Cooking for Toddlers - Not so infamous "Potato Rice"

Feeding a toddler as of now is the most difficult thing that I have done. Are you familiar with phrases such as "I don't want to eat", "All Done, Thats it" ? Do you run behind your toddler trying to feed him/her but in the process end up feeding the carpet and the walls ? Do you, after the whole fiasco sit and wonder if only they can eat without throwing a fit, how simple and relaxed your life would be ? Howdy partner.. we are totally in the same boat. My daughter is one such kid.. A total angel until meal time arrives. Then she unleashes the little devil inside. Ofcourse if there is one upside to this story then it is getting a good workout before every meal :)

Keeping that in mind, I thought I would share the recipes of the toddler food that I make for my kid.. the ones that she very rarely likes and enjoys. I am sure this doesn't mean that your toddler might like it and gobble it up.. but its just one more option for you in the tedious process of thinking what to make for him/her. First in this section "Cooking for Toddlers" comes the not so infamous Potato Rice.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice (Cooked) - 3/4 cup
Onions (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp
Potato - Peeled and cubed - 1/2 cup
Almonds - handful
Pulav powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Fresh ground pepper - 1/4 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Salt - as per taste
Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp




Method:

• Microwave the potato for 3 minutes on high. Set aside.
• Grind the almonds into fine powder and keep aside.
• Take a deep pan and heat butter / ghee.
• Splutter jeera. Add onions and saute.
• Add pulav powder, turmeric and hing to the sauteed onions. Fry for a minute.
• Now add the boiled potatoes and saute for couple of minutes on low flame.
• Add the cooked rice and salt. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
• Sprinkle the ground almond powder and pepper. Mix well on low flame for a minute.
• Garnish with coriander and serve with yogurt.

Note: I always add hing and turmeric in most of my daughter's food as a way for her to get used to the Indian taste. Also, hing and turmeric are considered to have lots of medicinal values.

Trivia Facts:

• Refering to its strong odour, asafetida is also called the devils dung or the stinking gum.
• Asafetida is considered native to Iran. The trader caste of Hinduism and followers of Jainism, who are not supposed to eat onions use this as a substitute for onions
• The "asafetidda bag", containing the paste of asafetida was hung around the neck of children and considered a remedy for cold and flu in the 1900's.
• Turmeric, hails from the family of ginger and is considered to have ayurvedic properties.
• It is being investigated to have benefits in the treatment of alzeimer's, cancer and depression.
• It is considered an very effective antibacterial agent and a readily available antiseptic for cuts and bruises.

Information obtained from wikipedia.org

TOMATO PULAV - The Life Saver

I came here to the States as a person who had absolutely no cooking skills whatsoever. Not that I didn't so much as take a look at the kitchen before marriage. I used to help my mom a lot.. but something like the Santa's little helper "The Elf" and not so much as the Santa himself. My mom always played the old guy role because of the fear of me burning down the house. I used to cut, clean, stir, wash, wipe, clean, serve.. but not COOK. So, you can imagine how confused I should have been when my husband took me grocery shopping the day we landed here. I had no clue what to buy. So, I came up with the simplest tomato rice.. just by guessing what my mom would have put into the gravy. Tomatoes never let u down.. the rice did turn out good. This dish is a slight modification of the same recipe. The tweaks had been adopted from the "100 Rice Delights" book by the famous culinary expert of Tamil Nadu "Mallika Badrinath". I have watched lots of cookery shows that she hosted and used to adore her style of cooking with ease. Her "Mathiya Unavu Vagaigal " - transalated as "Lunch Varieties" was one of the first few books that helped me understand cooking. My father in law brought this book for me the day before we had to board the flight. Probably knowing my cooking skills at that time he feared that I might fail to feed his son.. which probably would have happenned if not for the book :) On to the recipe now..

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 3 big ones
Coconut Extract - 1/2 cup (optional)
Garlic - 4 cloves minced
Green chillies - 6
Onion - 1 diced
Coriander leaves - A bunch, chopped finely
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Bay Leaves - 1
Cardamom - 3
Cloves - 3
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Fresh ground pepper - 1/4 tsp




Method:

• Cook basmati rice in 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 cup coconut milk (If not using coconut milk use 2 cups water) in an electric cooker.
• In the mean time boil tomatoes in water, remove skin and mash. Set aside.
• Spread cooked rice on a wide plate and let cool.
• Heat ghee in a wide bottommed vessel.
• When hot add mustard seeds and splutter.
• Now add the cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamoms and cloves.
• Give it a couple seconds and add the minced garlic, green chillies and onions.
• Add the chopped coriander. Finally add the tomato paste and cook till oil seperates from sides.
• Reduce the flame to low. Stir in the cooked rice to this mixture while still on flame. Mix well and let stand for 3 minutes stirring frequently and taking care not to burn.
• Remove from heat. Sprinkle ground pepper and serve with cucumber raita.

