Noah hasn’t been putting on weight or even growing physically, for that matter, so our PD suggested that we feed him more carbohydrates, especially since he still wakes up every three hours for milk at night. He definitely should be able to sleep through the night by now, so it’s a matter of making sure he’s full, which is a tall order, given how difficult it is to feed him.
Now that we’re in Melbourne, I have to cook his meals daily, rather than cook in bulk and freeze them into cubes. Thank God for this small cooker that my mum bought for us, from some random pop-up stall at Kovan Heartland Mall’s foyer, which allows me to steam small portions of food for Noah (usually a pot of porridge). It’s quality is somewhat suspect, and the pot itself isn’t in the best of conditions after two weeks of use, but it’s what works for us now.
My new Sota cooker
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Carbo-loaded Porridge for Growing Babies
Ingredients
– Rice – 2 baby potatoes – Broccoli – Cauliflower – Chicken thigh / breast meat
Rice
Chicken thigh
Baby potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower
Ready to be cooked
Instructions
1. Wash the rice, then add water. (I use my finger as a gauge for the amount of water needed. Usually, when I put my finger in, on top of the rice, the water level comes up to my second joint. For this pot however, a lot less water is needed. The water level only comes up to half of my finger’s first joint.) Leave it to soak while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Chop the chicken thigh / breast meat into huge chunks, so that you can remove them easily after the porridge is cooked. Try to remove as much fat as possible from the meat, if you are using chicken thigh.
3. Peel the potatoes, then cut them into cubes.
4. Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into small pieces.
5. Wash the chicken meat, potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower thoroughly, then add them to the rice.
If you have the Sota cooker
*6a. Add water to the base of the Sota cooker, place the pot in, cover, and let it cook, via steaming.
Steamed porridge from the Sota cooker
If you are using a normal pot and stove
*6b. Boil at high temperature, and stir occasionally, to prevent the food from sticking to the base of the pot.
7. Lower the temperature when the porridge is bubbling furiously.
8. When the water has more or less dried up, you can choose to add more hot water, if the porridge isn’t mushy enough.
9. Stir until you get your desired texture, and remove from heat.
Optional step for those of you who have a thermal cooker
*10. Pop the pot into a thermal cooker, and leave it to cook further for a while more.
11. Remove the chicken meat, and make sure that all the other ingredients are well mashed. Noah likes really mushy porridge, and I find that the potatoes help to give the porridge a nice, consistent texture, that is easy to spoon into his mouth. However, if your child prefers to chew his food, do leave the ingredients in their original chunks. They should be soft enough for even babies without teeth to gum easily.
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PS. If you are looking for another baby porridge recipe, you can try my Super Easy Porridge for Babies too.
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