Coconut Chicken Curry for Babies
Taken from my Easy Indian Super Meals weaning and family cookbook, this is an exceptionally yummy meal both babies and toddlers will love! In fact this was my little ones favourite curry and she still requests it for dinner. So these days I cook this curry up as a family meal but simply increase the levels of spice and amount of chicken and veg to keep everyone happy.
This meal is great for older babies - around 10 months of age and is perfectly nutritionally balanced. So not only is the taste fab, it's a mean curry with immune strengthening ingredients. Here's the breakdown:
- Fresh lemon juice and broccoli both provide vitamin C
- Coconut provides a source of anti-viral fats to keep cold and flu viruses at bay
- Chicken is anti-cancer and is an excellent source of ‘essential’ amino acids (protein), required for healthy growth and development.
Makes 8 servings. Total preparation and cooking time: 25mins. Suitable for freezing
Ingredients
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion – peeled, chopped
- 1 chicken breast fillet (skinless) – cut into 1cm cubes
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tomato – washed, grated
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 150ml (5fl oz) unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut
- Juice of ½ a lemon – ensuring no seeds fall in
- ¼ tsp ground garam masala
- 60g (2½oz) broccoli florets – washed, chopped (no stems)
Method
Heat the oil in a pot, add the onion and stir-fry on medium-low heat for 3-4mins until soft and golden. Add the chicken, turmeric and stir-fry until the chicken is sealed (opaque). Add the tomato, garlic, cumin and continue to stir-fry for a further 2-3mins.
Add the coconut milk, desiccated coconut, lemon juice, garam masala and simmer on low heat for a further 10mins, stirring occasionally until the chicken is tender. If at any point the curry looks dry, add a little extra water and continue to simmer.
Whilst the chicken is simmering, steam the broccoli in a steamer or in the microwave by placing it in a microwavable dish and adding 2 tablespoons of water. Cover the dish with either a lid (leaving a small vent) or cling film (piercing a few holes), and steam on high for 1½-2mins until tender. Once cooked, drain the excess water and add to the curry at the end. Combine well and serve to baby warm with roti or overcooked rice.