Vazakkai Poriyal / Plantain Curry

Plantain is one thing sure to be present in one form or the other in any Tamilian wedding. The tree is considered very auspicious, symbolically stands for its nature of giving raise to so many plantains at a time .. and thereby unlimited wealth. That being said, you can find the tree at the entry way at any function in our native place. There are a couple of huge plantain trees at my MIL's place , so fertile and green. It forms such a sight and is used from head to toe or in other words from leaves to roots :) . In South India banana leaves are used to serve food and is considered to have medical benefits to it. Eating food served in Banana leaf imparts a special taste and smell that nothing else can bring about. Plantains can be used for almost anything from frying to mashing and stuffing. They can also be cooked at any stage.. So if you are someone like me who gets stuff, puts it in the fridge and forgets about it.. this is your vegetable my friend. Never goes waste. It has always been one of my favourites. Amma makes so many varieties of plantain - poriyal, puttu, plantain peel curry.. the list goes on and they all compete with one another to get a top rank in my taste test. Couldn't decide then.. couldn't do it now. This is one of my own 'kitchen accidents' turned good just like Sia's "Bindi Fry in Yogurt"- Get stuff from fridge, cut it as per your moods at that moment, grind whatever you feel like, Do tadka, Mix it and Serve... Surprise surprise.. It tastes good. Just make sure to buy really raw plantains from the store otherwise you might end up with a slightly sweeter version like mine .. and that was because it was sleeping in the fridge and almost gave up hope on being discovered :(

Ingredients:

Plantains - 2 nos
Channa dal - 1 tbsp
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Red chilles - 3-6 nos, depending on your spice level
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Coconut - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as per taste

For seasoning:

Mustard - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 3-4 nos


Method:

Cut plantain into small squares. Microwave for 4 minutes or until done.
Dry roast channa dal, urad dal, red chilles, black pepper, Jeera.
When they are brittle and reddish brown, add coconut and roast for a couple of minutes on low flame.
Grind into a coarse powder without adding any water. Set aside.
In a wide mouthed vessel, do tadka with mustard, turmeric powder and curry leaves.
Add the cooked plantain. Let it brown on sides by turning every couple of minutes on low flame.
Add the powder and salt. Mix well and let stand for 2 minutes.
Serve this with rice and kuzambu.

JIHVA FOR JACKFRUIT - Jackfruit Burfi

I am very new to blogging and knew the least about all the wonderful events that happen here. So, when I accidentally but fortunately came across the mention of jihva event on Bee and Jai's Jugalbandi, I was thrilled. The ingredient made it even more exciting. I have never cooked with Jackfruit nor have I seen my mom do it. The only thing that mom cooked were the seeds. She made a poriyal out of it which tastes awesome. The collection of the seeds is an entire process by itself, our mom asking us to take the seeds out of the store bought jackfruit slices and keep accumulating them in a jar that she would keep on the kitchen countertop. This would go on for days until the jar gets considerable amount of seeds to be cooked. The most fond memory of all is getting a "pottalam" of jackfruit from the streets of kutraalam after a satisfying bath in the nearby falls and gobling them away while walking back home with my cousins. Well.. long gone but still pleasant enough to remember for the rest of the time. Having mentioned that I have no prior experience cooking with Jackfruit, the thought process of what to make for the event lingered on for a while I should say. I also have very bad experiences trying to make burfis, they are never in the right consistency and we always end up eating them as halwas. So, it dawned upon me that two negatives could turn to be a positive - "Jackfruit Burfi" was the answer to try jackfruits and get over my fear of making burfis. Well, the experience was wonderful and for the first time ever, my burfis turned out great. This is my recipe for the JFI event on Jackfruit hosted by Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi.

Ingredients:

Jackfruit - 1 cup
Cashews - 1/2 cup
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Cardamom - 1 tsp
Almonds (slivered) - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1/2 cup



Method:

• Pressure cook Jackfruit and cashews with 1/2 cup of milk for a couple of whistles. Remove and let cool.
• In the mean time, toast the almonds in a little ghee. Also, grease a wide, slightly deep tray with a tsp of ghee.
• Grind the cooked jackfruit and cashews with coconut into a rough paste.
• Combine the remaining milk and the paste. Bring it to boil and add cardamom.
• Keep stirring till they reach a semi solid consistency. At this point add half of the ghee. Reduce heat to medium and keep stirring.
• When the paste begins forming into a mass and comes off the edges of the pan, add the remaining ghee.
• Keep stirring until they form a lump and does not stick to the edges.
• Remove from flame immediately and pour it into the greased plate and spread quickly.
• After it cools for 30 minutes, cut them into desired shape.
• Garnish with the toasted almonds and serve.

