The age from 6 months onwards is the time when babies need to be supplemented with the most adequate nutrients to develop remarkably. Therefore, porridge is considered the most important complementary food during this time. Let’s join the kitchen with Tastetutorial.com to explore 2 recipes: shrimp porridge with water spinach and moringa leaves for your baby!
1. Shrimp Porridge with Water Spinach
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Preparation
25 minutes
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Cooking
45 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Shrimp Porridge with Water Spinach Serves 2
White rice 50 gr Fresh shrimp 30 gr Water spinach 30 gr Olive oil 1 tablespoon Soy sauce 2 tablespoons
How to Choose Fresh Water Spinach
- To retain the nutrients in water spinach for babies, you should choose water spinach that has a light green color; on the contrary, avoid buying dark green or yellow water spinach.
- Fresh water spinach will have intact leaves, thin leaves but firm, not wilted, bruised, or infested with pests.
- You should not choose leaves that are curled or deformed as they may have been grown with excessive pesticide use.
See details: How to Choose Fresh Water Spinach
Tools needed
How to make shrimp soup with water spinach
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Prepare the ingredients
Wash the rice with clean water to remove any remaining dirt, drain the water, and wash it again like that, then let it dry.
Clean the shrimp, then separate the head and body. You only use the body to cook the soup.
Next, take a small knife or scissors and insert it into the back of the shrimp, making a long cut down to the tail, then use your hand to peel off the shell and tail.
Then lightly cut along the back vertically, pull out the black vein on the shrimp’s body, and chop it finely.
For the water spinach, just pick the young leaves, discard any wilted or bruised leaves, and wash them clean with water to drain.
Tip:
- To avoid losing nutrients in the rice, do not wash the rice too long or too vigorously.
- You can soak the rice in cold water for about 30 minutes before cooking to help the rice soften and expand, making the soup more tender and delicious. Especially, if you soak the rice, you do not need to wash it.
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Stir-fried shrimp
You place a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat it over medium heat.
When the oil is slightly hot, add all the shrimp and stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
Finally, add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, stir-fry for another 3 minutes, then turn off the heat.
Tip:
- You can replace olive oil with vegetable oil or regular soybean oil at home, but it is best to use olive oil because it is better for brain health and overall health for the child.
- Additionally, you can use soy sauce specifically made for kids to replace regular soy sauce or other seasonings that may not suit the child’s digestion, which can help the child eat better without harming the kidneys and can provide vitamins and iodine for the child.
- To prevent the shrimp from becoming tough and losing all nutrients, it is important not to stir-fry the shrimp for too long.
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Blending water spinach
Add 100ml of water and water spinach into a blender, then blend until smooth and filter out the solids, keeping only the liquid.
Tip: If you don’t have a blender, you can add 100ml of water and use your hands to crush the water spinach. When the water turns green, discard the solids and keep the liquid.
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Cooking porridge
You place a small pot on the stove, add 500ml of water and 50g of washed rice, and cook over low heat for about 25 minutes.
Then you add the vegetable water and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, stirring continuously for 10 minutes, then season to taste and turn off the heat.
Scoop the porridge into a bowl, add a little shrimp on top of the porridge, and let the baby enjoy the meal right away.
Tip:
- To make the porridge cook faster, you can cover the pot while cooking.
- Avoid clumping of the porridge, which can make it hard for the baby to eat, so stir the porridge continuously.
- If the rice you are using takes longer to expand, you can cook for 30 – 40 minutes until it is soft, then proceed to add the vegetable water.
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Final product
Shrimp and vegetable porridge is a nutritious dish that doesn’t take too much time, right?
The porridge is cooked to be smooth and fine, combined with the nutritious vegetable water, along with nutrients from the shrimp, making it easier for the baby to absorb.
