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.