Soya chunks are highly nutritious food loaded with protein that even exceeds eggs or milk. This recipe is an easy addition to a toddlers diet while being tasty and nutritious as well.

Ingredients

50 gms soya chunks

1/4 onion

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp tomato pieces

1 pinch salt

1/2 pinch turmeric powder

1 pinch cumin powder

1/2 pinch Garam masala

1/2 pinch cardamom powder

1tsp ghee

Method

Soak soya chunks in hot water for 15 minutes.

Drain and squeeze water out. Grind coarsely.

In a pan add ghee and finely chopped onions.Saute till they turn translucent.

Add ginger garlic paste and peeled deseeded tomato pieces . Saute for few minutes till tomato is fully cooked and colour darkens.

Add turmeric powder, Salt and cumin powder.

Add the ground coarse soya granules.
Saute for 1 minute and sprinkle garam masala and cardamom powder.

Soya burji is ready to be served.

This is the first recipe I had tried with ladyfinger for my 1 year old son. As ladyfinger is a slimy vegetable I had never added it to his purees while starting solids however it is highly nutritious loaded with vitamins and minerals. So I added it to his diet as soon as he was able to chew solid foods.

Ingredients

2 tbsp Toor dal

1 tbsp Onion

1 tbsp Tomato

1/2 tsp Ginger garlic paste

50g Ladyfinger

1tsp Ghee

1 pinch Turmeric powder

1 pinch Salt

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1 pinch Chilli powder

1 pinch Coriander powder

1/4 cup Tamarind water

1 cup Water

Method

Add washed toor dal, finely chopped tomatoes (peeled and deseeded), finely cut onions, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, salt, cumin powder, tiny bit of chilly and coriander powder along with water to a pressure cooker and let it cook for 2 whistles.

Saute finely cut ladyfingers (bhindi /okra) with ghee in a frying pan till slightly brown.

Once the contents of cooker has cooled down, mash them finely, add the fried vegetable and tamarind water to it and bring to a boil.

Dal bhindi is ready to be served with few drops of ghee.

Note: Coarsely grind the fried bhindi before adding to cooker if baby is not yet ready to eat bigger solid pieces.

Black Channa is a nutrient dense legume loaded with protein, fibre, carbs and minerals. Black Channa can be served as curries or stir fried sundal for older kids whereas babies starting on solids generally miss out all the yummy goodness. This recipe is for 1+ year babies still exploring solids.

Note: For higher nutrient value, opt for sprouted black Channa.

Ingredients

50g Black channa

3 pods garlic

3 peppercorns

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp fennel seeds

1 Sprig Curry leaves

1 sprig coriander leaves

1/2 tsp ghee

1/4 tsp tamarind paste

1 pinch salt

1 pinch turmeric powder

1 pinch cumin powder

Method

Soak the black Channa in water overnighT. Cook for 3 whistles in pressure cooker with a cup of water.

Strain the cooked Channa water and keep separately. Also remove the skin of black Channa.

Note: As the skin is rough, some babies would find it difficult to swallow so I have discarded.  It could be retained if your baby is comfortable eating it.

Crush peppercorn, cumin and fennel seeds finely and mince garlic along with it.

In a kadai, add ghee and saute the minced garlic and spices along with curry leaves. 

When it starts to brown, add the peeled Channa and the cooked Channa water.

Add turmeric powder,  cumin powder and adjust salt.

When it starts boiling,  add the tamarind paste and coriander leaves.

Rasam is now ready. Once it cools down, discard the curry leaves and grind in mixer to a creamy thick consistency.

Note: As Channa is protein rich and quite a heavy meal, adding rice to it can be optional. When grinded, it turns to a puree texture and can be served without any add ons.

We all know the struggle of juggling daily household chores and caring for baby. Motherhood is hard on its own and what makes it even harder is when baby refuses to eat. Our quest for a variety of baby food that is also nutritious and tasty begins.