Rice recipes for babies

Here we have two rice recipes for babies that are very easy to make and contain a lot of nutrition:

1. Fried rice

This recipe combines everything in one dish: rice, vegetables and shrimps. It provides your baby with carbon hydrate, vitamins and protein which is everything you child needs to grow up healthily. Another advantage of this dish is that it's very easy to make and won't take you a long time to prepare.

age: above 10 months

Ingredients:

- 2 ounces or 50 g of cooked rice

- 0.5 ounces / 15 g of shrimp meat cut into small pieces

- 0.5 ounces / 15 g of carrots cut into small pieces

- 0.5 ounces / 15 g of cucumber cut into small pieces

- 0.2 ounces / 5 g of Chinese black fungus (already soaked in water and ready to use) cut into small pieces. I like to use Havista Dried Mushrooms for this dish. They add a great and unique flavor.

- one beaten egg 

- some cooking oi

How to cook:

1. Put cooking oil into wok, use medium heat to heat it up

2. Add shrimps, stir fry until the color is changed, then add carrot and black fungus pieces, continue to stir fry until carrot pieces are soft

3. Add cooked rice, continue to stir fry for 2 minutes, then add cucumber pieces and beaten egg, stir fry until cucumbers are soft

4. Enjoy!

2. Colorful rice balls

Another tasty rice dish that blends different flavors! This time it's rice combined with shrimp, egg and spinach. Spinach contains a lot of iron and vitamins while the egg and the shrimps provide a good amount of proteins. Shaping everything into small rice balls makes this dish perfect as a finger food for your baby. The different taste and color of each rice ball allow your child to experience this food in a very exciting way.


age: above 10 months

Ingredients:

- a small bowl of cooked rice (soft)

- 1 ounce or 25 g of cooked shrimp meat, cut into small piece

- 0.5 ounces / 15 g of spinach leaves cooked in water and cut into small pieces

- one cooked egg yolk, use spoon to press it into mashed consistency

- a few drops of sesame oil

- a little bit of roasted seaweed (optional, only for decoration)

How to cook:

1. Mix sesame oil together with cooked rice

2. Divide rice equally into 3 portions

3. Mix the 1st portion of rice with shrimps meat

4. Then use your hand to make the mixture into a ball

5. Mix the 2nd portion with spinach, repeat step 4

6. Mix the 3rd portion with egg yolk, repeat step 4

7. The size of the rice ball depends on which is easy for your baby to eat

8. Enjoy!

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Soups for toddlers

Two tasty soups for toddlers:

1. Gnocchi shrimps soup with white turnip

This soup allows your child to experience a broad variation of flavors. Shrimps are a good resource of proteins, the gnocchi contain a good amount of carbohydrates which your child needs for the development of its brain. Turnip is rich in various vitamins like Vitamin A, C, and especially K. Vitamin K is very important for the binding of calcium in bone.

age: above 12 months

Ingredients:

- Gnocchi, one portion (please refer to How to make Chinese Gnocchi)

- white turnip 1.5 ounces / 40g peeled and chopped into small cubes

- fresh shrimps 1 ounce / 30g

- one egg beaten

- ginger chopped into tiny pieces

- Cooking Oil

How to cook:

1. Add cooking oil into a pan, use medium heat to heat up, add ginger inside, stir fry for about 10-15 seconds until the smell comes out

2. Add turnip pieces and shrimps, stir fry for 2-3 minutes

3. Then add water make it into a soup, do not add too much water, otherwise it would be too liquid, and boil for 10-15 minutes

4. Add Gnocchi, then add the beaten egg, stir so that the egg mixes well with the soup, until the egg is cooked, then it is ready to serve

2. Gnocchi courgette egg soup

age: above 12 months

Ingredients:

- Gnocchi one portion (please refer to How to make Chinese Gnocchi)

- courgette or zucchini 1 ounce/ 30g cut into thin slices

- one egg beaten

- white button mushrooms 0.5 ounces / 15g cut into small pieces

- 1 teaspoon of Ginger Juice. I like to use the one from Ginger People because of its nice "gingery" taste.

- spring onion or chives cut into small pieces

- sesame oil

How to cook:

Sesame Oil

1. Add water in a pot, add courgette and mushroom pieces

2. Use medium to low heat and boil for 6-8 minutes, until the courgette pieces are soft

3. Put Gnocchi inside

4. Pour the beaten egg inside, stir until the egg is mixed well with the rest of the  ingredients, wait till it starts to boil, then turn off heat

5. Garnish with spring onion/chives, a few drops of sesame oil

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Salmon recipe for toddler

Salmon pasta – perfect finger food for picky-eaters

A refined and tasty salmon recipe for toddler. The pasta is rich in carbonhydrate which your child needs for the development of his or her brain. Salmon contains a lot of fat and also has a good amount of vitamine B6. This dish is a good choice for picky eaters because you can "hide" the salmon inside the pasta and thus make it more appealing to some children.

age: above 12 months

Ingredients:

- tube-shaped, short cut hollow pasta such as Penne or Pennoni 2.5-3 ounces / 80g

- salmon 1.5 ounces / 40g cut into very small pieces

- vegetables (can choose from a wide range of vegetables such as cabbage, asparagus, spinach, etc.) 1.5 ounces / 40 g cut into small pieces

- 1/3 lemon

- 2-3 tablespoons of Olive Oil. I recommend this Olive Oil from Kirkland Signature. Very good taste and that wonderful smell!

