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Aloo seddho bhaat for toddlers
12m+ · Soft rice and potato boiled in one pot and mashed together with ghee
In Kolkata homes, from north Kolkata's old paras to the flats of Salt Lake, aloo seddho bhaat is what you cook when someone is tired, ill or very small: a potato boiled right in the rice pot, mashed with hot rice. Grown-ups add raw mustard oil, green chilli and onion; for toddlers from 12 months it is mashed instead with a spoon of ghee, so it's soft, buttery and mild. Gobindobhog rice gives it a lovely fragrance. It contains milk (ghee); there is no gluten, egg, nuts or soya. Chef's tip: mash the potato and rice with a fork or your fingers, never a blender, or it turns gluey.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Baby & toddler safety
- Age: from 12 months+.
- Allergens: contains milk. Offer one new allergen at a time, in the morning, so you can watch for a reaction.
- Texture and choking: purée or mash smoothly for 6–9 months, then soft, finger-sized pieces that squash between your fingers. Cut round foods such as grapes and cherry tomatoes into quarters lengthways, never give whole nuts, and always stay with your child while they eat.
- Under 1: no honey, no added salt or stock cubes, and no added sugar.
Every child is different. If you are unsure, especially about allergies, check with your health visitor or paediatrician.
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz short-grain rice such as gobindobhogrinsed
- 1 potato (a mashing variety)about 150 g, peeled and halved
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp ghee
- 4 tbsp cooked plain masoor dal (optional)to serve alongside
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 3 ½ oz short-grain rice such as gobindobhog, 1 potato (a mashing variety) and 2 cups water in a pan and bring to the boil over a medium–high heat.
5 minStep 2: Cover with the lid ajar and simmer on a low heat for 15–18 minutes, until the rice is very soft and a knife slides through the potato with no resistance.
17 minStep 3: Lift out the potato, then drain any extra liquid from the rice, keeping a few spoons of the starchy water.
Step 4: Mash the hot potato with a fork, add the rice and 2 tsp ghee and mash together with a fork or clean fingers, as Bengali mothers do, until soft and evenly mixed with some small lumps of rice. Loosen with the saved cooking water.
Step 5: Common mistake: blending or over-mashing in a processor. The potato starch turns to glue and the bowl is sticky and hard to swallow; stop as soon as it's soft and fluffy.
Step 6: Serve just warm, with a little 4 tbsp cooked plain masoor dal alongside if you like. Adults can season their own portion with salt, mustard oil and green chilli.
Step 7: Cool any leftovers quickly, cover and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze in small portions for up to 1 month. Reheat only once, until piping hot all the way through, then let it cool to warm before serving.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does aloo seddho bhaat for toddlers take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of potato (a mashing variety)?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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