Food recipes I offered my baby (6-12 months old) - Part 3

This is the third and final part of the food recipes I offered my baby between 6-12 months of age. If you haven't read the previous two parts, I would ask you to do so. Especially, check the notes section of Part 1, to know about few important aspects on feeding the baby. I am providing the links here - Part 1 and Part 2 . 

Rasam

Ingredients: 1/2 tomato, 2 garlic cloves, 1 sprig curry leaves, 3/4 cup of water, 1/8 spoon jeera powder, 1 pinch of pepper powder, 1 pinch of jeera, 1 pinch of hing (asafetida), 1.5 tsp of ghee, salt to taste

How to make

• To boiling water, add tomato, cook for a minute and leave it immersed
• After 5 minutes, peel tomato's skin  
• Heat 1/2 tsp of ghee in a vessel and roast the garlic cloves and few curry leaves 
• Blend the tomato, garlic and curry leaves to a smooth paste
• Add the paste to water (used to boil tomato) along with salt, hing, pepper and jeera powder and boil
• It's time to take off rasam from the stove when it comes to a roaring boil
• Now to a pan, add 1/2 tsp of ghee and heat
• Once the ghee is hot, add a pinch of jeera and remaining curry leaves and allow it to splutter
• Add this tempering to rasam 

Variations:

To can turn the above into dal rasam, by simply adding 1-2 tablespoons of boiled and mashed toor dal along with tomato puree. You may have to adjust the pepper and salt quantity accordingly. 

These two variations can be offered to the baby as a soup or as a dip for idli or can be mixed with the rice porridge or can be mixed with well mashed white rice. Rasam aids in digestion and is best suited during cold weather to relieve any congestion.

Idli

Idlis are easy on the tummies and has perfect blend of carbs and proteins that are highly essential for the little one's growth. 

Ingredients: 1 cup rice, 1/3cup urad dal, 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi) and salt per taste

How to make idli batter

• Thoroughly wash and soak rice for 2-4 hrs, depending upon the type of rice you are using
• Similarly wash and soak urad dal and methi together for an hour
• First grind dal to a smooth texture by adding some water
• Now grind rice with required water and transfer the batter to dal batter, add salt and mix well with clean and bare hands. This process is supposed to help in fermenting the batter well
• Rest the batter overnight to ferment well

How to make idlis

• Grease the idli plate with ghee and pour in the batter
• Steam it for 12-15 minutes in the idli cooker

That's it. Soft idlies will be ready to be served to your little one. You can feed idli as is by drizzling ghee on top or dip it in rasam (recipe to follow in this post) or dip in sambar stock. When your kid is comfortable eating finger foods, idlis too can be given to them as a snack.

I observed many offering idli dipped in milk or with yogurt. Please avoid it, as urad dal in combination with milk products will cause indigestion/ bloating in the child.

Kichidi

Kichidi is again a simple food that will be very light on tummy and packed with nutrients. You may start giving kichidi to your child once he crosses 9 months, for any meal of the day.

Ingredients: 1 tbsp rice, 3/4 tbsp moong/ masoor dal*, 1 garlic clove, 1 pinch hing, 1/8 tsp jeera powder, 1/8 tsp ajwain (carom) powder, choice of vegetable, 1 tsp ghee, salt per taste

* Once baby is 1 year old, you may start adding equal portions of rice and dal 

How to make: 

• To a pressure cook, add a tsp of ghee
• Once hot, add chopped garlic, jeera, carom powder, hing and sauté
• Then add washed and soaked rice and dal, along with chopped vegetables and salt
• Pour 1/4 cup water and cook for 4-5 whistles
• After the pressure releases, mash the ingredients well and serve warm

Variations

1. You may add moong and masoor dal in equal proportions too. It will yield a different taste
2. Add carrots, beans, spinach, broccoli, pumpkin, bottle guard or a combination of them to make mixed veg kichidi
3. You can add spinach alone in place of vegetables to make palak kichidi
4. Skip the vegetables and make a plain kichidi with moong dal (similar to south indian pongal) 
5. Once your baby is 10-12 months, you can also replace rice with broken wheat (dalia) in the above recipe. But ensure your baby is not allergic to wheat 
6. Sooji/ Semolina can also be used in place of rice, to make a tasty kichidi

Note:

These are the recipes I offered my kid and are purely based on my personal experience, and do not consider it as a professional advice. If you have any questions of introducing new food or any history of family allergies or in doubt, always check with your pediatrician.  

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