After sharing my recipes for Hannah’s porridges some time back, I have since made some modifications. For the benefit of folks who might use my recipes, below is a quick summary of the changes I’ve made.
1) It is unnecessary to steam vegetables and meat separately before adding them to the porridge. Although more nutrients will leech into the porridge when vegetables and meats are cooked directly in it, the leeched nutrients will be consumed by the baby anyway. I have been adding chopped vegetables at the last 10 minutes of cooking and minced meat at the end of cooking. Taste-wise, still yummy. :)
2) Adding a clove of garlic at the start of cooking improves the taste of the porridge. Apart from taste, garlic has many health benefits such as anti-cancer and cardio-protective functions. To maximise such properties, I’d crush the peeled garlic clove with the back of a small dish and leave it to stand for 5-10 minutes before adding it to the porridge for cooking. (Note: Although there is no hard and fast rule on the quantity of garlic for children, feed in moderation. If in doubt, remove the garlic before serving.)
3) Say ‘bye bye’ to pre-made chicken stock! Throw in a small, skinless, lean chicken thigh or drumstick into the porridge to get the chicken flavour at the start of cooking instead. Advantages? One, you save time and avoid all the hassle in preparing chicken stock (you know, the cleaning of chicken, hours of simmering, then filtering the stock, packing it into little bags and finally freezing it). Two, freshly made chicken stock taste much more superior to the frozen version. Why didn’t this method occur to me earlier?! Duh. Oh ya, the chicken meat will lose its flavour after one hour of cooking in the porridge. I would discard this piece of chicken meat. According to my chicken porridge recipe, I still add another piece of chicken meat (finely minced, seasoned with a little light soy sauce and pepper for 1 year and above) towards the end of cooking. This piece is to be eaten by the child. Update: This is an amateur me learning as I go along. I discovered that the meat from chicken thigh is still flavourful even after 1 hour of simmering. Hence, I have been shredding the meat from the cooked chicken thigh for the porridge instead of using a separate piece of chicken.
Happy cooking! :)
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