Kheer (rice pudding)

Something for breakfast, or perhaps dessert? I've been coming up with different breakfast recipes for my son, and this has hit the nail on the head. Not sweet like the traditional recipe, but wonderfully aromatic as I have used saffron and other whole spices. It does take 20 mins to cook, but don't let this put you off. You can prepare this the night before. Just stir in some hot milk till creamy and serve.

I made 2 portions:


3 tbspns basmati rice, washed and soaked (for an hour if you can)
1 cup of water
whole spices: cardamom pod, small cinnamon stick
4-5 strands of saffron
7 tbspns full fat milk

1. Add the rice and a cup of water into a saucepan.

2. Once the water starts to boil, add the cardamom and cinnamon stick.

3. Turn the fire to medium heat and put the lid on.

4. The rice will take 20 mins to overcook. There will be hardly any water remaining in the pan.

5. Add the milk and saffron. Continue to stir till the kheer starts to bubble.

6. Use a masher to break down the rice.

7. Remove the whole spices and allow to cool before serving.

X'mas Treats anyone?

Xmas is less than a week away, however it has been going on for 3 weeks. And what I mean by this is that the decorated shop windows, the mini Xmas trees with twinkly lights, the carol singing, the Xmas drinks and as far as my toddler is concerned the three c's: cookies, chocolates and candy. Its the time when friends and family want to indulge her! We have been to many Xmas parties and all of them have involved lots of sugary delights. As a mom, I have found it very difficult to manage this. Do I tell the adults to stop giving her these treats or confiscate them the minute her eyes light up with joy when she sees a golden wrapped chocolate reindeer? I've turned into the Grinch! Even her nursery gave a small bag of chocolate and jelly beans. I know its the holiday season but part of me thought why couldn't they make healthier sweets? Such as yoghurt covered cranberries or sesame brittle? Surely, they should know better?! Luckily, my little one doesn't turn into the duracel bunny after eating them but she does skip her dinner which does bother me.
Only 6 days till Xmas, so parents out there, I am going to just ride this one out. Allow some sweets, hide the rest and enjoy this year which has truly been a special one-the birth of my son which has completed our family. Xmas is truly about family....Merry Xmas everyone!

Weaning Diaries: Courgette and Dal (Lentils)

In India, the dish dudhi  (bottle gourd)with dal is very common, and even though you do get dudhi here it isnt commonly available in regular supermarkets. However, Asian grocery stores stock dudhi and it is used in many dishes to 'bulk up' a dish. It is high in water content and vitamin C. I have found that the courgette is similar in taste, easily available and babies tend to love them! They steam quickly and you can just mash up with a fork.
As for the red dal, they are a high source of iron and contain beta carotene and vitamin A which strengthens your baby's immune system. Lets face it, during the winter months, we need our children's defences up! The fiber in the dal helps maintain a healthy bowel and the phytonutrients have anti cancer properties. I cant praise dal enough! In soups, purees and of course in kichdi...

For 2 portions I used:

4 tablespoons masoor (red lentils) dal
1/2 a courgette
pinch of tumeric powder
1 mug of water

1. Wash and soak the dal for an hour. They will increase in size and this helps reduce gas and cooking time.
2. Drain the water
3. Add 1 mug of fresh water, pinch of tumeric powder and cook on the stove on low flame with a lid for 50 mins.
4. Peel and chop the courgette and steam for 10 mins or until the courgette can be mashed with a fork.
5. Once the dal is cooked, add the mashed courgette or blend both together.
6. Serve to baby with overcooked rice.

Weaning Diaries: Turkey Keema

As my son has his morning nap, I am marinating turkey mince for tonight's dinner. We are having Indian style turkey burgers using coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, garlic and chopped coriander leaves. Chillis for my hubby dearest of course and less for my toddler. And what about baby? At the moment I have found what works best is making one meal for the family, so I have taken aside some turkey mince for him so that he can have some too!

He has never tried turkey, and its one of the easiest meats to digest.

I used the following ingredients and made two portions:

1 teaspoon oil
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 crushed garlic clove
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small cinammon stick
1 teaspoon coriander powder
pinch of tumeric powder
2 tablespoons chopped tomatos
3 tablespoons minced turkey
1.5 cups of water

1. In a pan, add the oil. Now add the cumin seeds and cinnamon stick.
2. Once they start to sizzle, add the onion and garlic and stir for a few mins till the onions lightly brown.
3. Add the turkey mince, and break down the mince with a spoon.
4. Add the coriander powder and tumeric powder.
5. Finally add the chopped tomatos, stir for a few minutes and add the water.
6. Put the lid on and increase the heat to medium heat.
7. Once the turkey looks rich in color, remove the cinnamon stick and then blend.

