Well what do you know, its 2014 already!!!! I know I've been a horrible blogger the last year but please can I blame it all on the baby business i had going on last year? While its all been a whirlwind of fun and horrors, I'm glad 2013 is behind me. A new year means a new start, right? And of course a new start definitely needs some new year resolutions. On top of my list is of course my resolution to get back into blogging here more frequently, like at least once every week. You can all wipe off that sarcastic look on your faces as you read this right now, but I promise this ain't like the previous 100 promises I've made! I know you'll all forgive me for being so lazy!
Anyways, for those of you who don't know, I've got a 2.5 year old toddler and a 6 month old baby now. So I'll be switching between recipes to cater for both age groups now and then.I have so many interesting recipes i'd love to share with you all. So here's to a new and exciting year ahead!
Today's special is one of the first foods for my baby Lucas aka Chackochi. But before we get into that ,for those of you who are wondering if I named him after Suresh Gopi from the movie Lelam, NO! I did see that movie ages ago and I do love the character that Suresh Gopi played, but I promise you that I did not actually realize that was his name until someone commented on it after we had named Lucas. Chacko is my grandfather's and my father's name. And just to make it a bit more babyish we added the "chi" to Chacko and hence Chackochi :) And besides since my boys are ultimately Kanjirapally achayans they had to have typical catholic mallu names - Kochu varkey & Chackochi! Just so we are clear :)
Ok, I guess that's enough of banter for this week, so lets get into it shall we? This dish is just basically plain cooked riced only difference being its cooked in milk for that extra nutritional value and also some taste. You can serve the porridge on its own with a pinch of salt and few drops of ghee. The banana puree adds some natural sweetness to the porridge and I'm sure no baby would say no to the lovely sweet taste. You could experiment with different fruit purees like apple or pear as well. And of course you could also try adding some vege puree instead like carrots or pumpkin. No matter what you try please always remember to follow the 4 day wait rule outlined here.
P.S. Again forgive me for the not so fine quality pics. I'm using my phone's camera as that's what i usually have on hand to quickly take a picture before I rush off to feed a very hungry baby!
Rice Porridge with Banana Puree
Ingredients:
Rice -1/2 cup, washed and drained well
Milk -3/4 cup
Water - 1.5 cups
Salt
Ghee (optional)
Banana - 1/2 of one very ripe banana
Method:
Rice Porridge:
1. Bring the milk and water to a boil in a pressure cooker. Add the washed rice & a pinch of salt to the boiling milk and close the pressure cooker. Pressure cook for until 4-5 whistles.
2. Once the pressure cooker has cooled down, open it and check that the rice has cooked well to a paysam consistency.
3. If there is any milk/water left after pressure cooking, cook till the milk/water is dried.
4. Allow it to cool a bit and then puree it using a blender/mixee until the porridge achieves a smooth and runny consistency. You can serve the porridge at this point as is with a few drops of ghee.
Banana Puree:
1. Blend 1/2 of a very ripe banana in the blender/mixee.
2. Mix the puree with the rice porridge and serve with a few drops of ghee.
Notes:
1. Adjust the milk and water quantities according to your rice. I used par-boiled rice.
2. If you find that the rice isn't cooked enough after you open the cooker add some more hot water and cook again for a couple of whistles.
3. When blending the rice, if it gets too thick you can add some breast milk or hot water to loosen it up.
4. If your baby is less than 6 months old please omit milk and use only water breast milk or formula.
5. The cooked rice may be stored in the fridge for 2 days before pureeing. And if freezing, then too its best done before pureeing. I'm not sure how well it will sit though- may be rubbery or gritty when thawed,the jury is still out on that one.
6. The banana may brown when pureed - best way to freeze, cut in half, wrap then freeze (raw).
Anyways, for those of you who don't know, I've got a 2.5 year old toddler and a 6 month old baby now. So I'll be switching between recipes to cater for both age groups now and then.I have so many interesting recipes i'd love to share with you all. So here's to a new and exciting year ahead!
Today's special is one of the first foods for my baby Lucas aka Chackochi. But before we get into that ,for those of you who are wondering if I named him after Suresh Gopi from the movie Lelam, NO! I did see that movie ages ago and I do love the character that Suresh Gopi played, but I promise you that I did not actually realize that was his name until someone commented on it after we had named Lucas. Chacko is my grandfather's and my father's name. And just to make it a bit more babyish we added the "chi" to Chacko and hence Chackochi :) And besides since my boys are ultimately Kanjirapally achayans they had to have typical catholic mallu names - Kochu varkey & Chackochi! Just so we are clear :)
Ok, I guess that's enough of banter for this week, so lets get into it shall we? This dish is just basically plain cooked riced only difference being its cooked in milk for that extra nutritional value and also some taste. You can serve the porridge on its own with a pinch of salt and few drops of ghee. The banana puree adds some natural sweetness to the porridge and I'm sure no baby would say no to the lovely sweet taste. You could experiment with different fruit purees like apple or pear as well. And of course you could also try adding some vege puree instead like carrots or pumpkin. No matter what you try please always remember to follow the 4 day wait rule outlined here.
P.S. Again forgive me for the not so fine quality pics. I'm using my phone's camera as that's what i usually have on hand to quickly take a picture before I rush off to feed a very hungry baby!
Rice Porridge with Banana Puree
Ingredients:
Rice -1/2 cup, washed and drained well
Milk -3/4 cup
Water - 1.5 cups
Salt
Ghee (optional)
Banana - 1/2 of one very ripe banana
Method:
Rice Porridge:
1. Bring the milk and water to a boil in a pressure cooker. Add the washed rice & a pinch of salt to the boiling milk and close the pressure cooker. Pressure cook for until 4-5 whistles.
2. Once the pressure cooker has cooled down, open it and check that the rice has cooked well to a paysam consistency.
3. If there is any milk/water left after pressure cooking, cook till the milk/water is dried.
4. Allow it to cool a bit and then puree it using a blender/mixee until the porridge achieves a smooth and runny consistency. You can serve the porridge at this point as is with a few drops of ghee.
Banana Puree:
1. Blend 1/2 of a very ripe banana in the blender/mixee.
2. Mix the puree with the rice porridge and serve with a few drops of ghee.
Notes:
1. Adjust the milk and water quantities according to your rice. I used par-boiled rice.
2. If you find that the rice isn't cooked enough after you open the cooker add some more hot water and cook again for a couple of whistles.
3. When blending the rice, if it gets too thick you can add some breast milk or hot water to loosen it up.
4. If your baby is less than 6 months old please omit milk and use only water breast milk or formula.
5. The cooked rice may be stored in the fridge for 2 days before pureeing. And if freezing, then too its best done before pureeing. I'm not sure how well it will sit though- may be rubbery or gritty when thawed,the jury is still out on that one.
6. The banana may brown when pureed - best way to freeze, cut in half, wrap then freeze (raw).
Hi Honey. This is very helpful. My baby just started on solids and I am looking for puree recipes. I just have one request. Would you also add methods to store this for example if we can freeze it and how long can we store etc.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more recipes :)..
Hey dee...Welcome to my world :) Of course, from now on I'll also add notes about storing the baby food as well. Stay tuned!
ReplyDelete