Baby food: Cod with root veg and rice recipe

This cod with root veg and rice recipe proves baby food definitely don't have to be boring. 

It's a delicious and nutritious baby food recipe with protein-rich steamed fish flakes, sweet vitamin-packed root vegetables and starchy rice. This recipe is suitable for weaning babies and you can easily add more liquid to make the texture of the food thinner for younger babies, or keep it thicker for toddlers who can handle it. You will need a hob steamer for this recipe - you can buy very fancy triple layer version, but a very cheap pan insert version will do. You can pick up one like this at Ikea for just £4. Alternatively, see our tips below, for how to cook it in a microwave.

Ingredients

• 1 small boneless cod fillet, all bones carefully removed
• 1 carrot, chopped into small chunks
• 1 parsnip, chopped into small chunks
• A handful of spinach leaves
• 3 tbsp of freshly cooked white rice

Method

1. Pour about 2 inches of water into the stockpot of the hob steamer and bring to the boil over a high heat. Turn the heat down to low-medium to simmer.
2. Brush the bottom of the steamer pan with a little sunflower oil. Place the cod fillet in one half and the carrot and parsnip chunks in the other half of the pan and carefully place the steamer on top of the stockpot of simmering water. Steam for 7 - 10 mins with the lid on until the vegetables are soft and the cod is cooked through and flakes when poked with a fork.
3. One minute before the cod and veg is done, pop a handful of spinach into the steamer and place the lid back on.
4. Transfer the cod, vegetables and cooked rice to a blender and add in 30ml of the water/stock from the steamer (or you could use a little formula milk instead or in addition to) and blend to a smooth puree. If you are making this meal for babies over 7 months old, you can make it lumpier by using a potato masher to mash the cod, veg and rice together, then add in the water/stock/formula milk and mix until well combined.
5. Serve up a portion in your baby's clean bowl. Carefully test the temperature before feeding to your baby and allow to cool further if necessary.
6. Store the leftover portions, separately in clean, covered containers and freeze as soon as the portions are cool. Defrost well before heating to piping hot and allowing to cool to a safe temperature before feeding to your baby. Use up within 1 month of freezing.

Top tip for making cod with root veg and rice

To cook the cod in the microwave: Place the cod fillet in a large microwavable-dish with a close-fitting lid and microwave on high power for 3-5 mins.

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