I’ve confessed that I cheat a little right? You’ve realized I’m not Martha right? We’re clear on this right? We’ve reached that point in our relationship where we discard with niceties right? Ok. It’s settled. Either you already figured it out or I’m telling you now. I like shortcuts. I love traditional Indian cooking. But I like shortcuts too. I need shortcuts. It’s how I get by.

Dosa is not generally the “easy, go-to” dish. But over the last year, we’ve been enjoying easy dosas made from mixes of nutty and savoury flours laced with spice temperings of smoky mustard seeds, hot green chilis and curry leaves. And when too busy for even that, I just sprinkle in a little salt and cayenne pepper.

These make for a perfect toddler meal too. I tear the dosa up into bite size pieces, and Surya happily dips them into a little yogurt. I also dice up a few pieces of Bedakar’s Mango Pickle for her (what can I say – the kid is about as desi as they come). It’s still a bit too spicy for her young palate so I rinse the pickle in water before cutting and serving.

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If you want to see how to pour the dosa, check out this video from the Vah Chef.

Mothers will go to great lengths for their children. Ten months ago, I wouldn’t get within five feet of a banana. Their sweet taste makes me gag. The smells gives me a freshly pinesoled elevator style headache. I ate one once and had the worst stomachache of my life.

And now? Well, now I can peel and chop a banana like a pro. I feed them to Surya straight from the skin. She stares at me deadpan, pointing at the counter saying “Na-na. Na-na. Na-na” over and over over. Bananas still make me queasy. But now I freeze them, whir them through the food processor and even pack them into a heart shaped muffin pan.

On the upside, when I saw this recipe on The Kitchn for Single Ingredient Ice Cream and then realized that one ingredient was bananas, I was happy to know that Surya could enjoy it even if I wouldn’t.

Single Ingredient Ice Cream

There are tons of great add-ins to this ice cream. Add a splash of maple syrup, a tablespoon of peanut butter or a drop of vanilla into the food processor. If the bananas need some help in the food processor, add a tablespoon of milk to get things going.

Peel bananas and chop into 1 to 1 and 1/2 inch thick coins.  Freeze for at least an hour or so.  Remove from freezer and run through a food process or blend until the bananas turn into smooth and creamy ice cream. I refroze the extra ice cream. Just let it melt a little and soften up when serving.

This has led to much hypothesizing by us.  She’s teething.  She’s tired.  She’s going through an independence stage and wants to feed herself.  She needs more finger food.  She needs to be allowed to play with her food and feel it more.

My mother put it simply.  Every kid goes through this stage.

Usually I peel then cube a few zucchinis for her, saute them in olive oil then puree them in my Cuisinart.  But since she’s seemed so eager to use her newly developed chompers, I decided to make her deep fried zucchini sticks.  It did the trick.  Today.  Who knows what that little monkey will think about them next time I serve them up.

Zucchini Matchsticks
Makes about 20

These are great for a new finger food.  They are a little slippery from the oil, but Surya was able to get a grip on them.  She loved peeling the tempura coat off, playing with the pieces, then shoveling soft bits of zucchini into her mouth.  And my mouth.

1 zucchini, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch matchsticks
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Sprinkle of kosher salt

Pour the milk into a bowl.  Mix the salt and flour together.  Spread half of the flour on a small plate.  Drop the zucchini sticks in the milk.  Then roll them around in the flour.  Shake off the excess flour.  In a deep skillet, heat about 3 tablespoons of oil on medium heat.  Drop a handful or so of matchsticks into the oil and fry until golden.  Remove then fry remaining matchsticks in batches.

If you have any kitty cats in the house, be careful…

because kitty cats like zucchini matchsticks too.

Stone soups?  Don’t you remember that book from elementary school?  It’s the story about two hungry travelers who trick the villagers into donating ingredients to their “stone” soup.   A little bit of carrot.  A few potatoes.  A fistful of seasoning.  One bundle of leafy greens.  An onion.  A cupful of creamy beans.  Topped off with some crusty bread.  Stone soup.  Also known as, a clean out your fridge and pantry recipe.

One of the few upsides to winter (ok it’s really just fall) is that it gives me a good excuse to make a vat of warming stone soup.

