KIDS RECIPES: TODDLER AND KIDS CHICKEN SOUP

Starting a separate blog for kids recipes had been in my mind for quite sometime since I have been getting many questions regarding cooking for toddlers, both from my readers and the users at Sweet&Spicy (I am currently working as their Food and Diabetics Expert).  All I needed was a push from one of my close blogger friends, who asked to just do it right away in this blog itself . I am thankful to her suggestion because honestly with my kids routine,  that was a good piece of advice :)

So Gita's Kitchen will also be featuring kids and toddler recipes on a regular basis from now on.  These are the basic recipes, which I have been cooking for my kids (sometimes with a different vegetable or an interesting twist), and I am sure most of the moms will have their own versions to suit the taste buds of their little ones. 

Coming on to this recipe, this chicken soup is ideal for toddlers, who are looking for something a little more than the regular fruit and vegetable purees. I had to start introducing new flavors like these for my little girl who didn't like baby foods just after 8 months. You can also start introducing a little bit of spices into their foods as their taste buds evolve. The only thing to be cautious about is while introducing new foods, give it a gap of 3-4 days to see if the baby's body accepts that and also is to make sure it is mashed up thoroughly to prevent choking.  These days I add a pinch of chili powder in these kinds of dishes and also ginger-garlic paste instead of just crushed garlic.

Ingredients:
1. Boneless skinless chicken, 1/2 lbs, cut into small bite-size pieces. (Once the soup is cooked, the chicken can also be shredded finely and then added back to the soup, so it will be easy for kids to chew on).
2. Small onions, 4-5, chopped finely.'
3. Tomato, small, 1, chopped finely. I also remove the skins by parboiling the tomatoes.
4. Garlic, 1/2 clove, crushed finely. (When my kids were just a year old, I used very little garlic, now I even add 1/4 teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste since my kids are 3 now).
5. Pepper powder, a pinch or less.
6. Salt, as per taste.
7. Turmeric powder, 1/4 pinch.
8. Fennel powder, a pinch.
9. Ghee, 1/2 teaspoon.
10. Water, 2 cups.
11. A little bit of finely chopped cilantro for garnishing.

Preparation:
Add all the ingredients in a pressure cooker and cook for up to 3 whistles for 15 minutes until the chicken is soft. Alternatively this soup can also be cooked on stove top, just bring everything to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes until the chicken is tender.

Serving Suggestions:
This soup can be mixed with mashed up rice (for very little ones under 2 years old) and served.  This can also be used as a side dish for idlis and dosas or breads.