a complete meal for baby
Rice porridge (otherwise known as congee or muai) – is the boss’ favourite meal. When my mom visits she always makes a big pot of it for her and it’s gone within a couple of days. I know other babies like it too, because I usually bring a jar of it with me just in case I’m in need of something to feed the boss and her little friends try a bite and want more! It’s actually also one of my favourite meals (see slow cooker congee). The great thing about rice porridge is that the combinations are endless – and to me, as long as there is some protein, some veggies that bring sweetness, fibre, and good nutritional value – then that’s perfect! Traditionally the base of congee is white rice, but in this recipe I substituted half with lentils, which gave a bit more texture, fibre and nutrition.
You can also make this same recipe in the slow cooker – place all ingredients in the cooking vessel and set on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
prep: 10 min cook: 1 hour yield: about 12 mason jars
what you need:
- 1/2 cup dried red lentils
- 1/2 cup short grain rice (I used a mix of brown and white)
- 6 asparagus
- 1/2 large sweet potato
- 3/4 cup green peas (I used frozen)
- 1 portion of cooked salmon (about 4 oz or so) – I used left over BBQ’d salmon from last night’s dinner
- 5 cups of water
what to do:
- Rinse rice and lentils well, then drain.
- Place rice, lentils and 5 cups of water in a medium or large pot. Cover with lid and place on high heat to bring to boil.
- While you are waiting for your water to boil, prep vegetables by washing thoroughly, trimming asparagus ends, and peeling sweet potato. Chop sweet potato and asparagus into small baby bite size pieces (about the same size as the peas). Set aside.
- Flake salmon using your fingers – I like to use my hands to do this part to ensure that any fish bones get removed.
Once your water comes to a boil, add the prepped bowl of salmon and veggies to the pot and then lower the heat to medium-low for a simmer. It will need to simmer away for about 45 min – 1 hour, but set a timer for 20 minutes to come back and give it a good stir. You will know it’s ready when most of the water is absorbed and it is an oatmeal type of consistency – don’t worry if it seems a little soupy, as it cools down it will thicken even more.
- Remove from heat and remove lid, then allow to cool before transferring to storage containers. I use mason jars and glass containers, so it was okay that it was still warm when I transferred it.
*If you are enjoying it yourself or serving it to an older child/toddler, feel free to season it lightly with a little bit of salt & pepper, or a tiny drizzle of soy sauce on top. When I eat this, I also like to top it off with chopped green onion and cilantro for garnish. Enjoy!
like clockwork, the boss eats a whole jar at 5am!
fit for food mom 