Stone Soup
About 6 Servings

A beautiful whole habanero pepper adds smoky heat to this soup.  Perfect for blustery weather.  A leftover rind of parmesan cheese would be great thrown in with the broth in step 4.   I didn’t have any lurking in the freezer, so I sprinkled parmesan on top instead.  Also, I didn’t have any “good” leftover bread for making the croutons you see in the picture.  So I just used the white Pepperidge Farm bread that I keep on hand.  And it was a delicious topping.  For the beans, I used Rancho Gordo Mayacoba Beans.  They are white and creamy but hold their shape with some bite and chew.  Canellini beans or another white bean would be a good substitute.

1 yellow onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium size potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 Tofurkey sausage links, quartered (optional)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 bunch kale, washed and chopped
1-2 cups white beans, (if dried beans soaked overnight)
3-4 cups vegetable broth (I prefer low sodium)
1 habanero pepper
Salt to taste

Breadcrumbs:
Olive oil
Cubed pieces of bread with crust cut off
Sprinkle of salt and grated parmesan cheese

1. In a large stockpot, heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and glassy.  Don’t let the onions brown.
2. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook about 5-8 minutes until softened.  Add the tofurkey sausage and cook for 3-4 minutes if using.  Sprinkle in the Italian seasoning.
3. Add the  kale and cook for about 5 minutes or until wilted.
4. Add the broth and white beans.*  Add the habanero pepper.  Cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour or until the beans are soft.
5. Salt to taste.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve with toasted breadcrumbs or crusty bread.

The whole habanero will continue seeping a smoky, hot flavor into the soup while you store the leftovers, so if you want to limit the heat, remove the habanero before storing the leftovers.

*At this point, before adding the habanero pepper and salt, I removed some of the soup and pureed it for the baby.  She loved it!  I also freezed some in her ice cube trays for later.

To make the breadcrumbs:
1. Heat about a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a skillet.  Add the breadcrumbs in one layer and coat with the oil
2. Sprinkle with salt and parmesan cheese.
3. Toast until golden.  Splash with a little more olive oil if needed for extra crunch and sizzle.

As though she knew it was a big day, on her nine month birthday Surya learned how to pick up a puff from my palm and put it in her mouth on her own.  The first few times, she forgot that the drill was insert puff-remove fingers-chew and left her fingers in there for the chewing part.  But it’s been a few weeks, and she’s getting the hang of it.  We were excited at first, but now I realize she may want to try every dustball and blade of grass that comes her way.

Summer is slowly coming to an end.  I think it’s actually ended.  I had to wear a fall coat the other day, which is a sure sign of something.  We squeezed in a few months of fresh farmer’s market vegetables.  Broccoli wasn’t at the top of Surya’s list the first time around (not like the velvety eggplants at our local farmer’s market which she inhales), but by the second try it seemed like a winner.

I say seemed because I’m learning that everytime I have her “figured” out, she changes.  I thought she loved loved loved orzo and zucchini.  Same with blueberries.  Today, I left for work with a blueberry streak sprayed along my ankle from a spoon that went airborne.  And tonight, she communicated clearly with no words that she was not into orzo.  Or the daal with squash and mustard seeds that I substituted in.  Oh irony of sweet ironies.  My child may not like mustard seeds.

Garlicky Broccoli with Parmesan

I hesitate to say that Surya likes Garlicky Broccoli with Parmesan.  I will say that Surya likeD the Garlicky Broccoli with Parmesan and may in the future choose to humor her mother by liking it again.

1 head broccoli, florets chopped
2 cloves garlic, whole or halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
Generous sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the broccoli florets and garlic.  Pour the olive oil over the florets and mix well using a big spoon or your hands.  Spread the broccoli and garlic evenly on a cookie tray in a single layer.  Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the broccoli becomes a little darkened and the garlic soft.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Return to oven for another 5 minutes or so.

For Baby: Puree the broccoli and garlic in a food process or your other device of choice with a little water or low sodium vegetable stock.  Serve for baby with little stars pasta or orzo.

For You: Sprinkle coarse salt and red pepper flakes over the broccoli then top on a mound of whole wheat pasta.  For added zing, splash with lemon juice.  This made for a fresh, healthy lunch.

