One pot meal for Babies and Toddlers

We always think a lot of what to make for babies and toddlers. They always need or ask for variety. This is one such dish which contains all the necessary nutrients containing dhal (lentils), Rice, Veggies and mild spices. My son is now going to be 18 Months. I almost started giving this dish from his 9-10 Months of age.
This can be given to babies who have started eating solid food. It is very fast and easy to cook. We can also make variations with the couple of mix and match in combinations.

Ingredients
2 Table spoon Moong Dhal (split Green gram dhal without the skin)
1 cup Rice (I used Sona Masoori, any kind of rice can be used)
1 table spoon Olive oil or Ghee
2 1/2 cups Water (you can measure yourself based on what texture you want)
VEGETABLES
1/2 Tomato
1 table spoon cup peas
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1 tea spoon chopped onion
1/2 tea spoon Cilantro leaves
5-6 Raisins
1 table spoon yellow bell pepper (optional)
Chopped sweet potatoes (optional)
SPICES
Pinch of Cumin powder
Pinch of Aamchur powder (Dry Mango Powder) or freshly squeezed lime
Pinch of Coriander powder
Pinch of Ginger powder or paste (optional)
Pinch of Garam masala (Kids above 10-11 Months at least)
salt to taste

Method

• In a pressure cooker or frying pan add Ghee and Onions and saute for few a minute.
• Then add all the vegetables, spices and saute for a minute.
• Add washed rice,moong dhal and salt.
• Finally add required amount of water (I added 2 1/2 cups)and let it cook for up to 2-3 whistles.
• (If you are not using pressure cooker, then add water in the pan and cover the lid for couple for minutes until the lentils and rice are well cooked and should be mushy.)
• After the pressure is released from the pressure cooker, take a masher and mash well based on how mushy you want to serve for your child. (if you want you can add more ghee)
• If your child has not started eating little chunky veggies. This can be pureed to a smooth paste.

Notes
You can choose veggies based on what your child likes and have started eating.
Spices can be avoided or added very mild. Even just a tiny bit of salt will taste good without any spices.[Kind of a variation]
Moong dhal is added  for easier digestion for the babies and kids. Usually Toor dhal is introduced later, since it is little slow in digestion.
We can make this dish by avoiding the dhal also. Just with plain rice and veggies.[This is another kind of variation]

This is one of the most nutritious food given to the babies or kids.

This is called 'One pot meal' because we add all the ingredients in pressure cooker. Once the pressure is released the dish is ready to eat.

This goes to Roma Sarma's 'My baby's Favorite Food'
and Healthy Morsels Baby and Toddler Food

Vegetable

17

Peas Rice |Indian Food Palooza

Peas rice is one of the simple and quick rice to make and can be served along with some semi spicy side dish. I made Aloo-Gobhi along with this for our dinner today. I used less spice since i feed my son as well. If you want more spice, you can adjust the spice level accordingly.
                    
Ingredients
1 Cup Basmati Rice (If you don't have, use any plain white/brown rice)
1 Cup Green peas
2 Cloves
2 Cardamom
2 Bay leaves
2 tea spoon Jeera (Cumin seeds)
1 tea spoon Ginger paste
1 Green chilli
Salt to taste
1 table spoon Oil
1 spoon of ghee
1 1/2 cups water

Method
Soak the rice in 1 cup of water for 15-20 minutes.
In a frying pan, add oil, Cumin seeds, Cloves, Cardamom, Bay leaves and allow the cumin seeds to splutter.
Then add ginger paste,green peas, Green chilli and saute for few seconds.
Add the Rice, salt and ghee and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Transfer the contents to a Rice cooker and add 1 1/2 cups water and allow to cook.
Once cooked mix well and serve hot with side dish.

Note:
If you do not have rice cooker, you can also cook in pressure cooker or cook them directly in the pan by adding the same amount of water.
You can also add Garlic paste if needed.

This recipe goes to Prerna, Kathy and Barbara for their Indian Food Palooza

South Indian

3

Pathiya Samayal| Postpartum Diet| BM #13

Pathiya samayal is generally special cooking  for mothers after Delivery of a child.

Mainly only black pepper is used and green chilli and red chilli are avoided in most of the food for few days after delivery. This is followed to help the mother recover from her pregnancy and also to serve nutritious food to the baby. When i had a baby one year back, i followed some of them for few days.

Gastric vegetables and food are to be avoided for few months until we feed the baby.

It was really helpful to follow this rule after delivery.There are lot of recipes for pathiya samayal. I will be listing few of them.

