Mid-Stage Baby Food: Chicken, Beef, and Tofu Recipe
Nutrient-Rich Mid-Stage Baby Food for an 8-Month-Old: Featuring Chicken, Beef, and Tofu!
Introducing tofu for the first time! We chose CJ ‘Haengbokhan Kong Morning Tofu’ for its pure ingredients. Here’s a custom baby food recipe for your baby’s healthy diet.
Base Ingredients
- Rice 130g (about 1/2 cup uncooked)
- Water 70ml (for cooking rice)
- Chicken breast 30g
- Kabocha squash 45g
- Onion 15g
- Broccoli 30g
- Beef sirloin (beef) 100g
- Carrot 30g
- Zucchini 30g
- King oyster mushroom 30g
- Tofu 90g
- Cucumber 30g
- Broccoli 40g
- Onion 15g
- King oyster mushroom 30g
- Daikon radish 45g
- Kabocha squash 30g
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Oh no, we’ve run out of broth! Let’s make some baby food using plain water. First, combine 130g of rice (about 1/2 cup uncooked) with 70ml of water. Steam this for 35 minutes until cooked. This amount will yield a total of 6 portions of baby food (3 for chicken, 3 for beef). Preparing the rice in advance makes the baby food preparation much smoother.
Step 2
While preparing all the ingredients can feel like a lot, it’s a precious effort for your baby’s fresh and healthy meal. After preparation, steam them for 15 minutes. For the beef baby food, use 100g of sirloin, 30g of carrot, 30g of zucchini, and 30g of king oyster mushroom. For the chicken baby food, prepare 30g of chicken breast, 45g of kabocha squash, 15g of onion, and 30g of broccoli. (Tip: Using a manual food processor or a food chopper can make the ingredient prep and blending stages easier.)
Step 3
We’re cooking the chicken baby food with plain water, and for the beef baby food, we used the remaining beef broth (150ml). Since there was only a small amount of chicken breast, we added just 100ml of water for the chicken baby food. Now, place the steamed ingredients and the pre-cooked rice into a blender and process until smooth. It’s important to adjust the texture based on your baby’s ability to digest.
Step 4
Here are the completed chicken, kabocha squash, onion, and broccoli baby food (for morning) and beef, carrot, zucchini, and king oyster mushroom baby food (for evening). I made these to feed my baby at my parents’ house, but it was a bit disappointing that they didn’t eat much. They usually feed 4-5 times a day, so I’m worried about the small amount they’re eating. Could it be because I didn’t use broth? I’ll have to make plenty of broth next time. (Tip: If your baby is reluctant to eat baby food, check factors like consistency, temperature, and texture. It’s more important to create a pleasant mealtime experience than to force-feed them.)
Step 5
Let’s make some new baby food that my baby is consistently eating. This time, we’re trying tofu for the first time! While looking for pure tofu without additives, I found CJ ‘Haengbokhan Kong Morning Tofu’ to be a good option. Steam 90g of tofu for 20 minutes. Steaming makes tofu soft and easy to digest.
Step 6
Here are the vegetables for the tofu baby food. Mix 30g of cucumber, 40g of broccoli, and 15g of onion. Separately, mix 30g of king oyster mushroom, 45g of daikon radish, and 30g of kabocha squash, and steam each mixture for 15 minutes. The rice is already cooked. We steamed the tofu with plain water. If including beef, we use beef broth. Cooking the rice with beef broth also enhances the flavor.
Step 7
Combine all the steamed ingredients and the pre-cooked rice in a blender and blend until smooth. It’s a very easy way to complete the baby food. At first, it felt novel and rewarding, but now I’m starting to feel a bit tired from making baby food. Still, I must make it with all my heart for my baby! (Tip: When reheating baby food in a double boiler or microwave, stir it to ensure even heating.)