Peach season in New York is slim.  There’s a short window during which you can get juicy, sweet peaches.  The kind that have just the right amount of tartness.  That drip down your forearm with each bite.  That cause you to stand with your mouth hanging ahead of your body to avoid being drenched with peach juice.  That makes you want to suck the peach pit dry.  Ok, it’s actually hard to find peaches that good in New York.  But I remember peaches like that from my Southern belle days.

I’ve managed to find a few of these peaches though.  And I suppose it says something about motherhood that when I do find the good peaches, I covet them for Surya.  So that she too can enjoy the wonders of a juicy just right peach.  The mealy peaches?  Nowadays, I take those.  But I do sneak in a few bites of her delectable peaches – just to “make sure they are cooked right.”

Spiced Peaches

Makes about 2 ice cube trays of peaches

3-4 ripe peaches
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup water

Peel the peaches and remove the pits, slicing the peaches into half inch thick wedges.  Heat a wide skillet on medium heat and then sprinkle the spices into the middle of the pan.  Toast for 10-15 seconds until fragrant.  Add the water and stir well.  Layer the peach slices into the pan in a single layer starting from the outside of the pan working your way in.  Cook on medium heat covered for about 10-15 minutes.  Halfway through, gently disturb the pan to make sure none of the peaches are sticking.  Remove the lid and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so. The peaches should be tender, translucent with an out-of-the-can look and break easily until light pressure from a fork.  Allow to cool and then puree using your appliance of choice.

Serving: Serve these up with yogurt or oatmeal or on their own.

Enjoy with baby: Keep a few of the peaches whole and spoon over toasted, buttered challah bread or mix with yogurt for a treat for yourself.

One of the baby food books I read suggested that “mangos and other exotic fruits” should be saved until your baby is a little older.  That made me giggle a little and wonder “exotic to whom, exactly?”  Have you ever read those little stickers on pears that you buy in the grocery store?  They are actually pretty exotic.  Pears come from all around the world (unless you shop at the local farmers market in which case you don’t have to deal with those pesky country of origin stickers). And yet pears are a common first fruit!

After weeks of Surya devouring plain, pureed mango, I wanted to change it up.  Her savory food has been fun food experiments (for me) but fruit hasn’t gotten more exciting than just boiled, pureed fruits.  Though, I tasted her peaches puree and plain fruit puree isn’t such a bad thing.

And so last Friday, I ended up cooking cubes of peeled mango with crushed cardomom seeds and strands of saffron.  Cooked mango has a heavenly scent.  As in, should be bottled and sold heavenly scent.  Even with nothing else added, it smells creamy and sweet and rich.  So rich.  And creamy.  And sweet.  And that’s how it tastes too.  The cardamom and saffron are icing on the cake that will make you want to throw any women and children first chivalry overboard and lap this up for yourself.

And you can.  Mix some of this puree into a glass of whipped heavy yogurt (like Greek yogurt) diluted with enough water to make it a drinkable consistency for a Mango Lassi for you.  And serve to baby as is or mixed with a little yogurt or oatmeal.

Mango Sauce with Cardamom and Saffron
Inspired by Closet Cooking: Mango Shrikhand
Makes about 2 1/2 trays of cubes

3 mangos
3 green cardamom pods
Pinch of saffron

Peel the mangos and chop into large chunks.  Put in a saucepan with about 1/4 cup of water and cook on medium heat until the mangoes becomes soft and glassy looking (like canned peaches).  Pop the seeds out of the cardamom pod and discard the pods.  Using a mortar and pestle, crush the cardamom and saffron then add to the mangoes.  If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, just put the cardamom and saffron in a sandwich bag and crush with the back of a spoon.  Cook for another 5 minutes or so.  Allow to cool then puree with the water to a smooth consistency using your device of choice.

If mangoes are indeed exotic to you, here are a few links you might find useful:

• How to Cut a Mango – Simply Recipes
• How to Choose a Mango
• Mango Baby Food Recipes – Wholesome Baby Food

For the first thirty something years of his life, my brother pretended like he didn’t eat mustard seeds.  My family is South Indian and mustard seeds are a main ingredient of the tempering which is a base for most South Indian foods.  What this means is that for thirty something years, my mom and dad had to make special portions for my brother.  He didn’t eat mustard seeds.  He didn’t eat spicy food.  Not that long ago, he confided to me that he had made it up (something tells me that things which someone confides to you should never be the subject of a public post).