This goes to Srivalli's Blogging Marathon 13 Day 2

Manathakkallika vathal Saadham

Manathakkallika vathal 2-3 tea spoons

Sesame oil- 2 tea spoon

Ghee - 1 tea spoon

Cooked Rice- 1/2 cup

In a pan add the sesame oil and fry the vathal until it puffs up.

Take some hot cooked rice, mix the fried vathal and ghee and eat this when it is hot.

Note: We can do the same with Dried Sundakkai also.

This is good to eat at-least once a day for 2-3 months after delivery.

Benefits

This is very good for stomach and will keep the stomach light and prevent from in-digestion.

This does not affect the breast milk in anyways. It is rather good for baby's digestion too which passes through mothers milk.

This also goes to Healthy Morsels- Pregnancy

Rice

14

Coriander Rice & Curd Rice--Day 2

Today is the second day of the Blogging marathon by Srivalli.
The menu for the lunch today was Kothamalli saadham and Curd Rice done within 30 minutes.
Ingredients for Coriander Rice
Time took to cook the coriander rice: 20 minutes

1 Bunch Coriander leaves/Kothamalli
2-3 Green chillies
2 tea spoon grated Coconut
1/2 tea spoon Tamarind paste
2 tea spoon Urad dhal/Ulatham paruppu
1 piece of Ginger
Pinch of Asafeotida
1 table spoon oil
salt to taste
2 cups Rice--(I used Sona masoori)

To temper
1 tea spoon Mustard seeds
1 tea spoon urad dhal
1 dried Red chilli

Method
In the cooker add the rice and cook and keep aside.
In a small pan add 1/2 tea spoon of oil and urad dhal and fry till golden brown.
Grind all the above ingredients along with Urad dhal (Coriander leaves, green chillies,grated coconut,tamarind paste, Asafeotida and ginger) into a smooth paste.
In a kadai add the oil, musard seeds, urad dhal and Red chilli and allow it to splutter.
Add the Ground paste and stir for 3-4 minutes until the raw smell of the coriander leave goes away and switch off the stove.
Add the cooked rice and mix well.
Coriander rice is ready to serve.

Curd Rice
Time taken: 8 minutes
1 cup cooked rice
Curd/Butter milk
10-15 Grapes
salt to taste

To temper
1 tea spoon mustard seeds
1 tea spoon Jeera
1/2 tea spoon oil

Method
In a bowl add the cooked rice, curd, grapes and sale and mix well.
In a pan add the oil, mustard seeds and jeera and allow it to splutter.
Mix well along with the curd rice.

Check out my Blogging Marathoners doing BM#4 hosted by Srivalli

Diabetes Diet/Management: PJ
Kid Friendly Recipes: Suma, Priya Suresh, Divya
Seven Days of Soup:Ila, Smita P
Seven Days of Indian Bread: Monika
Seven Days of Cakes: Bhagyashri
30 Minutes Meals: Archana
Seven days of Condiment: Kamalika, Srivalli

Rice

12

Puliyogare Podi

My mother-in-law taught me few podi's for easy use. Here is one among them.
We can grind this powder and keep it for many days. On the day of mixing the rice, just boil tamrind water and season with all ingredients as mentioned below.

Ingredients

1 cup Channa dhal
2 cup Dhania (Coriander seeds)
2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 cup Jeera
Required red chillies- (I added 1/2 cup of long red chillies)
1 cup ground nut
1 cup til

Method
1. Fry all the above ingredients till the raw smell goes
2. Grind them into fine powder and store it as many days required.

To prepare puliyogare rice we need,
2 cups rice
2 tbl spoon Tamrind paste
4-5 Spoons of puliyogare powder grounded.
little Asefotida
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad dhal
1 tsp Channa dhal
1 tsp Ground nuts
1 tsp Curry leaves
2 tbl spoon oil
Salt to taste

Method

1. Boil rice and keep aside.
2. In a pan add the oil and allow all the seasoning and allow them to splutter and become golden brown.
3. Add the tamrind paste and 1/2 cup water and allow to boil till raw smell goes
4. Add the 4-5 spoons ground puliyogare powder and salt.
5. Stir well till it becomes thick paste and switch off the stove.
6. Add the rice and mix well.
7. Serve hot with papads.

