Thai for Your Baby

Cheryl Tallman, www.FreshBaby.com

The Tiniest Gourmet: Introducing Thai Food with Purees and Mashed Combinations

A simple way to begin introducing Thai flavor to your baby is by adding coconut milk in homemade baby food. As with any new food, follow the "one at time" rule - and introduce just one new food over a 2-3 day period. This will help you identify a culprit food in the event of an allergic reaction.

Thai Coconut Red Curry Sauce Cubes


Ingredients:

1 can (13 oz.) coconut milk 1 tsp. Thai red curry paste 3 Tbsp. fish sauce 3 Tbsp. brown sugar ½ cup chicken stock

Directions:
Over medium heat, whisk all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a light simmer and remove from heat. Pour sauce into a 2-cup measuring cup and let cool for 10 minutes. Pour the red curry sauce into your So Easy Baby Food Trays, cover and freeze until ready to use.

Serving:

Remove a sauce cube from the freezer, defrost and add it to pureed or mashed rice (or rice noodles), meats, vegetables and fruits. When first introducing the sauce, try a small amount and work your way up to more. Here are some delicious combinations for awesome Thai curries:

  • Sweet potatoes, chicken, pineapple and rice

  • Beef, zucchini, and rice

  • Flaked white fish (i.e. Cod), spinach and rice noodles

Tropical Thai-Style Fruit Pudding


Ingredients:

1 mango

2 bananas

½ cup coconut milk

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. lime juice

Directions:

Peel, core and chop mango into chunks. Peel and slice banana into chunks. Over medium heat, pour coconut milk into a medium-sized saucepan. With a wooden spoon, stir in brown sugar and lime juice. Add mango and banana. Cook for 3 minutes. Pour the mixture into a blender and puree to a smooth texture. Pour the fruit pudding into your So Easy Baby Food Trays, cover and freeze until ready to use.

Serving:

Defrosted pudding cubes taste great alone, but try these options for variety:

  • Add fruit pudding to oatmeal for a great tasting start to the day.

  • Add a few cubes of fruit pudding to pancake batter to make Thai-inspired pancakes

  • Add mashed brown rice to create a fruity rice pudding

  • Toss 2-3 frozen cubes, 2 ice cubes and splash of fruit juice or milk in a blender for a frothy fruit smoothie

Toddler Treat: Coconut Chicken Soup


Soups take the chill off winter and tastes oh-so good when you have the sniffles. This recipe for chicken soup has full Thai flavor and is sure to be a hit with the whole family, even the pickiest toddler. If you have a baby in your household, scoop out a little soup and purée it in the blender. It will be a nice consistency for the baby.
Thai Chicken Coconut Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. Olive oil

1/2 - 1 tsp. Thai red curry paste

5 cups chicken stock

1 can (13oz) coconut milk

6 thin slices of fresh ginger

3 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

¾ lb boneless chicken breast

9-10 oz. baby spinach, sliced into thin shreds

4 ounces shitake or button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Slice chicken breast into very thin strips and set aside. In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the red curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add chicken stock, coconut milk, ginger, lime juice, fish sauce and chicken breast. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add spinach and mushrooms and simmer another 5 minutes. Add cilantro just before serving. Remove and discard the ginger slices before serving.

About the author: Cheryl Tallman is the co-founder of Fresh Baby, creators of the award-winning So Easy Baby Food Kit, and author of the So Easy Baby Food and the new book So Easy Toddler Food: Survival Tips and Simple Recipes for the Toddler Years. Visit Cheryl online at www.FreshBaby.com for more delicious tips.