These burfis can be stored fresh in an airtight container for about 2-3 weeks.

Trivia Facts:

Jackfruit, Botanical name - "Artocarpus Heteroplyllus" is believed to have originated from the Indian rain forests and belongs to the family of mulberries. The tree is enormous in size and can bear fruits till 50 years. The most fruit bearing time is between the ages of 20 and 30. The fruit is considered to be a good source of protein, iron, calcium and vitamins. It is believed that jackfruit tends to be an acquired taste for most people and might not appeal to others who are not exposed to the taste.

For more nutrional information on Jackfruit, visit the nutrition data website

Visit the Purdue horticulture division link for a nice article on Jackfruit and some interesting photographs.

Shahi Tukra & Finding Harmony

Today is a special day for us.. its our marriage anniversary. Truly cannot believe how quickly time flies when you are with someone and still can be YOU. Five years have just fled past us before we could realize. Its amazing. So, today being a memorable day and all... we had to make some sweet. Every year I start with thinking of making something different and somehow after the whole brainstorming, the same kheer appears on the dining table. I very badly needed to change this tradition before my husband brings it up. Also, I wanted it to be thoughtful. The answer was "Shahi Tukra" - The Indian Bread Pudding. This dessert was typically unknown to me until I tasted it recently at an Indian restaurant. My husband loved it.. and if he loves something, then it got to be a real winner. Deciding to make it, I ran through a couple of websites that carried the recipe. They all followed different proportions and different ingredients to make them unique, making it hard for me to choose. So, I took it upon myself to try my own combination of the ingredients. This is the recipe I came up with. This is sure to be one heck of a treat for any special occassion.

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 litre
Bread slices - 4-6
Condensed Milk - 2-3 tbsps
Heavy cream - 1/4th of a cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 4 tbsps
Cardamon powder - 2 tsps
Saffron - 1 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
Raisins - to garnish
Almonds - to garnish
Cashews - to garnish

Ingredients: bread, almonds, cashews and raisins

Method:

• Combine milk, condensed milk, sugar and jaggery. Bring it to boil and reduce heat to medium.
• Keep simmering until the milk gets thickened. This might take close to 30 minutes.
• In the mean time, tava roast the bread slices with ghee on both sides. Take care not to burn.
• Reserve a table spoon of ghee and use the rest to fry the almonds, raisins and cashews.
• Add cardomon to the milk mixture and let it cool.
• Layer the bread at the bottom of a flat pan. Pour some milk to immerse it completely.
• Repeat the process until all the bread and milk are used up.
• Garnish with the roasted almonds mixture.
• Cool in refrigerator for atleast 30 minutes before serving.

Bread Pudding ready to be cooled

Trivia Facts:

The origin of Shahi Tukra is believed to be Pakistani. It literally means Royal Piece and sure tastes like one too. A very basic bread pudding seasoned with cardamom and dry fruits of ones own choice. Foodtimeline.org explains Shahi Tukra as "An Indian dessert in the Moghul style, Shahi tukra, is made with bread fried in ghee, dipped in a syrup flavoured with saffron and rosewater, and covered with a creamy sauce in which decorative slices of almond are embedded."

• Extracts about Bread Pudding recipes through time from Foodtimeline.org

"Food historians generally attribute the origin of basic bread pudding to frugal cooks who did not want to waste stale bread. Since very early times it was common practice to use stale/hard bread in many different ways...including edible serving containers (Medieval sops, foccacia), stuffings (forcemeat), special dishes (French toast) and thickeners (puddings). In the 19th century recipes for bread pudding were often included in cookbooks under the heading "Invalid cookery."

• Extract of a sample recipe for Bread Pudding from Foodtimeline.org when bread was considered a poor man's food

[1824]
"Bread pudding
Grate the crumb of a stale loaf, and pour it in a pint of boiling milk, let it stand an hour, then beat it to a pulp; add six eggs, well beaten, half a pound of butter, the same of powdered sugar, half a nutmeg, a glass of brandy, and some grated lemon-peel; put a paste in the dish and bake it."
---The Virginia Houswife, Mary Randolph, facsimile 1824 edition with historical notes and commentaries by Karen Hess [University of South Carolina Press:Columbia] 1984 (p. 150)"