Rice Porridge with Carrot a.k.a. Nasi Bubur Bersama Lobak Merah

I guess that if you look out your window this very minute, you will see a swarm (horde? pack?) of pink, pot bellied creatures with wings hovering above ground, because I believe I once said that the day I actually trade cooking recipes with others, pigs will fly. Let's face it, even though I enjoy cooking for my family, people are most likely to see a wireless optical mouse in my hand rather than a spatula, but I digress.

Now that Asyraf is starting on solids, other than the normal Nestum cereal, I really want to make a conscious effort of doing everything D-I-Y. So, No to bottled Heinz baby foods, please. Only things mama can whip up int the kitchen herself.

I've had this recipe book since Syakirah started on solids way back when, but yeah, my working hours were much more erratic then. I really want to do it right by my children this time around.

Through sweat (literally) and toil, through trial and error, I managed to follow this recipe that has only a handful of steps. I suggest novice chef wannabes stay clear as the instructions are obviously not directed to us. There are not enough explanations and the imagery, although looks aesthetically pleasing, is NOT accurate at all. 

The Ingredients:

1. 2 carrots ~ How about giving baby carrots a go? Or stick to organic ones.
2. 1/2 cup of rice ~ I washed, air dried it, and then blended until it was fine. Better for younger babies I suppose.
3. 2-3 cups of water ~ I used boiled water.

The Recipe:

1. Cut 1 of the carrots and blend to get juice ~ Peel the carrot, wash it and chuck it in a juice extractor. The one you got for your wedding gift and never used? Yeah, that's the one.
2. Cut the other carrot and steam it. After steamed, blend to get puree. ~ Peel and dice the carrot. Steam until tender. Blend with boiled water, or breast milk, or formula milk (optional).
3. Cook rice porridge ~ I added a little bit of milk when it was boiling and stirred for a bit.
4. Once porridge is cooked, stir carrot juice in. Add carrot puree as well. ~ You might wanna be sparing with the carrot portions though, especially if you haven't introduced this vegetable to your little one.

The Verdict:

Asyraf was fine with carrot juice, not so much the puree. Since I only mashed it and not blended it (no food processor), maybe it was still too chunky for him. I made a proper apple puree (blended until looked like smoothie) too and he made such a face when he tasted it! LOL. Apparently, can try to mix it a bit with (more!) apple juice or white grape juice to take away the tartness of certain fruits. Erm, right.

Durian puree anyone?