Feeding a sick child: light and easy recipes

Feeding a child is difficult enough for parents but feeding a sick child might be even harder. Babies and toddlers can be fussy eaters and when they are sick might get even pickier.

Here are a few recipes that are light on the stomach and nutritious for babies over nine months and toddlers and that might go down well when your child is sick.

Hot soup recipes

Vegetable dal soup

Ingredients

• ½ cup Mung bean (moong dal), cleaned and soaked in water for half an hour
  
• 2½ cups filtered water
• 1 small potato (aloo), peeled and chopped
• ½ cup of finely chopped vegetables such as carrots (gajar), beans (beens), pumpkin (kadhu), cabbage (bund gobhi)
• 1-2 cloves chopped garlic (lehsun)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Pressure cook all ingredients on medium flame for about 4-5 whistles.
Cool and blend the mixture well. Serve warm.

Tomato rasam

Ingredients

• 3 tomatoes (tamatar)
• 2 cloves of garlic (lehsun)
• 2-3 black peppercorns (sabut kali mirch)
• ½ tsp of cumin (jeera) seeds
• 1 cup filtered water
• ½ teaspoon oil
  
• Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil and add cumin seeds, peppercorns and garlic. When the cumin seeds start crackling add tomatoes and water. Boil for about 10 minutes.
Remove from flame and allow to cool.
Mash well and strain the mixture to remove tomato skins.
Feed as soup or mixed into well mashed plain rice.

Rice gruel or kanji

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons rice
• 5 cups of filtered water
• Salt to taste

Method
Roast the rice lightly and then allow to cool. Next, grind the rice to a coarse powder.
Boil the powder in water till well cooked. Add salt before removing from flame.
This can be served as plain gruel water after straining the rice, or along with the rice as a thin porridge.

Paya or Aatu Kaal soup (lamb trotter soup)

Ingredients

• 3-4 lamb trotter (paya) pieces
• 1 big onion (pyaaz)
• 1 tsp fennel (saunf)
  
• 1 tsp cumin (jeera) powder
• 2-3 peppercorns (sabut kali mirch)
  
• 2 cloves grated garlic (lehsun)
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger (adrak)
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (dalchini) powder (optional)
• 1 whole cardamom (elaichi) (optional)
• 5 cups of filtered water
• Salt to taste

Method
Pressure cook all the ingredients together for about 20 minutes on low flame. Remove from the stove after three whistles.
Allow to cool. Strain the mixture to get a clear soup. Serve warm.

Mixed vegetable soup

Ingredients

• 1 chopped onion (pyaaz)
• 1 bay leaf (tejpatta)
• 1 grated carrot (gajar)
• 1 grated potato (aloo)
• 1 tomato (tamatar)
• ½ cup peas (matar)
• ½ cup chopped beans (beens)
  
• 1 clove of garlic (lehsun)
• ½ tsp grated ginger (adrak)
  
• 1 tsp of oil
• 4 cups of filtered water
• Salt to taste
• Pinch of pepper (kaali mirch) powder
  

Method
Saute the onion, bay leaf, vegetables, ginger and garlic in oil.
Add the water and cook till the vegetables are soft and well done.
Remove the bay leaf and run the mixture through a blender till smooth.
Put it back on the stove, add some salt and a pinch of pepper and cook for a few minutes.
Remove from the flame and allow to cool. Serve warm with soft bread or chapattis.

Note: You can use any seasonal vegetables of your choice.

Clear vegetable soup

Ingredients

• 1 chopped onion (pyaaz)
• ¼ cup peas (matar)
• ¼ cup diced carrot (gajar)
• ¼ cup diced potato (aloo)
• ¼ cup chopped cabbage (patta gobhi)
• ¼ cup beans (beens)
• ¼ cup chopped tomatoes (tamatar)
• 4 cups of filtered water
• Salt to taste
• Pinch of pepper (kaali mirch)

Method
Pressure cook all ingredients together in water for two whistles.
Strain the mixture and serve clear soup seasoned with salt and pepper.
For a thick soup, blend all the ingredients together once cooked. Serve warm.

Variation: you use any seasonal vegetables of your choice.

Clear chicken soup

Ingredients

• 100 g boneless chicken, cleaned well
• 5 cups of filtered water
• 3-4 cloves chopped garlic (lehsun)
• ½ teaspoon grated ginger (adrak)
• 1 onion (pyaaz) finely chopped
  
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Pressure cook all the ingredients on high flame for about 10 min, and then cook for another 15-20 min on low flame.
Cool and strain the broth and serve as a warm clear soup.

Variation: For a thick filling soup, add 1 small potato (aloo), peeled and chopped or any other seasonal vegetable of your choice. Pressure cook along with the above ingredients. Blend to a thick puree and serve warm.

Light and easy cool drinks

Fruit lassi

Ingredients

• ½ cup chopped fruit (bananas, pineapple, strawberries or mangoes work best)
  
• 1 cup yoghurt/curd
• ¼ cup boiled and cooled water (optional)

Method
Chop the peeled, washed and de-seeded fruit and blend together with curd.
Do not add any sugar, the fruits have enough flavour and natural sugar.

