Usually when cooking porridge for HengBoi:
- 2 Meals (e.g. Lunch and Dinner), ¼ cup (equivalent to 4 tbsp) of rice is sufficient. For water/soup stock, i will use about 2 ¼ cup.
- 1 Meal (e.g. Weekday Dinner), Half of ¼ cup of rice (equivalent to 2 tbsp). For water/soup stock, i will use about 1 ¼ cup.
- If we (2 adults) are eating porridge for dinner as well, 1/2 cup is sufficient (equivalent to 4 tbsp). For water/soup stock, i will use about 3 ¼ cup.
Below image is the congee consistency with the above ratio (when my baby is about 8 months old). If your baby has just started solid, do add more liquid to make a thin congee.
A good phrase to remember is “Eat the rainbow.” Over the course of a day, serve lots of different colors, including green (peas, green beans, spinach, asparagus, zucchini), orange (sweet potatoes, cantaloupe), yellow (squash, bananas), and red (cooked tomatoes, red peppers). Babies need the same variety of nutrients adults do.
I will choose a combination of nutritious ingredients from the different food group for different days. Vegetables and fruits provides vitamin C which enhance iron absorption. By about 6 – 7 months, you can slowly introduce some protein food.
- Protein: Pork/Chicken/Beef/Fish (marinate with ikan bilis and white bait powder)
- Vegetables: Pumpkin/Sweet Potato with Carrot and Spinach/Broccoli/Cauliflower/Tofu/Chye Sim
- Soup Base: Chicken/Pork/Fish stock or scallop powder or dried silver fish and onion
I uses a Philips Viva Rice Cooker which has a congee function and preset timer function. I will usually dump in all the pre-cut ingredients and soup broth prepared beforehand into the rice cooker before i head to work. I will set the timer so that it will only start cooking in the evening and will be done when we reach home.
Do introduce the ingredients one at a time for at least 3 days to test for allergies if your baby have never tried the ingredients before. Start with giving only ½ teaspoon of solids at first. Slowly increase the amount to 1-2 tablespoons of solids, 2-3 times a day. Prepare your child’s food with no added salt or sugar. Oil may be recommended occasionally to ensure that the food has sufficient calorie density. Once your baby starts on solids, he may also need some extra fluids such as water. Health Hub has a really good guide on how much to feed and the serving size. Below images extracted from Health Hub.
