Pics from 3.10.12 @Spices for my Sweets

Steamed fish with ginger, star anise and spring onion

The steamed fish blended with noodles

Spicy cumin cauliflower

Baby Gia trying some cauliflower!

All the lovely mummies!

Baby Sofia tucking into the fish

Photos from Weaning Workshop 26.9.12

Thanks to all the mommies and babies who attended today's workshop!

See you next week for more spices, recipes and cooking!

Chillis anyones?

Now back to the topic of chillis and babies. I touched on this topic last year and wanted to talk about it again. To recap, my daughter, now 3 years old was uptil last year (so it's been an entire year) was eating 1-1.5 chillis in her food. And then she got a nasty cough and cold, and became hypersensitive to any amount of chilli. Of course, this bummed both my husband and I out as we were finally all on one page eating the same amount of heat in the family meal. To be honest, my hubby tolerates alot more but for the sake of the kids we were all eating the same amount. So then it was back to eating spicy chutney with dinner and in my case hot lime pickle did the trick! All this for a whole year! Yes it has taken that long to slowly increase the chillis in her food. We are back on track! Yipeee! My son on the other hand has never had a problem with chilli, though I must admit drowning food in yoghurt is the way I approach it. Tough love!

So what did I do to get her to shift from zero to shall we call it second gear? It was all through social activities, watching others around her eating foods that looked fun and had chillis in them. So for example, crisps with paprika, or corn on the cob with lemon and red chilli and so on. She loves snacking so it started like this, if she wanted a bite she would have to learn to tolerate the heat. She didnt want to feel left out either, so joining in with everyone else especially the grown ups made her feel like a 'big girl'. And she is finally there, phew. Its taken alot of complaining from her father but we are finally there.

Hope it lasts this time!

Photos from weaning workshop 16 Aug 2012

Today, I ran a weaning workshop in my home for the first time. It was a wonderful experience. Moms and babies together speaking about spices, recipes and our children's eating styles. It wasn't just a time to cook and eat, it was a moment to speak about how we nurture our children through food. Memories about how our mothers fed us were etched in everyone's minds. One mom recalled her mother being very strict and made sure everything was eaten from her plate including the horrid roast peppers which she loathed then and still does today! Another appreciated her mother for offering other food than the family meal. Getting the balance right is tricky. Meal times are a complicated matter for us parents. All we want are happy, healthy children with fond memories of eating and growing up. So forgive us kids, if we don't get it right every day.

I demonstrated how to make butternut squash and sweet potato purée with roasted cumin. Sweet, creamy flavours with a hint of the nutty, aromatic cumin. The babies enjoyed it and the moms are looking forward to the next class, which I hope to start in September. I hope some of you will join me!

Hyderabadi Salmon Tikka

My family just love Salmon. Whether its in sushi, smoked with cream cheese in a bagel or my all time favourite salmon miso.

Salmon has such a beautiful taste that delicate flavours are necessary otherwise their natural taste is lost. Now this recipe is all about delicacy, using tumeric and roasted peppercorns. Its suitable for babies 1 year plus and served with simple red lentils and rice, this is a wholesome tasty meal!

For 2 adults and 2 children:

400 grams of salmon cut into chunks
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns. Roast them in a pan, then grind with pestle and mortar
6 tablespoon melted butter
1 large pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
2 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Combine all the ingredients for at least 30 minutes. The longer the better.

2. Cook in the oven for 250 C for 7-8 mins, or until the salmon is tender and slightly pink in the middle.

Squeeze some lemon juice over the tikkas before serving.

Enjoy!

Weaning at 6 Months...

My little niece is turning 6 months this week! So I've dedicated this entry to my cutie pie! Happy 6 months Little One!

When you start off weaning, you will need to get prepared with: bibs, wipes, silicone spoons and bowls. You might need a bumbo or a high chair to put baby in. Keep some water in a sippy cup so she can get used to having sips of water and ultimately transitioning towards using a cup rather than a bottle.