- cream cheese 8 ounces / 220g cut into cubes

- ¾ cup milk

- ½ cup parmesan cheese

- 1/8 teaspoon of Ground Nutmeg. Try out the Ground Nutmeg from Simply Organic! It is a high quality, organic product with great taste.

How to cook:

1. Microwave cream cheese, milk and Parmesan cheese in 1 quart casserole until sauce is smooth, stir it occasionally

2. Boil a pot of water, cook your chosen pasta for 20-30 minutes

Parmesan Cheese

3. Squeeze lemon juice on salmon pieces, leave for 10 minutes

4. Put olive oil in a pan, use medium heat to heat up the oil, then put salmon pieces in, stir fry until the color is changed

5. Add the vegetable pieces, continue to stir fry, you can cover the pan for some minutes, until the vegetables are getting soft, then turn heat off

6. Mix parmesan and cream cheese pasta sauce with cooked salmon and vegetable pieces, wait for it to cool down a bit

7. Fill the mixture from step 6 into the tube shaped pasta

8. Enjoy!

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Soup for toddlers

Pumpkin soup with Tofu and prawns

A soup for toddlers that is also perfect as a dish for the whole family. It features a variety of ingredients which make this food very healthy: Pumpkin is rich in Vitamin A, C, Copper and Manganese. Prawns are a source of selenium and vitamin B12. They also contain protein, phosphorus, and copper. Tofu is rich in Calcium which is important for your child’s bone development. Peas are a good source of Dietary Fibre, Vitamin K, Thiamine and Iron.

age: above 12 months

Ingredients:

- pumpkin/ butter squash 10 ounces / 300g peeled and cut into slices

- prawns 10 pieces

Tofu

- tofu 7 ounces / 200g cut into cubes


- peas 1.5 ounces / 50g

- butter 2 teaspoons

- salt

- Corn Starch

How to cook:

1. Sprinkle a little bit salt on the prawns, and put a little bit corn starch on each of them

2. Put butter in a Wok, use medium heat to melt the butter, then add the pumpkin slices, stir fry until they are a little bit soft.

3. Add water into the  wok, the amount of water should just cover all pumpkin pieces, cover the wok and boil the pumpkin slices for 3-5 minutes

4. Turn off the heat, pour the pumpkin pieces and water into a container, use hand blender to make it into a thick soup

5. Pour the soup back into the wok, use low heat to cook until it is boiling, then put tofu cubes, peas and prawns inside

6. After prawns are cooked, turn off the heat, you can put a little salt inside, then garnish with some chives

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Salmon pasta recipe for toddlers

Thai style salmon pasta recipe for toddlers

This is an easy to cook pasta recipe which will allow your child to explore delicious combinations of tastes. This dish from South-East Asia contains all the nutrition your toddler needs: Carbonhydrates, vitamins, and fat.

age: above 12 months

Ingredients:

- Pasta (any kind that is in small shaped which is easy for your children to eat) 2.5-3 ounces / 80g

- Salmon 1.5 ounces / 40g cut into small pieces

- Basil about 10 leaves chopped into small pieces

- ¼ – 1/3 onion chopped into small pieces

- 1 piece of garlic (pressed with Garlic Press)

- fish sauce 1 teaspoon

- sugar half teaspoon

- ¼ lemon

How to cook:

1. Boil a pot of water and sprinkle some salt in the water, add pasta and use medium heat to cook for 20-30 minutes until the noodles are soft enough for your child to eat

Fish Sauce

2. Mix fish sauce with sugar to make a sauce

3. Put some cooking oil in a pan or Wok, use medium heat to heat up, put garlic and onion into it, stir fry until the onion pieces are soft

4. Add salmon pieces in the pan or wok, continue to stir fry, add the sauce from step 2, then add 0.15 cups / 30 ml water, mix well with the ingredient in the pan, continue to use medium heat to cook, until the fish is fully cooked

5. Add basil pieces and lemon juice on top

6. Take pasta out of the pot, put the fish together with the sauce from the pan on top of pasta, mix well

7. Enjoy!

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Tofu recipe for toddler

A creative tofu recipe for toddler

Tofu Sushi

Besides the vitamins and proteins in both Tofu and prawns, your toddler can benefit from the nutrition in the seaweed which is a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Phosphorus and Zinc.


age: above 12 months

Ingredients:

- some Sushi Seaweed. I always buy Sushi Seaweed from Nagai. It has a nice texture and great flavor.

