Baby Panang (for parents too!)

As of late I have been adapting our adult meals to make a potful to freeze down for baby. I'm also aware that as he gets older, he needs to be exposed to more flavours, textures and tastes. 

For this Thai Panang Curry, each time I make it will gradually increase the amount of Panang curry paste which is added, therefore increasing babies tolerance of the different herbs and spices. Obviously stopping once I have achieved a mild flavour, I don't expect the poor kid to eat super spicy food like his Mum! The half a teaspoon used in this batch wasn't detectable to my palate, and therefore happily gobbled down by Mr 8 months. 

Depending on where your child is at with their eating, you could puree this, or pulse so still a bit chunky, or just roughly mash. We're still at the blitzing stage, also I add the rice in after a few blitzes so that it stays fairly chunky still. Feel free to use cooked rice, ground Only Organic Iron Fortified Baby Rice or a combination of the both. The good thing about adding the rice at the end is that it helps you to gain the right consistency; simply add more rice to make it thicker. 

This recipe includes everything that you need to make a meal to serve four adults (dinner and the next day's lunches for us), and 6-10 serves for baby. I freeze baby's portions in silicone ice-trays or muffin trays, then pop them out and store in a zip-lock bag in the freezer, defrosting as much as is needed each day. The first ingredient list is the total ingredients that you will need. The second is the portions which go into baby's pot. 

Ingredients (4 adults and 6-10 baby serves):

• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 parsnip, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 a squash or pumpkin, peeled and diced
• 1/2 a head of broccoli, florets, and stem peeled and cut into sticks 
• 1 apple
• 1 small kumara, peeled and diced 
• 1 onion, peeled and thickly sliced 
• 1 400g tin of coconut cream
• 1 tbsp oil
• 50 g + 1/2 tsp Mae Ploy Panang Curry Paste*
• 600 grams free range chicken breast or thigh, diced**
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
• juice of 1 lime or lemon
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups rice + 4 cups of water

*Any Panang Curry Paste will work, however adapt the amount used according to the packet directions. 

**Use protein of choice including Beef, Tofu or Pork

Begin by preparing your vegetables, as you do measure out the following amounts to go into a separate 1.5L capacity pot for baby.

• 120 g carrot
• 50 g parsnip
• 80 g broccoli
• 200 g squash or pumpkin
• 100 g kumara
• 80 g apple 

All remaining vegetables, prepare and pop aside. 

Add to baby's pot: 100 g chicken (or other protein), 1/2 tsp curry paste, 1/4 cup of coconut milk and two cups of water. 

Cover and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until vegetables are very soft. Remove lid and leave to cool for 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, begin cooking your rice, according to packet directions. 

In a large frying pan (with a lid), heat the oil and over a low heat stir in the 50 g curry paste till aromatic, add the remaining coconut cream, then fill the tin with water and pour that in too, stir to create a sauce. Add the fish sauce and sugar. Add the chicken, carrot, parsnip, squash and any kumara or apple that was leftover. Stir, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes till chicken is cooked through and vegetables are nearly softened. Add the broccoli and onion, stir and cover for another 5 minutes. 

Serve the Panang Curry in bows on top of the cooked rice. 

As for baby's pot, it should be cooled enough now. Blend or blitz in a food processor till at the desired consistency. To make it thicker, add up to 1/2 a cup of Only Organic Iron Fortified Baby Rice, or up to 1 cup of cooked rice, or as I did a combination of both. Decant this into ice-trays or muffin tins to freeze, then store frozen cubes in labelled zip lock bags in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

Baby's Red Lentil Dahl

Ingredients (Makes 6-10 baby serves):

• 1/3 cup red lentils
• 100 grams carrot, peeled and diced
• 80 grams parsnip, peeled and diced
• 50 grams apple, peeled and diced
• 200 grams kumara, peeled and diced
• 1/4 tsp each of ground cumin and allspice
• 2 cups water 
• approx 1/4 cup Only Organic Iron Fortified Baby Rice
• Optional: 1/2 cup grated cheese

Prepare vegetables and add to the pot with lentils, water and spices. Simmer covered for 20-30 minutes till lentils have almost disintegrated and vegetables are very soft. Remove from heat and add cheese (if using). Allow to cool before processing in a food processor or using a stick blender. Add rice to thicken if required. 

Freeze in batches and thaw as required. 

Kumara Rosti, Poached Eggs, Salmon and Hollandaise

The Kumara Rosti and the Hollandaise really are the star of this dish. The perfect late breakfast meal, or after one of those early morning world cup games, we've been dragging ourselves out of bed for. 
The toppings, feel free to chop and change to suit your taste, I like to alternate the smoked salmon for haloumi every now and then, and both options are delicious. 

You can get the meal started in advance, making the rosti, spinach and hollandaise early, ready to be warmed and assembled when the eggs are poached. 
The recipe serves four, but could easily be doubled or halved. 

Kumara Rosti 

• 4 medium kumara, grated
• 1 tbsp salt 
• 2 egg whites
• oil, for frying

Grate the kumara and stir through the salt. Leave to sit for 10 - 20 minutes while you prepare the hollandaise. 

After sitting, squeeze the kumara to remove excess liquid, you'll be surprised how much comes out. Stir in the egg whites. 

Heat half a cm of oil in a frying pan and use your hands to mould and flatten balls of camera, fry then in the oil, turning after 3-4 minutes. Once cooked on both sides I like to put them in a hot oven for ten more minutes to make sure they cook through, and to keep them warm while you get everything else ready. 

Hollandaise 

• 80grams butter
• 2 egg yolks 
• 3 tbsp lemon juice

Make a double boiler. Place a small saucepan of water over a low heat. Place a glass or metal bowl over the top of the saucepan so that no steam can escape. This creates a gentle heat to cook your hollandaise. 

Put the yolks and butter into the bowl and whisk constantly as the butter melts. Whisking is important, you want the butter to mix in with the yolk before it cooks. Once all butter is melted, continue whisking for a minute or two till it has thickened a little. 

Remove from heat and whisk in the lemon juice. Do this quickly, while it is still warm. Set aside, it will continue to thicken, this is ok, as when it is spooned over the warm eggs it will melt a little. 

Spinach 

• 150 grams spinach
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp oil

Pour boiling water over the spinach and drain. Heat the oil in a saucepan, and add the lightly wilted spinach. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes till wilted. 

200 grams smoked salmon 

or 200 grams Haloumi cheese, sliced and fried 

8 Eggs, poached in hot water

Everyone has their own poaching tricks. I do mine in a large saucepan on a low simmer, with a spoonful of vinegar in the water. 

To assemble

On a plate place two warm rosti. Place a small pile of spinach on top of each. Next layer smoked salmon, or a slice of fried haloumi, place the poached egg on top, then spoon over the hollandaise and watch it melt down over the egg and rosti. 

Salt. 

Pepper. 

Enjoy. 

Left: Rosti with spinach, haloumi, egg and hollandaise. Right: The Salmon variation