Tamrind

2

Mixed Podi Rice

This rice tastes as similar as vangi bath. The ingredients is as follows

Ingredients
2 tbl spoon Channa Dhal
2 tbl spoon urad dhal
2 tbl spoon Dhania
1 tsp sesame seeds
2 tbl spoon dry coconut powder
3-4 red chillies
2 sprigs of curry leaves
1 tsp Asaefotida

1 capsicum
2 tbl spoon peas
1 onion- (optional)
1 sliced carrot
Little oil to stir fry the vegetables

To temper:
Mustard seeds
Jeera
Curry leaves

Salt to taste
1 1/2 cup boiled rice

Method

1. Boil the rice and keep aside.
2. In a pan add 2 tsp spoon of oil and mustard seeds,jeera and curry leaves. Allow it to splutter.
3. Then add onions and fry till it turns transparent-(optional)
4. Add all the vegetables and allow it to cook
5. In another small pan add a drop of oil and add the other ingredients and fry for a while
6. Grind them into a smooth powder and add to the vegetables
7. Finally add salt and mix the boiled rice along with the vegetables and powder and serve hot.

Vegetable

0

Til Rice(Ellu Saadham)

Today being an auspicious day Aadi periku. We do variety rice. I had done Puliyodharai, Ellu saadham and curd rice.

Ingredients:
Til 3 tb spoon (white or black)
Red chillies 3-4
Urad dhal 2 tsp
Asafotida 1 tsp
salt to taste
Rice 1 cup(boiled)
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Curry leaves

Method:
1. Fry the til, red chillies, urad dhal and grind to fine powder.
2. In a drop of oil add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.
3. Add the powder and fry for a minute and turn off the stove.
4. Add rice and mix well.
5. rice is ready to serve.

Til

2

Bisibela bath

what you need:
1 cup rice
1/2 cup toor dhal
1 onion
vegetables(optional)
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp tamrind paste

To Grind:
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp channa dhal
4-5 red chillies
2 tsp dry coconut powder
1 tsp til (optional)
1/2 tsp methi seeds

To temper:
1 tsp fried ground nuts
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp channa dhal

salt to taste
2 tsp ghee

How to make?
1. Fry the red chillies, channa dhal,coriander seeds, coconut powder,til and the grind to fine
powder.
2. In a cooker drop a tsp of ghee and allow all the ingredients to splutter.
3. fry the onions and add the ground powder and fry for a minute.
4. Add the rice,toordhal,tamrind paste and 4 cups of water.
5. allow the rice to cook and add salt once the rice is done.
6. garnish with ground nuts and serve hot with raita or papad.

Rice

0

Sprouts Pulao

A very healthy and high rich protein rice. It's all green. I just tried with my own ingredients and turned out to be very tasty.

1 cup Sprouts(sprouted green lentil)
1 1/2 cup Basmati rice
1 Capsicum (Bell Pepper)
1 onion
2-3 cloves
2-3 pepper balls
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp butter
1 tsp Garam masala
salt to taste

To Grind:
coriander leaves 1/2 cup
Coconut 2 tbl spoon
Green Chillies 2-3 nos

Method:
Soak Basmati rice in lot of water
In a pan add butter,jeera,cloves,pepper,ginger paste and fry for till jeera splutters
Add onions and fry till golden brown
Add sprouts,capsicum and coriander paste and fry for five min
Add soaked rice,salt to the vegetables and stir for two minutes
Now add 3 cups of water and allow rice to cook
Sprouts pulao is ready.
Goes well with boondhi raita or any raita

This dish is very nutritious and simple to make. You can add peas or any alternate vegetables also.

Try this out and comment!!!:-)

This goes to srivalli's rice mela.

This goes to JFI Sprouts event

Sprouts

3

Vegetable Rice

What you need:
Basmati Rice 1 cup
Vegetables(Potato,Beans,Corn,Onion,Beans,Peas) 1 cup
Cloves 2-3
Jeera 1 tsp
Ginger 1 inch
Green chillies 3
Salt to taste

• Cut 1/2 onion, ginger and grind to paste.
• Cut the other half onion into small pieces
• Soak basmati rice in water for 1/2 hour
• Fry Jeera,Cloves,cashew till golden brown
• Fry Onion(cut and ground) till golden brown
• Add the vegetables, chillies along and fry for sometime
• Add the Basmati rice,salt and fry for a minute
• Pour 2 1/2 cups of water and keep in cooker/Rice cooker
• tasty and simple vegetable rice is ready

Vegetable

1

Fried Rice

Wanna cook some rice when you are in a hurry? try this recipe.

1 pack of frozen mixed vegetable(carrot,beans,corn,peas)
1 onion
1 capsicum(optional)
1 tsp oil
1 1/2 cup rice
2 tsp pepper
salt to taste

1. Just fry onions in the oil till golden brown.
2. Fry mixed vegetable with the onion
3. Add rice with vegetables
4. Fry for a minute
5. Add salt
6. Then add 3 cups of water and cook the rice till done

Fried rice is ready...:-)

Variations:
You can add soya sauce, and any other vegetables if required.

Vegetable

0