Weaning Diaries: Poached Fish in Milk

This recipe does not use Indian spices at all, however I wanted my son to try fish for the first time today. So why poach it in milk? The problem with fish is that it can be very bitty in the mouth and a 7 month old needs the consistency to be creamy and easy to swallow. Hence, the use of milk.
I would recommend using white fish else salmon would be lovely too. I have come up with this recipe and will feed it to him at lunch time today. It smells beautiful, and now I wish I had made this for the rest of the family!

I used:

6 tablespoons full fat milk
knob of butter
1 small crushed garlic clove
small piece of white fish, seasoned with black pepper
handful of washed and chopped spinach

1. In a small saucepan, add the milk and once it starts to bubble, add the garlic.
2. Next, add the fish with a knob of butter on top.
3. Then add the chopped spinach.
4. Put the cover on add the flame on low, allow to gently simmer till the fish has cooked through (around 6 mins)
5. Blend and serve.

Weaning Diaries: Week 4

Its been 4 weeks now since my little boy has entered the world of food, and what has happened since my last entry you ask? He has tried a number of new tastes: pears, apples, bananas, plums, kichdi (overcooked dal and rice), courgette, apple, red peppers, sweet potato, spinach and both chicken and lamb. I learnt that my son really enjoys spinach and courgettes; and plums go down a treat as well! He wasnt too keen on lamb, so I will re introduce it in a few weeks time.

Today I decided to make a typical Sindi ( from the area of Sindh, now in Pakistan) dish called sai bhaji, which is a blend of spinach, vegetables and whole chana or gram lentils. This recipe tends to vary from household to household. It's not as good as my grandma's of course, but we seem to like it! This went down a treat with my son and for the family meal, chillis and salt were added. This saved mama alot of time and my boy was happy! Perhaps this is the way to make meals from now on...?

For a family of 4:

250 gram bag of spinach leaves
1/2 cup of soaked overnight or for a couple of hours chana lentils
1 cup of chopped vegetables: carrot, beans, pumpkin, potato, aubergine.
handful of freshly chopped dill
2 large pinches of dried fenugreek leaves (methi)
1 onion
2 inches of ginger
2 garlic pods
1 cup of water

1. In a pressure cooker, fry the chopped onion, ginger and garlic till brown.
2. Next add the chopped vegetables
3. Add the chana dal (remove the water) and the spinach leaves.
4. Once they have wilted add the dill , the fenugreek leaves and cup of water.
5. Close the pressure cooker and give it 4-5 whistles, then turn off.
6. Open and blend with hand blender

The Weaning Diaries...

Its been exactly 10 days since my little boy has started weaning. He was having some baby porridge a month before I started, but now he is onto fruits and vegetables. I have started him on one meal to get an idea of how hungry he is. The verdict so far? My boy is hungry! He first started slowly taking in each mouthful, gagging on the spoon and making a mess everywhere. In this short span, he has learnt how to hold the food in his mouth and swallow. The first food he had was butternut squash, and this was easy to make (chop up, steam in colander and blend with some water) and he had no reaction (allergy wise) and he easily expelled it in his poo an hour later. So that was simple. Then there was avocado, which he loved but rather rich and heavy on his system which took over 36 hours to come out but with some advice from a dear mommy friend some steamed pear did the trick. Of course there was banana, but I was wary as this too can constipate the baby so I mixed this with his porridge in the morning. I did try some rice with steamed carrot, however he found this hard to eat, even after the rice had been over cooked and blended. And his favorite so far has been steamed courgette and steamed sweet potato.

I am leaning towards introducing more vegetables than fruit in his diet simply because babies tend to like more sweet flavours. So far, my boy has eaten everything except for the rice. I did find another recipe suggesting to put the rice in a spice grinder and then cook it. I think I will try this and it will keep him fuller for longer.

And now portions, started with 5 teaspoons and now its already over 10-12 teaspoons followed by 5-6 ounces of milk. Since yesterday I noticed he wasnt satisfied  after his food, so today I have increased the portion. And tomorrow I will introduce the third meal and see how satisfied he is. My guess is that he needs it!

At the same time, I am working on dropping his night feeds, and I feel there is a difference now that he has started eating solids. Wish me luck out there, I hope to have some uninterrupted sleep! Its been six months and my brain is slowly frying....

Tomorrow's menu: Breakfast: Porridge with steamed pear and cinnamon;
Lunch: Yellow lentils
Dinner: Steamed sweet potato and courgette
Followed by usual milk feeds...