- Firm Tofu 2 ounces / 60g

- one egg

- prawn 0.5 to 1 ounce / 20g cut into small pieces

- half teaspoon Corn Starch

- a little bit salt

How to cook:

1. Use Garlic Press to mash Tofu

Steamer

2. Beat the egg for about 30 seconds

3. Put mashed Tofu, prawn pieces, egg, corn starch and salt in a bowl, mix well

4. Use a Steamer to steam the mixture for about 10-15 minutes until everything is cooked, then take the bowl out for it to cool down


5. Use scissors to cut sushi seaweed into strips with a width of 1-2 inches / 4cm

6. Put a layer of the Tofu mixture on the seaweed and roll it to form a sushi piece

7. Enjoy!

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Pasta recipe for toddlers

A delicious and easy to make pasta recipe for toddlers

Pasta with tomato and beef sauce

age: above 12 months

Ingredients:

- Pasta 2 ounces / 60g (for this dish I am using Rotini, you can also use Farfalline- small bow tie-shaped pasta, or other small shaped pasta)

- one tomato

- minced beef 1 ounce / 30g

- ¼ red onion

- Corn Starch

- 1/3 raw egg white

- Some Olive Oil. I like to use Kirkland Olive Oil for cooking. It has a wonderful smell and a very good taste.

How to cook:

1. Put pasta in a pot, add hot water and use medium heat to boil for 15-20 minutes, until the pasta is soft (should be softer than the normal texture for adult)

2. Peel and cut tomato into small cubes. Cut onion into small pieces. Tip: to peel tomato easily, you can boil some water, and put the tomato in hot water for a few minutes, then take it out, let it cool down, and then peel it.

3. Mix minced beef with a little corn starch and egg white

Wok

4. Add olive oil in a wok, use medium heat to stir fry onion pieces until they are soft


5. Add minced beef inside, continue to stir fry

6. Add tomato pieces, stir fry until tomato juice comes out, then use low heat until everything is fully cooked, and the sauce is ready

7. Mix the sauce and pasta together

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Toddler meal ideas

Some toddler meal ideas that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

1. Steamed pork with soup

This is a healthy and delicious dish. Because it is steamed it is not oily and only slightly flavoured. It is a popular food for people of all ages especially and originates from Hubei province in China.

age: above 12 months

Ingredients:

- minced pork 7 ounces / 200g

- half teaspoon of Ginger Juice

- Corn Starch 1 ½ teaspoons

- some Soy Sauce

- salt

- some Sesame Oil

- chives/spring onion cut into small pieces

How to cook:

Mix minced pork with corn starch, ginger juice and soy sauce

1. Mix the minced pork, corn starch and the ginger juice with one teaspoon of soy sauce and 2 teaspoons water. Make sure all ingredients are well mixed.

Form a layer of meat inside the bowl

2. Put the mixture in a bowl (which you will be using in the steamer), and use a tablespoon to press the mixture along the bowl's side so that it forms a layer that sticks to the bowl from inside, leave about a half inch / 1cm empty space to the rim of the bowl and make a hole in the middle at the bottom (like in the  picture above)

Add water

3. Add water to a level until the meat is covered

4. Steam for 15-20 minutes using a Steamer until it is fully cooked (if your rice cooker has a steam tray, then you can steam it while you cook rice)

5. Add a few drops of sesame oil, another teaspoon of soy sauce and some chives 

2. Assorted Tofu

This is a perfect dish to eat with some rice. Your child will benefit from both plant and animal protein, as well as vegetable fibers.

age: above 12 motnhs

Ingredients:

- Tofu 3-4 ounces / 100g cut into small cubes

- minced pork/beef/or a mixture of both 1 ounce / 30g

- 1 carrot cut into small cubes

- 3 leafs Chinese cabbage cut into small pieces

- 2 cups of Clear Soup

- Corn Starch

- half a teaspoon of Ginger Juice

- salt

How to cook:

1. Mix the minced meat with ginger juice, salt and half of a teaspoon corn starch, leave for 15 minutes.

2. Put the soup in a pot, then add carrots, boil until carrots are soft, then put Chinese leaf and Tofu inside, cook until Chinese leaf is soft, sprinkle some salt

3. If you want to thicken the soup, put 1/3 of a teaspoon corn starch into 3-4 tablespoon water, mix well, then put into the boiling soup, continue to cook and stir for one minute.

3. Rice

Rice is a good source of carbohydrates, Vitamin B3, B5, B6, Manganese, Phosphorus and Zinc. These are vital nutrition for our daily life.


I normally cook white rice (fragrant jasmine rice) together with millet and polenta (corn grits). This makes the cooked rice a nice mixture of white and yellow color, which is more appealing to children. On the nutrition side, millet and polenta are both rich in B vitamins, millet is also rich in iron. They can compensate the nutrition of rice and make it more nutrition-balanced.

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