For cooking, I found a steamer or a double boiler pan essential. Steaming holds all the nutrients in and it is much better than boiling food. A small pressure cooker (handy to stick in the dishwasher) was a godsend for me too! Dals, chicken curry and even soups were made in it. Once the food is cooked, use a blender till finely pulped and add some water or baby's milk depending on the recipe to thin out.

You will need some small storage containers to store the food and may want to use ice trays to keep small quantities and pop out and reheat the food when you need to.

I would recommend offering the first meal in the day so you can keep an eye on allergies which tend to appear 24 hours after baby has digested the meal. So 11 am is a good time to offer, as is 2 pm and of course milk feeds continue as normal. Baby will barely take a few spoons, but this will soon increase to 10 spoons or more. By 7 months, you need to aim to offer a range of foods and flavours.

Here are 3 first recipes that babies love, using a hint of spices for flavour will get baby going on its journey of Indian spices!

1. Steamed Pear with Cloves and Cinnamon

Cut half a pear, de core and leave the skin on. Take a clove and stick it in to the pear. Do the same with a small piece of cinnamon. Place in steamer or a double boiler with the lid on. When the pear is very soft, remove from the pan. Now, remove the skin, clove and cinnamon stick. Cut up and put in the blender with a tablespoon of water. Blend through and serve baby.

2. Butternut squash with Cumin

Take half a cup of deskinned and chopped butternut squash and put in steamer or double boiler with the lid on. While the squash is cooking, take a separate pan and turn up the heat. Once hot add a pinch of cumin seeds. The seeds will start to toast and you will get a lovely fragrance! Now check that the squash is ready by poking it with a fork. It should break up easily. Add to the blender along with the cumin seeds. Add some water if you need to thin further.

3. Duo of Melon

Take 1/4 cup of chopped honeydew melon and 1/4 cup of galia melon and blend. You may want to strain the melon if you feel its very pulpy in texture, else add some water.

Happy Weaning!

Turkish Bulgur and Aubergine

We have just returned from a trip to sunny Turkey and I was blown away with the fresh fruit and vegetables available over there. Going to the local market was truly a feast for the eyes. The rich red color of the tomatoes, the juicy watermelons and the golden apricots. I brought along a few food pouches but I have never been a fan of them though they did come to use when we were at the airport. So that meant cooking on holiday which doesn't sound like much of a holiday but after seeing all the fresh produce there, I was inspired to cook some Turkish food for my little one!

So I gave a go at bulgur (cracked wheat) and aubergine in a tomato sauce. You could use dhaliya which is finer. The trick is to cook the bulgur till plump and soft so that baby can easily swallow it. I would recommend this dish to babies one year and older.

For 4 portions I used:

1/2 cup of bulgur wheat
1 small aubergine chopped into bite size squares
1/2 onion finely sliced
1 garlic pod crushed
1 tblspn concentrated tomato puree
2 cups of water
1 tblspn chopped parsley optional

1. In a pan or a kadai, add some oil and when hot add the onions, garlic and the aubergine.
2. Continue to stir fry the vegetables and add a little more oil if it starts to get dry. Now add a pinch of pepper and salt.
3. Now add the tomato puree and stir through the bulgur wheat.
4. Once fully coated, add the water and put the lid on and simmer on medium heat.
5. Allow to cook till there is some gravy and that the bulgur is soft and plumped up. You may want to add more water. Test if cooked by pinching on a grain, it should mash between your fingers.
6. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve to baby.

Baby's First Egg Curry

My son, who is now 1 year and 3 weeks, tried egg curry for the first time yesterday. Rich in protein and creamy as I used cocont milk, this was a very tasty dish. I have started introducing a pinch of chilli in his food now. If I am honest the chilli component in the family meal is next to nothing now because of the children and I am trying to set this straight so that in a few months they should manage to tolerate at least 1 chilli. I will keep you updated on that one!

