Indian Recipe for Toddlers - Vegetable Khichdi

The choice of right food for their young ones is always a challenge for moms and it gets worse if child is too fussy about eating. We being moms want to try to give such food to our kids which they will like and which also has required nutritional benefits.

My daughter who is 21 months old now is very fussy about eating . What makes it worse is that she does not like sweet things and prefers only salty food items. So, things like cornflakes and cereals are totally out of question for her. Because of her eating habits, it has always been a challenge for me to decide what to cook for her next!

In India rice and wheat are two staple food which most of our recipes constitute of. One of the recipes which I make for her is vegetable Khichdi. It's a simple recipe which has rice, dal and vegetables, all the ingredients which is important for a kid in his or her daily diet.

Sona masuri rice - 2 Tsp

Moong Dal - 2 Tsp

Turmeric - 1 Pinch

Salt to taste

Mini carrot - 1

Tomato - 1/2

Broccoli - 1 Small Piece

Peas - 5-6 seeds

Cumin Seeds (Jeera) - 1/ tsp

Garlic - 2 flakes

Ghee or any oil

Method

Finely chop the carrot and tomato. You can also grate it it you want.

Heat oil or ghee in a cooker. Add cumin seeds and chopped garlic to it. Let it cook for 1-2 mins as garlic starts becoming golden, add all the vegetables except tomatoes. Let it cook for 2 -3 mins then add washed rice and dal in it. Add 1 Cup of water. Then add tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Close the lid.

Let it cook for 10 mins till cooker gives 3- 4 whistles. After steam comes out, check if water has dried, if you feel its little more watery you can boil it again for few minutes with open lit. You can also mash it little bit if you want.

Note: I have mentioned sona masuri rice here because the grains are smaller as compared to Basmati rice so its easier for toddlers to chew and digest it. Also, I have recommended moong dal than any other dal because it can be digested easily for kids and had high amount of protein.

Health Benefits

This meal is a wholesome meal as it gives required fat from oil, vitamins  from vegetables, protein from dal and carbohydrate from rice.