Tip: If you want a more free flowing lassi add ¼ cup water (boiled and cooled).

Nimbu paani

Ingredients

• Juice of 1 lemon (nimbu)
• 1 glass water (filtered or boiled and cooled)
• 1 tsp sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of chaat masala (optional)
• a few mint (pudina) leaves (optional)
  

Method
Add lemon juice to the glass of water. Next, add sugar, chaat masala and salt and stir well. Serve at room temperature.

Variation: Top with crushed mint (pudina) leaves for a refreshing mint flavoured drink.

Plain lassi

Ingredients

• ½ cup curd
• 1 glass of boiled cooled water
• Salt and sugar to taste
• Chaat masala (optional)
• A few mint (pudina) leaves
  

Method
Blend the curd and water to a smooth mixture. Add sugar and salt and run blender for about half a minute. Pour in a glass and serve at room temperature.

Variation: For a salty version, don't add the sugar. Season with a pinch of ground cumin (jeera) or chaat masala and top with a few crushed mint (pudina) leaves

Light solid foods

Moong dal khichdi

Ingredients

• ½ cup rice
• ¼ cup Mung bean (moong dal)
• ¼ tsp turmeric (haldi)
• 2-3 cloves chopped garlic (lehsun)
• ¼ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
  
• 1 tsp oil
• 3 cups filtered water
• Salt to taste

Method
Mix the moong dal and rice and then soak together in water for about 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds splatter add chopped garlic to the tempering.
Add the dal and rice and fry together for one minute on low flame.
Add water, salt and haldi and pressure cook on low flame for 15 minutes.
Cool the khichdi. Serve warm with plain curd or raita.

Note: If the khichdi is too thick, you can add a few teaspoons of filtered water to make it runny or semi-solid.

Scrambled eggs

Ingredients

• 1 egg (well beaten)
• ½ tsp oil or butter
• 2-3 tablespoons milk
• Salt to taste
• a pinch of pepper
  
• 1 slice of soft bread
• 1 teaspoon grated cheese (optional)

Method
Heat half a teaspoon of oil/butter in a pan.
Pour in the well beaten egg. Slowly add the milk to the eggs.
Keep stirring and cook till the eggs are soft and fluffy.
Sprinkle grated cheese over the eggs.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with soft bread or toast.

Boiled potato salad

Ingredients

• 2 boiled potatoes (aloo) chopped into small pieces
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chaat masala optional
  
• 1 tsp lemon (nimbu) juice
• 1 tsp chopped coriander (dhaniya)
  

Method
Take a large bowl and add chopped potatoes. Sprinkle the salt, chaat masala, pepper and lemon juice and mix well. Top the salad with freshly chopped coriander. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Variation: You could also roast the potatoes lightly in the oven or on the gas before making the salad.

Plain suji upma

Ingredients

• ¼ cup semolina (suji)
• ¼ tsp mustard (rai) seeds for seasoning
• ¼ tsp oil
  
• 1-2 cups filtered water
• Salt to taste

Method
Dry roast the suji in a clean pan till it turns golden brown. Keep stirring constantly to avoid burning.
In a separate pan add oil and rai seeds. When the seeds splutter add the suji and salt.
Add water and bring to a boil.
Cook the mixture on a low flame till the time suji grains absorb all the water.

Tip: To make upma of pouring consistency add more water.

Vegetable suji upma

Ingredients

• ¼ cup semolina (suji)
• ¼ tsp mustard (rai) seeds for seasoning
• 1-2 cups filtered water
• 1 tsp butter or ghee
  
• ½ cup steamed finely chopped/diced vegetables of your choice
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves (kadhi patta) for seasoning

Method
Dry roast the suji in a clean dry pan till it turns golden brown.
Keep stirring constantly to avoid burning. Keep aside.
In a separate pan add about 1 tsp of butter/ghee.
When the butter/ghee melts, add vegetables and fry. Add water and suji.
Cook the mixture on a low flame till the time suji grains absorb all the water.
Keep stirring so that lumps do not form. Serve after checking the temperature of the food.

Note: If you want suji upma to be of pouring consistency, then don’t let the water dry completely. If you want the upma to be thicker and creamier, then let the water be absorbed completely.

Vegetable Sago (sabudana) khichdi

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sago (sabudana)
• 1 cup filtered water
• ¼ tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
• Steamed finely chopped/diced vegetables
• ¼ tsp lemon juice (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method
Wash and soak the sabudana in 1 cup of water till the time it doubles in size and the grains become soft.
Heat oil/ghee in a pan and add few cumin (jeera) seeds.
When the seeds start crackling add the steamed vegetables and stir well.
Next, add sabudana and mix gently. Sprinkle some lemon juice over it (optional) and serve.

Other options

• Cornflakes with warm milk
• Boiled potatoes mashed well with a little milk and salt
• Bread or biscuits dipped in warm milk
• Mashed bananas
• Oatmeal porridge
• Dalia porridge without milk
• Stewed apples
• Baked vegetables

Read more on:

• Feeding a fussy eater
• Best and worst drinks for thirsty children
• 11 ways to encourage your toddler's development