So for 4 portions I used:

2 eggs
1/2 can of coconut milk
1/2 can of chopped tomatoes or even better use passata as its smooth
pinch of red chilli powder
pinch of tumeric powder
1 tspn mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
1 tspn grated ginger

1. Boil some water in a pan, and let the eggs boil for 8-10 minutes.
2. While they are cooking, add the tomatoes to a pan along with the red chilli powder and tumeric powder and stir for a few minutes.
3. Add the coconut milk and reduce the heat so that it simmers.
4. Now for the tempering process (tadka), in a small pan or a metal ladle, add 1 tablespoon of oil and once hot add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and the ginger. The seeds will start to pop and the ginger will change color, now you know it has cooked so add to the curry sauce.
5. Remove the eggs from the water once they are cooked. Peel and cut in to halves and put them into the sauce.
6. When you are ready to serve, take some fresh bread and remove the crusts. Place them at the bottom of baby's bowl and pour the egg curry over and allow the bread to soak it all in. Yummy!

Fish Karahi for the Family

I don't know if any of you have got a hold of Anjum Anand's 'I love curry' cookbook, but I cant praise it enough! She uses every day ingredients and comes up with super meals. So this morning, I was staring at my packet of fish and was wondering what to cook for the evening meal. I flicked through Anjum's book and decided to try her prawn karahi recipe. The photo just sold it to me and as I had everything in my cupboard that suited me as well! With my son having his nap a busy mommy needs efficient recipes! I have tweaked it to suit baby and toddler and still keep the hubby happy! I used white fish for this recipe, but if you want to use prawns as Anjum did then feel free!

For a family of four I used:

two fillets of white deboned fish chopped into 4 pieces
4 tspns ghee
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tbspn fresh grated ginger
5 cloves grated garlic
1/2 can of chopped tomatoes
1 tspn ground coriander (dhaniya powder)
1 tspn ground cumin (jeera powder)
1/2 tspn carom seeds (ajwain)
2 pinches of dry fenugreek leaves (methi leaves)
1 tspn garam masala
squeeze of lemon juice
pinch of tumeric

1. In a bowl, put the fish with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of haldi. Stir together and set aside
2. In a karahi or sautee pan, add the ghee and once hot brown the onions
3. Next add the grated ginger and garlic and sautee for a few minutes
4. Add the tomatoes, coriander powder, cumin powder, carom seeds and fenugreek leaves
5. Cook for 15 minutes and you will see the color intensify and the ghee starting to separate from the masala paste. Transfer into a small bowl and keep aside
6. In the pan, add a little more ghee, and add the fish and cook for a minute or so
7. Now add the garam masala and the masala paste that you set aside and 50 ml water. Cook for a further two minutes

Remove baby's portion and add salt to the rest of the family's meal. Serve with rice or rotis...Thanks Anjum!

Almost 1!

In a few days, my little custard apple (i.e. my son) will turn one! Sigh and how time has flown with baby number two. From breastmilk to formula to purees and now eating the family food, my little one is growing in front of my very eyes. I am so pleased that I can cook one meal now for everyone, albeit no salt, chillis or sugar. The best part is that he watches what his sister eats and wants to take part too! Sunday breakfast I made egg bhurji or Indian scrambled eggs for both kids and it went down a treat! I tweaked the recipe by adding single cream to the eggs to make them softer.

So here goes my recipe for egg bhurji for toddler and baby:

2 eggs
1 tspn single cream
pinch of pepper
1/4 finely chopped onion
1/2 deskinned chopped  large tomato
1/2 tspn tumeric powder
pinch of chopped coriander

1. In a bowl, crack the eggs and add pepper and single cream. Beat with a fork
2. In a saucepan, fry the onion and when soft add the tomatos and tumeric powder.
3. Once the consistency is mashed up, add the egg mixture.
4. Use a wooden spoon and turn the egg in the pan till fully cooked. The mixture should be slightly wet.
5. Add the chopped coriander and stir through.

Serve with bread.

