In continuation to my articles about toddlers’ healthy eating followed by 2 easy-to-make recipes for toddlers, here is one more to that list.
To narrow down further to the level of nutrients intake by a toddler/preschooler, this article provides the method of preparation of 2 dishes loaded with protein.
Remember that school lesson on nutrients?
Yes, right! Protein is the building block of life.
Before getting down to the recipes, let’s look at the benefits of protein-rich food.
Benefits
- It helps build muscles.
- Repairs tissue and help in cell growth.
- It helps boost metabolism.
- It helps in the production of haemoglobin.
- Also, improves the immune system and enables the body to function properly.
1. GREEN GRAM SALAD
Green grams, sprouted or not, are a great source of protein. This recipe gives a quick preparation of an amazingly healthy recipe.
Ingredients:
• Oil – 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds – tsp
• Asafoetida – a pinch
• Curry leaves – 3 or 4
• Green gram – 50 gms
• Grated Coconut – 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
(You can adjust the number of green grams as per availability and convenience. Do modify the quantity of the rest of the ingredients as per the quantity of green grams taken. The above mentioned is to prepare a small cup of salad enough to make up for an evening snack for one child.)
Preparation:
Soak the green grams in water that immerses them completely for about 4-5 hours. Then take the soaked grams and boil them for about 6 whistles in a pressure cooker. If you feel that the child can eat them a little crunchy, reduce the pressure-cook time to about 4 whistles.
Let’s look at the method of preparation.
1. Heat oil in a Kadai/wok in medium flame.
2. Once the wok heats a little, add mustard seeds.
3. Let the seeds splutter.
4. Add a pinch of asafoetida.
5. Add the curry leaves and sauté the contents for a few seconds.
6. Now, add the boiled green grams to the wok.
7. Add salt as required and sauté the contents for a while until the grams get tempered well.
8. Add the grated coconut as the final step and sauté again for some time.
9. Switch off the flame and transfer the contents to a bowl.
10. Let it cool.
The green gram salad is ready for your toddler. It is easy to eat with a spoon too if your child is trained on self-feeding.
Notes:-
1. Instead of boiling the soaked grams in a pressure cooker, you can also boil them on a medium flame for about 20 minutes or until the time it turns soft. But, this process takes longer than pressure-cooking.
2. Instead of green grams, you can use chick-pea as well which is also a great source of protein.
3. Also note that chick-pea needs to be soaked for about 10-12 hours before boiling them. Only then the salad would be a little soft and edible enough for a child. The rest of the steps in the preparation method remain the same for chick-pea salad as well. This one is little on the crunchier side and hence advised to be fed only if the child’s molar teeth are fully grown.
4. In South India, this dish is called ‘sundal’ and is a yummy festival dish. (just to add to your general knowledge!)
2. PANEER BURJI SANDWICH
Paneer (cottage cheese) is very rich in protein. It is a dairy product that is very commonly used for Indian side dishes and snacks.
Some kids may be very fussy about drinking milk. So for them, adding paneer to their diet could be a great complement to aid in achieving the required protein intake.
Ingredients :
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 2 tsp
• Asafoetida – a pinch
• Tomato – 2 in medium size
• Onion – 2 in medium size
• Paneer cubes – 5 or 6
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp (optional)
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Sweetbread slices – 6
(You can make 2 sandwich spreads with the quantity given. To reduce or increase the number, you can add or remove tomatoes and onions. The more the number of paneer cubes, the more is its flavourful taste in the Burji. You can select the number of cubes based on the quantity to be prepared.)
Preparation:
1. Paneer Burji
Keep the tomatoes and onions chopped into tiny pieces. Also, have the paneer cubes sliced into very small pieces, easy to chew and swallow.
1. Heat oil in a Kadai/wok in medium flame.
2. Once the wok heats a little, add mustard seeds.
3. Then, let the seeds splutter.
4. Add a pinch of asafoetida.
5. Now, add the chopped onions first and sauté them well until they turn golden brown.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté for a minute or so.
7. Add salt as required.
8. Keep tossing the contents until it gets cooked well.
9. Add a pinch of turmeric and chilli powder to the now well-blended base.
10. Sauté the mixture well.
11. Add the finely sliced paneer cubes to the contents and mix the contents well.
12. Make sure the paneer cubes are seasoned nicely with the onion-tomato base.
13. Switch off the gas and let the contents cool down for a while.
Paneer Burji is ready.
2. Sandwich
1. Keep the bread slices ready.
2. Check if the Burji has come down to the room temperature.
3. Spread generous amounts of Burji onto a bread slice and close it with another one above it.
4. Slice the sandwich into two or more parts if required.
Paneer Burji sandwich is ready. For easier handling by the child, the sandwich could be cut into small square pieces if required, although care should be taken not to spill the spread.
Notes:-
1. If need be, the sandwich can be re-heated again in an oven/sandwich-maker before consumption. But, this step would not be very necessary as the sandwich spread is already cooked well.
2. For an even high protein overload, one or both bread slices could also be topped with a layer of butter. This is just optional.
3. Instead of making a sandwich out of the Paneer Burji, it can also be consumed as it is (if the child is okay with it) or as a side dish for rotis or dosas.
Happy cooking and happy feeding!
Hope your children enjoy these simple yet nutritious dishes.
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