Mine’s rice for sure.

She can eat an entire bowl of plain rice if I let her! To balance her love for rice with better nutrition, I often let her have more protein (fish, beans) than rice during meal times. In this recipe, I added airfried salmon seasoned with garlic powder and mixed herbs, plus 16-grains, corn and edamame. The optional ingredient is cream cheese. It adds flavour and acts as a binder. It’s so good that even adults love this!

I have a picture of the multi grains I use over in this blog post. The last time I checked, it was still available on Redmart.

This recipe is really easy and requires no effort at all. Just cook rice, add in ingredients, bundle up in cling wrap for a minute or two and serve! Although it’s just rice, kids usually find finger food more fun to eat. Mix and match your kids’ favourite ingredients in this! Some ideas: prawns, scrambled or hardboiled eggs, peas, carrots, pumpkin all work well.

Leave me a note if you’re making this!

The post Recipe for kids: Salmon rice cakes with 16 grains appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

Many parents find it a challenge to introduce fish to their kids’ diet. If your kid looks forward to fish at meal times, you really deserve a pat on the back!

I have come to realise that in many instances, texture, rather than taste, has a huge impact on whether a child likes a particular food or not. As an example, Amber isn’t a big fan of fish when I cook it in porridge, or mix it with rice. Why? Because there are no contrasting textures for her – everything is mushed together!

But when I airfry salmon and flake them on top of whole wheat pasta (she loves fusilli) and homemade pasta sauce, she laps everything up happily.

Recently, I’ve discovered an even better way for her to love fish: Make fish fingers! Whenever I make these, she feels like it’s her birthday. They’re that good! You can choose to make it with or without the extra panko (or crushed crackers) coating outside, but kids do love that extra crunch. Here’s how the two versions look like:

I know you would ask if this recipe works for salmon, or other types of fish. Yes, yes, it does. But cod has a really fragrant flavour when cooked, and it’s absolutely delicious. That said, I have made it with salmon too, she loves it all the same. I think the sweetness of the carrots and cauliflower, plus the bite of the breadcrumbs negate any ill feelings she has over fish :)

Another question I know you would ask is: Must I precook the fish before adding it to the mix? Technically, you don’t have to, because the heat from the airfryer or pan would easily cook the fish. But when preparing fish dishes for Amber, I ALWAYS, ALWAYS precook. So that I can flake the cooked fish with my fingers and feel for any bones before mixing everything together. Some bones are so tiny, they’re embedded within the fish meat.

In case you prefer to use crushed crackers over panko, here’s the brand I like to use (it actually tastes better than panko):

So here you go. I hope this recipe helps your little one accept fish. Share this recipe if you think it could help a mummy or daddy in need!

Tip: Click here to see my other baby food recipes. Will be adding more soon :)

What you need:
200g cod fish or salmon
300g cauliflower, broken into florets
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs or crushed crackers, to mix in
3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs or crushed crackers, for coating
1 teaspoon butter (optional but it makes quite a difference to the taste)
Sprinkle of salt (for adults, if needed)
Steps:Steam the cauliflower and carrots together for 15 minutes, or until tender enough to poke through with a fork. Drain the water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Place in a food processor or blender (I use a handheld blender) to mash. It’s ok to have some lumps, and it shouldn’t be too wet (it will be difficult to hold its shape). Set aside.

Steam the cod or salmon for 6 minutes or until cooked (depending on thickness of your fish). Pat dry with kitchen paper. When cool enough to handle, use your fingers and break up the fish into flakes, feeling for bones, before adding to the cauliflower and carrot mash.

Add the butter and 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs or crackers. Shape into fingers, and coat with a layer of bread crumbs.

If airfrying: Preheat to 185C. Spray the fish fingers with a little oil and AF for 10 minutes.
If panfrying, fry in batches until golden.

TIP: You can also add chopped corn to the mix for extra sweetness. For the adults’ portions, season with some salt (if desired) before cooking.

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The post Homemade cod fish fingers for kids appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.

When it comes to cooking for my baby, I always go by this motto: the lesser effort the better!

That’s why I’ve been exploring my rice cooker, to see if I can come up with easy one-pot, nutritious recipes that don’t even need the stove.

And I think this is a keeper: rice cooker mac and cheese!

It helps too, that the husband is a huge fan of mac and cheese. With this recipe, I can settle dinner for the family all at once. This means more time to shower (I hope) and blog too?

This dish takes all of 25 minutes to cook. Prep time is about 10 minutes with a nifty kitchen tool. If you’ve liked my Facebook page, you’ll know that I swear by this hand-held chopper:

If you hate to chop ingredients by hand and find the food processor too troublesome to use with too many parts to wash, get this. It is saving me so much time in the kitchen, and it’s great when I want to make pasta sauce, or chop vegetables quickly for cbb’s meals. The best thing is: it’s not flimsy! I even use it to mince chicken fillet. I got mine from ezbuy prime (search for the Chinese words). I’ve seen it in Isetan too.

In a nutshell, the recipe goes like this: place macaroni and water in rice cooker, top with chopped broccoli, pumpkin and minced meat, then cover and cook for 20 minutes. Open the rice cooker, and stir in the milk + cooking cream, a smidgen of honey mustard and shredded cheese. Cover for another 5 minutes and serve. That’s it. Crazy right?

I wanted the recipe to be a bit healthier, so I used half-and-half, i.e., 30ml fresh milk and 30ml cooking cream. If you want an even lower fat content, go ahead and use 60ml fresh milk. But it won’t be as creamy or decadent.

TIP: For a creamier and more delicious dish, use 60ml cooking cream. I mean, what difference can 30ml make, right?

Ready for the recipe that will change your life? Let’s go! I’m giving food ingredient measurements in tablespoons, because that’s the easiest to gauge. Leftovers can be mixed with crushed cream crackers and made into meat patties!

If you’re interested to know, I’m using the Tefal spherical rice cooker. Click on the link to see my recipe for mushroom and chicken multi-grain one-pot rice.

I get all my vegetables from OPENTASTE.SG. Get $15 off your first order by entering code ‘240D2E’ at checkout.

If you like my posts and updates, or would like to be informed of baby/cooking-related giveaways and promos from time to time…..
Like my Facebook page or follow @budgetpantry or @chuabeebee on Instagram! Yes, I just started an Insta account for CBB too!

The post Toddler-worthy rice cooker mac and cheese appeared first on Budgetpantry | Singapore Mummy Blog on Food, Recipe & Baby.