KIDS AND TODDLER RECIPES : CARROT AND PEAS RICE

This is a rice dish, which I cook for my kids very often, especially on days when get tired of the dhal or rasam rice for lunch :) This dish is ideal for kids more than a old due to the spices added. We add fennel either in powder form or as seasoning in almost all the dishes (my grandma's style cooking ), so I have started introducing fennel and garlic in my kids dishes since they turned one and luckily they love these kids of spices just like me :)

Ingredients:
1. Cooked rice, 1 cup.
2. Carrots, medium size, 2, grated or chopped into very small bite-size pieces.
3. Fresh peas, a handful, cooked and mashed up if preferred.
4. Onion, small, 1, diced finely.
5. Garlic, 1 clove, crushed (or) ginger-garlic paste, 1/6 teaspoon.
6. Pepper powder, a pinch or less. For older kids, a pinch of chili powder can be added if you are introducing your kids to spicy foods.
7. Fennel powder, a pinch.
8. Turmeric powder, a pinch.
9. Salt as per taste.
10. Curry leaves, 2-3 for flavor. This can be removed from the rice before rice.
11. Mustard seeds, 1/6th teaspoon, (optional). This can be skipped if serving this rice for toddlers.

Preparation:
Cook the rice separately, mash it if preferred,  and let it cool. Heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil. Add the mustard seeds and let it splutter once the oil turns hot. Now add the diced onions and sauté for a couple of minutes until the onions are translucent.  Now the ginger-garlic paste and the powders along with salt and sauté for a few minutes under low flame until the powders lose their raw smell. Add the carrots and peas  along with half a cup of water, mix everything, and cook closed under low flame for 10-12 minutes until the carrots are done and the dish turns a little dry. Mix this with rice and little bit of ghee if preferred and serve.

Variation: A small piece of cinnamon and cardamom can also be added while seasoning and removed before mixing in the rice.