Lumps anyone? Toddler and Baby meal, 5 Vegetable Kichdi

My son is now coming up to 11 months (sigh, I know its flown by!) and in the last few weeks he has been eyeing our food and is happy to try everything we are having. So from munching on cooked pasta, bread sticks, cucumber rings and pieces of roti, I have decided to experiment with different textures and lumps. He isn't keen on having fully pureed food anymore. And I feel thrilled with this as this only means less seperate baby food and more family meals together! The trick is to make something inbetween otherwise you can be left with a very hungry baby who is frustrated with trying to eat an unfamiliar texture. So today I have made 5 vegetable kichdi, which my toddler loves with cucumber yoghurt. The only difference is that I added more water so that the texture was creamier, and of course no salt or chillis.

I used the following vegetables: baby aubergine, carrot, potato, courgette, and beetroot. It's what I had at home in the fridge, feel free to use whatever you like. Even pulses like kidney beans or chickpeas works well, as well as lamb or chicken.

For 4 portions for both baby and toddler:

You need:
5 vegetables of your choice, washed and chopped up. One cupful is good.
1 cup of washed white or brown basmati rice
1/2 cup of moong dal(small yellow lentils)
1 teaspoon of ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon tumeric powder
1/2 teaspoon of hing (aesofetida powder)

1. In a pressure cooker, add the ghee and once hot add the cumin seeds, tumeric powder and hing.
2. After a minute add your vegetables and stir together.
3. Now add the dal and the rice and 2 cupfuls of water and stir
4. Close the cooker and allow 3 whistles.
5. Once cool, remove toddler portion and add salt. Baby's portion is ready to serve along with yoghurt.

The texture of the kichdi is creamy but you can still see the individual pieces of vegetables so that baby gets a chance to learn to eat lumps.

Eating out in Bombay, NOT Child Friendly!

Its been a month since my last entry and this is because we were away on holiday in sunny Bombay. This was the first time for my son, and the third time for my daughter. It had been a year since our last trip and I had forgotten how difficult the city is with a child, not to mention this time two children.

As you can imagine there were lots of family visits which meant lots of eating out. In Bombay, our local couple friends with babies/toddlers don't go out to restaurant. There are no high chairs/booster seats in sight. We went to the following restaurants: Indigo Deli, Smoke House Deli, China Garden, Amadeus, and Cafe Zoe. All the restaurants mentioned are relatively new and serve contemporary food and attract a broad clientele, both locals and out of towners. I spoke to the manager at Cafe Zoe, who happens to be a friend of my hubby and as well as a new father, and has ordered high chairs for his restaurant as well as changing table in the bathrooms. I was naturally pleased when I heard this.  The only restaurant which had high chairs was Royal China near Sterling Cinema and of course the CCI. I was shocked that Bombay today with its influx of tourists and foreigners doesn't welcome children to their eateries.I am sure there are other places that do welcome kids and now I wish I had done some research before hand, so Bombay parents please fill me in for next time!

So if children are not accommodated then naturally there is no children's menu, or changing tables in the bathroom. Perhaps its just me coming from London but eating out with my children is a very normal and enjoyable thing to do. But this is mainly due to the restaurants being accommodating and welcoming children with high chairs, children's menus, space to park buggies, crayons and coloring pads to entertain themselves. In Bombay, it seems that their either isn't a demand for high chairs as families don't take their children out to eat. Why is this? Is it because usually in tow is a nanny and to take the nanny out to an expensive restaurant is a no no?  I feel that the whole restaurant experience is off putting to parents. Children aren't accommodated and therefore aren't taken out. In London I wouldn't think twice unless it was a fine dining restaurant. So for parents visiting Bombay in the near future, I suggest call up restaurants before hand and check if they have high chairs so that your eating experience isnt manic like ours were!

Sleeping through?

I have some great news to share! My boy slept through the night! Yes all the way from 845 pm ( a little later than usual due to a late afternoon nap) till 615 am. Yipee! I am so so happy today, I feel like a new person. I am able to think straight, feel less overwhelmed with the day ahead and my body feels less achey!