So they would make two of everything.  Or alter age old recipes.  Neither of which seems ideal to me.  It’s hard enough to find time to cook dinner.  I don’t think I can find time to cook dinner twice.

My third spice to introduce Surya to was garam masala.  The story of garam masala goes something like this in our kitchen:

Rajat: Should we add garam masala?

Me: You don’t put garam masala in that.

Rajat: Are you sure?  You’re not supposed to even put a little in it?

Me: No.  No garam masala.  Don’t add any.  It doesn’t need garam masala.

So of course she had to love it.  And she did.  She gobbled this down with a little dollop of creamy yogurt.  A true little desi baby.  If I had made more of this, I would have taken a bowl for myself, added a little salt and a pinch more garam masala and joined her.

First Potato Curry

4-5 medium tender white potatoes or Russet potatoes
1 small tomato, diced (about 1/4 cup chopped)
Sprinkle of garam masala

Peel the potatoes and finely dice them.  Dice the tomato.  In a wide skillet, heat about a teaspoon of cooking oil.  Add the potatoes and cook, covered partially about 10 minutes until tender.  Add the tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes wilt.  Sprinkle with garam masala.  Puree in a food processor or using a hand blender or food mill.  Potatoes can become gluey if you puree too much so a quick whir is sufficient.

This First Potato Curry freezes well in the ice cube method and mixes well with Peas with Cumin and Coriander.

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement to keep posting baby food recipes on Hungry Desi.  There’ll still be lots of big people food here of course…but baby food too, which the big people will want to share with the babies!

After reading the ingredients in Surya’s rice cereal, I decided to take action.  No more powdered cardboard for my baby.  If I expect her to eat the food we eat when she’s old enough to eat what we’re eating, then I better start building her palate now.  So I’ve been literally building it – one layer at a time.  I’m following a single ingredient approach to isolate and identify any possible allergic reactions and waiting a few days between each new food.  Beyond that though, all I needed was a reminder from Deb at Smitten Kitchen to go with my gut on what’s okay to feed my baby, and I was off.

I get teased by friends about how much of my free time is spent thinking about food.  I think about grocery lists in the shower…read Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything on the subway home…lay awake at night wondering whether grilled apples are the right pairing for salty haloumi cheese (they are).

My recent food obsession has been – not shockingly – which new foods to introduce to Surya.  Different, new combinations I can make for her to bring her one step closer to enjoying all of the foods her daddy and I enjoy.  Most importantly though, I’m trying to create dishes for her that mimic the foods we eat.  Because as fun as it is to make her “special food” now, my goal is for her to one day eat what we eat.

So, of course, we need her to love mattar paneer.  And while she can’t have paneer just yet, peas were one of the first foods she developed a love for…whew.

Peas with Cumin and Coriander

You can make a batch of these and puree a portion for the baby.  Add a little sprinkle of salt to your bowl (no extra sodium needed for the baby’s peas) and you’re all set.  Teeny diced potatoes would be a great add to these peas as well…for both you and baby. See below for more “add in’s”.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups peas (or 1 frozen box)
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 cup water

Mix the peas, water and cumin and coriander powders together in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover.  Cook for about 5-8 minutes until the peas are soft and a slightly dull green.  Let the baby’s peas cool then puree in a food processor with a little bit of the cumin-coriander water.

Storage: I freeze the rest of the pureed batch for easy dinners for Surya.  These peas go really well with other mini meals I’ve been preparing for her – potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli or just with a few tablespoons of yogurt…even the dreaded rice cereal.

Add-in’s: You can try adding a teeny tiny sprinkle of red chili powder (if you think you’re little one can handle it) to go up against the sweetness of the peas.  You can also add in peeled, diced white potatoes (dice them small so they boil quickly) or roughly chopped sauteed onions and/or tomatoes.  My method for introducing these was to serve up the peas plain first, then a few days later add in the cumin/coriander then maybe a few days later the other veggie (potatoes, tomatoes or onions).