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!