Pumpkin & Cinnamon Rice Sticks

Several mummies were sharing their pictures of yummy rice sticks so I thought I will jump onto the bandwagon and have a go.

I made mine slightly thicker and softer as LO is still toothless at almost 13 months (spy a cute tiny tooth emerging though, yippie!). Did these the night before so that LO can have it for breakfast.

Pumpkin & Cinnamon Rice Sticks

Ingredient (makes 8 )

5 tbsp pumpkin puree

5 tbsp cooked rice 

1/8 tsp cinnamon 

1 tbsp water (omitted, see note below) 

Note: I'm using japonica/pearl rice which is naturally more moist. And also my puree was really quite moist too hence I omitted the water in the original recipe.

Method 

Blend the rice and puree in a processor till well mixed. Pour mixture into a pipping bag or plastic bag (snip one corner) and pipe out the desired length or thickness.

Bake for 15 - 25 min at 180 degrees based on your preference. The longer baking time will result in crispy sticks.

Enjoy!

cheeky girl with her rice sticks and pau

Spinach & Tomato Moong Dal Khichdi

In my continued quest to introduce a varied diet to lil sunshine , i decided to make her something simple which many Indian families feed their babies with .

Moong dal (split beans) is a great source of protein and is easily digested by babies .

I was more cautious in adding the spices so the amount used were slightly adjusted .

Spinach & Tomato Moong Dal Khichdi

Ingredients ( makes 2 portions)

4 tbsp rice

 4 tbsp yellow moong dal 

1 clove garlic

1 onion shallot

1/3 cup baby spinach (chopped)

6-8 cherry tomatoes (chopped)

1/4 tsp cumin powder/seeds 

1/4 tsp turmeric Powder 

1 1/2 cup -2 cups water (depending on your rice type and consistency you desire)

Olive oil (original recipe uses ghee)

Method

Wash and soak rice and dal in a bowl for 30 min until water is almost clear.

In a sauce pan, add some olive oil followed by garlic, onion,  spinach and cherry tomatoes and fry for 1~2min.

Add in rice, moong dal, cumin, turmeric and water and mix well.

Cook on medium low heat for 30-45min until the consistency you desire.  Serve warm.

Note: Most of the Indian recipes uses a pressure cooker to make this dish which is much faster. However, I wanted to observe how it cooks so that I can adjust the water hence the longer cooking time with a sauce pan.

Sticky Mushroom Rice with Threadfin Flakes

Inspired by the Lo Mai Gai i made earlier for the family, i wanted to give LO a similar sticky rice experience, besides, it is great for spoon training too !

So, i rummaged through my fridge and spotted the Chinese Mushroom and i thought, why not introduce this fragrant and chewy fungi to her ! That's it, decision is made and i got to my cooking. While my 2 babies (hubs is baby numero uno hahahha) snoozed away.

Sticky Mushroom Rice with Threadfin Flakes

Ingredient :

1 slice of threadfin

1 chinese mushroom (soaked and chopped finely)

Handful of spinach (rough opped)

1/2 cup homemade chicken stock

1/4 cup Japonica rice (using small measuring cup for grains)

Ginger

Method :

Poach theadfin with some ginger slices to remove the fishy smell.
Once cooked, remove and flake.

Rinse rice and mix with chicken stock, mushroom and spinach in a bowl and steam for 35 min or until the consistency you desire.
Assemble and serve.

Did she like it? You bet ! Check out the fish flake on her brow, how in the world did it manage to get there ? Hahaha ...love my baby !