Now when I think back to the day before, I am looking at his food intake and in the evening his menu was parsnip and carrot with pearl barley steamed and cooked in garlic and rosemary. He was famished at 5 pm  and had a good portion. He was so distracted in the afternoon and pushed his afternoon nap and slept in the car for 30 mins post dinner. When we reached home, he tried some mashed potato with carrot which the family were eating. 5-6 spoonfuls of this and his usual 6 oz of milk before bed.

My mommy friend said her twin boys tend to sleep through if they have pasta, potatoes or cheese for dinner. You can imagine what is on the menu tonight for my boy's eve meal!

So here I ask myself- Is sleeping through the night food related? Is the trick lots of carbohydrates before bed? Parents-please comment with your experiences. I can't wait to see what's in store for tonight.

Weaning Diaries: Beetroot and Carrot Soup

My little one is teething and it's all drool and runny noses at the moment! I have muslins handy in each room of the house to wipe him up. He is struggling to eat and have his milk as he can't breathe well. Poor thing is frustrated! Yesterday he struggled with lumps in his foods and was gagging alot. So this brightly colored soup worked a treat at lunch today-watery yet thick enough. Also rich in Vit A, fiber and naturally sweet which babies love!

I have made 4 portions and this soup is perfect for babies at 6 months:

1/2 cup of chopped carrot

1/2 cup of chopped beetroot

3/4 cup of water

1. Combine the above in a pressure cooker and let it whistle twice.

2. Blend and serve (you might want to strain if you wish to) 

Sunday Breakfast

What a wonderful Sunday morning,the sun has come out after days and in the kitchen my husband and I are cooking for our kids.

The children as per usual woke up before dawn and cuddling was the morning's agenda! This is one of the greatest gifts about having children-the mornings are full of excitement, games and lots of hugs and kisses!  After this, our toddler wanted pancakes so papa started on those and used Jamie Oliver's recipe which he found online. Those went down a treat with steamed apples in cinnamon and cloves and drizzlings of honey.

And for my almost 9 month old baby, I cooked suji (also known as semolina) for him for the first time and now I wish I had tried this sooner! It was baby rice in

consistency and so so creamy. Along with that, some steamed apples. So here is the recipe I used for 2 portions:

6 tablespoons of suji

1/2 cup of boiling water

1/2 apple

1 piece stick of cinnamon

1 clove

1 star anise

1 oz milk (formula or breast)

1.  Cut the apple into 3-4 pieces and remove the core. Then stick a piece of cinnamon, star anise and a clove into the pieces.

2.  Steam in a colander till soft, this will take 15 mins or so. Remove the whole spices and skin and mash.

3.  In a pan add the suji and boiling water and cook on medium heat till porridge like in consistency.

4.  Combine the suji and apple, and add the milk and stir together.

Bye Bye Nursing

After 8.5 months, the chapter of nursing my son has come to an end. And if I am honest, I'm not sure how I feel about it. The time has definitely flown by second time round. My son from day one has had a good appetite, feeding every 2 hours on day 2 and some evenings cluster fed for 5 hours! Later on, I wanted to introduce the bottle and I experienced problems trying to figure out which bottle he liked. We started with the same bottle my daughter used, Avent, and tried various teat sizes, but he didnt take much at all. So at first I was unsure if it was the bottle he didnt like and I persisted but then the whole point of introducing the bottle was for some flexibility. Then I spoke to a few mommy friends who recommended Dr Browns, and my son took to it straight away using level 3 teat. He was over 5 months old when he accepted the bottle. He had previously taken to it when 2 weeks old. However, as I wasnt persistent, he soon forgot (perhaps refused?) and then I was left feeling trapped at times unable to leave him with family without a bottle. So wherever I went, he would be there with me and yes he did come to the hairdresser with me! So at 5 months, I would pump and feed him expressed milk. I only pumped once a day so then I eventually used formula. He started with small amounts of formula which didnt leave me feeling confident that I could leave him with my mom for a few hours. Slowly it increased and I believe that was down to his appetite increasing. By December last year I decided that he was heading in that direction--having more from the bottle and less from me and to work towards mid January to aim to finish nursing.