2. Shrimp and Moringa Porridge
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Shrimp and Moringa Porridge Serves 2
White rice 50 gr Fresh shrimp 30 gr Moringa leaves 30 gr Cilantro 1 sprig Shallots 1 bulb Fish sauce 1/2 tablespoon Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Common seasoning a little (Salt/ Seasoning powder/ Sugar/ Ground pepper)
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Moringa
- You should choose bundles with light green leaves, intact, without yellowing or wilting.
- Moringa is very good for the body but is still not common, making it difficult to buy. Therefore, you can buy directly from the garden to have more options and it is much cheaper.
- To have more choices when buying moringa, you should go to larger markets instead of small markets. Larger markets have more stalls where you can easily check the quality.
- Moreover, the most popular option nowadays is buying at supermarkets. Supermarkets source from clean vegetable suppliers, ensuring safety for health and importantly, prices are clearly listed.
How to prepare Moringa leaf shrimp porridge
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Prepare the ingredients
Wash the rice with water twice to remove any dirt lingering on the rice, then drain the water.
Peel the shallots and chop them finely. Remove the roots from the cilantro, wash it clean, and chop it small.
Pick the fresh green leaves of the moringa, discard any wilted leaves, then soak in salt water for 5 minutes. Rinse with clean water and drain, then finely chop the leaves.
For the shrimp, rinse them quickly with water and cut off the heads. Next, use a sharp knife or scissors to cut along the back of the shrimp, then peel off the shell and tail.
Then, use a knife to make a light incision along the back of the shrimp and pull out the black vein, then cut the shrimp into small diced pieces.
Finally, marinate the shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning, 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper for 10 minutes to absorb the flavors.
Tip:
- To prevent the shrimp from becoming mushy and losing nutrients, do not rinse the shrimp too long in water.
- If your child cannot eat spicy food, you may omit the pepper.
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Sauté shrimp
Place a pan on the stove and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, heating it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add minced shallots and sauté until fragrant, then add the shrimp and stir-fry quickly over high heat for about 5 – 7 minutes before turning off the heat.
Tip: To prevent the shrimp from becoming tough and losing nutrients, you should stir-fry quickly to ensure the shrimp is evenly cooked, avoiding overcooking.
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Cook porridge
Put a small pot on the stove, then add 500ml of water and 50g of washed rice, cooking over low heat for about 25 minutes.
When the porridge is soft, continue to add 30g of finely chopped moringa leaves and stir well for 5 minutes.
Finally, season to taste and add all the chopped cilantro before turning off the heat.
Tip:
- You can buy ready-made white porridge from outside to save cooking time.
- When cooking porridge, do not keep the heat too high to avoid burning the bottom of the pot.
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Final Product
Shrimp porridge with moringa leaves will make the kids unable to stop eating because of its flavor, the sweetness of the shrimp combined with the easily edible moringa leaves. This truly is a nutritious dish.
This porridge will be even better when eaten with mashed cheese mixed into it; you will surely not be disappointed when you see the kids eating it heartily. Let’s enjoy it together with the kids right away!
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Shrimp
- You should first observe the shrimp shell; fresh shrimp will have a translucent shell, while those with dark or uneven-colored shells are dead and not fresh.
- When holding the shrimp, if it feels firm and strong, and can jump far, it is fresh; the shell joints should be flexible, and the head and body of the shrimp should be tightly attached, not separated.
- On the other hand, if the shrimp feels slimy when touched, has a rounded, curved body, and the legs are not firmly attached to the body, or if the shell feels soft and mushy when pressed, it should not be purchased.
- Fresh shrimp can also be identified by looking at the tail, which should be tightly folded together; if the tail is spread out, the shrimp may have been injected with chemicals or water to make them appear plumper.
See details: How to Choose Fresh Shrimp Properly
See more:
The article above has brought you 2 ways to cook shrimp porridge with bitter melon and moringa to help children supplement their bodies with adequate nutrients. Wishing you success in providing the children with a delicious meal!
*Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channel: Cooking for Kids and Weaning with Children.
