Healthy Recipe for Toddlers: Vegetable Idli

By Reetika Gupta- Mommy and Lifestyle Digital Creator | Insta handle is Mommybaby_luv

The stage of toddlerhood that is from the age of 1 to 3 years is vital for laying the foundation of your toddlers health. Most babies who have eaten bland or mashed food will now begin to eat more elaborate meals. Now can you begin to feed them all other foods being cooked for other family members. Let them get the practice of self-eating for making them more independent. See to it how your toddler eats this healthy and nutritious food. Whatever eating habits are cultivated at this age will be good for a lifetime.

Recipe - Vegetable Idli

Vegetable idlis for toddlers form a tasty and nutritious diet. It is a combination of flavorful ingredients, colors, and textures that your toddler is bound to relish. This healthy meal is packed with veggies that make the dish healthy and high in nutrition.

This vegetable idli is made from parboiled rice accompanied by urad dal which is soaked along with vegetables in coconut milk. After fermentation for 8 hours, the batter is then steamed and hot idlis are steamed in a steamer.

The fresh flavor of veggies together with the soothing taste of coconut milk in vegetable idlis makes this dish a popular one and one of the most liked among toddlers. Vegetable idlis are safe and soft to consume by babies of 10 to 12 months as they won’t choke them. You can dice the idli into strips and serve attractively which will provoke the toddler to feed themselves. The necessary life skills will be initiated from this age itself.

• Prep time: 10 minutes. (Prior soaking of 2 hours and 8 hours of fermentation is required.)
• Cooking time: 12 minutes
• Total time: 10 hours 22 minutes
• Serves: 20 idlis

Ingredients:

●       ½ grated carrot

●       ¼ grated cabbage

●       1 cup par-boiled rice

●       2 tbsp urad dal (split black lentils)

●       ¼ cup coconut milk

●       ½ tbsp cumin seeds

●       1 tbsp grated coconut

●       Salt as per taste.

Method:

1.      Rinse well and soak the parboiled rice and urad dal together in enough water in a deep bowl for a minimum of 2 hours.

2.      Drain excess water and add coconut milk and 1 cup of water to blend in a mixer until you get a smooth batter.

3.      Transfer the batter into a deep bowl, add veggies, add carrots, cabbage, cumin seeds, and coconut in correct proportions. Add salt as per taste and mix well.

4.      Cover with lid and keep the mixture aside to ferment for 8 hours in a warm corner.

5.      Pour spoonfuls of batter into greased idli molds and steam in a steamer for 10 to 12 minutes until cooked.

6.      Serve hot vegetable idlis to your toddler. You can also prepare sambhar and coconut chutney to complement your toddler’s vegetable idlis.

Nutrition Value per Vegetable Idli

• Energy           72kal
• Protein          1.6gm
• Carbs             13.0gm
• Invisible fat   1.5gm
• Fiber              0.5gm

Vegetable idli for toddlers is full of protein, fibers and vitamins, soft to chew for babies who are 10 months and above. This is the time when babies get acquainted with eating foods that other family members eat, even though this is a slow process you need to give your toddler time to adapt and explore. This initiates chewing and is a good exercise for baby’s gums. Restrict the amount of salt you add to your toddler’s meals. Feed your toddler nourishing meals.