The best part about nursing was the bonding time with my son, for me it felt wonderful feeding him and seeing him grow. Also I found it so convenient, all I needed was a cover and I was happy feeding anywhere. Nursing through the night helped me go back to sleep due to the hormones in the milk, but I had broken sleep (and still have broken sleep) for many months. The downside of nursing was that the responsibility was all down to me, unless I expressed the milk-so this had to be planned and at times felt frustrating. I had to make sure I was in a comfortable place to feed, i.e. a friends house, in the nursing room in John Lewis or just to find a chair where I could park my pram, put my cover on and feed my baby. I had to always accomodate my son in what I did as I was his breakfast, lunch and dinner so wherever I went he did. So for girly dinners, shopping and pedicures my little one was by my side.

Now the downside of formula-the sterilising of bottles, the boiling and cooling of water, heating the bottle in the middle of the night and the expense of formula not to metion running to the store each time the formula runs out which in my house runs out every 3 weeks. Dont get me wrong, I love being with my son, but I also like a bit of time to myself. The upside is that I can leave him with my mom or with his dad feeling assured that he is in safe hands and not hungry!
So how does one go about dropping feeds? Now most moms I knew were giving their babies a bottle before bed time, around the 11 pm feed. I wasn't as he wasn't taking the bottle before 5 months so this was the first feed that I dropped and gave expressed milk and then later formula. This helped him feel fuller as well. After that it was every time I went out in the afternoon so the 3pm feed and soon it was every feed except the early morning feed which was mainly because I didnt want to wake up at 5 am and walk all the way to the kitchen to get the bottle ready. All this was spaced out over 6 weeks so my milk supply could adjust and that I didnt feel like I was going to explode! The last day of nursing caught me by surprise really, my son just had his bottles and didn't have anything from me, not for the early morning feed and not even for a bit of comfort. And thats it, just like that it ended. That was 8 days ago, though I still have some milk, it will take a little more time to completely dry up.

Mother and baby started off as one entity and this milestone is another step towards seperation, so yes I do feel sad that its over, but I also feel happy that we are moving on now. Time is passing by, and soon he will be all of a year and my baby will soon be a toddler. Sigh,  I just love this baby stage, though its tiring and the lack of sleep leaves you in a semi coma state. There is nothing more wonderful than nuzzling your baby and breathing in that pure baby smell... So its bye bye breast pads, ugly nursing bras and hello alcohol and a bit of me time...

Weaning Diaries: Ginger Fish with Dhaliya (bulgur wheat)

I was introduced to dhaliya a few months ago, and then realised it was bulgur wheat which I have tried many times at Turkish restaurants. When using for baby food, alot more water is added and the consistency is porridge like which is perfect when weaning. Like rice, you can use dhaliya in both savoury and sweet dishes. Today I have made it with steamed fish and ginger. I hope your baby enjoys it!

For 2 portions I used:

1 tblspn white onion finely chopped
1 tblspoon chopped, deskinned tomatos
4 tblspn dhaliya
1 cup water
1/3 fillet of white fish (washed, deboned and scored)
1 inch piece ginger

1. In a pan, sautee the onion and tomatos for a few minutes.
2. Next, add the dhaliya and coat completely.
3. Add the water and put the lid on. Allow to simmer for 3 minutes on low heat.
4. Cut the ginger into 3 pieces and stick into the fish.
5. Place fish on top of dhaliya and add 1 tblspn water on top of fish and close the lid. This will allow the fish to steam and bring out the ginger flavour.
6. Cook for 4 more minutes or until the fish is cooked through.
7. Let the dish cool, and this will let the dhaliya plump even further.
8. Finally,  remove the ginger, mash with a fork and blend with a few tblspns of water.