious in hindus - they are a symbol of pind which are given to dead ancestors).
14. You should have 75 - 80 balls (1.5 inch approx diameter).
15. Keep the balls in the sun for 2 or 3 days till the balls are completely dry.
16. Store in an air-tight container - they can last upto 3 months without refrigeration and more with refrigeration.

To make the meal for the baby follow the process:
1. Take 2 balls (for 5-6 month old to 1 yr old baby) and soak in a little boiled milk (about 2 tbsp should be enough). Soak for about 10 mins. The balls should puff up and start disintegrating.
2. Add about a cup of milk now. Add a tsp of sugar (optional). Boil the mixture, stirring constantly to get an even liquid paste. The consistency should be of a thin batter.
3. Cool this so that it is a temperature that can be given to the baby. Feed the baby with a spoon.
4. CAUTION: Try giving a little (1-2 tsp) for a start to ensure that the baby is not allergic to it. If the baby has had no problems till the next day, you can give more.