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1. Nutritional Value of Tuna Porridge for Baby Weaning
Consuming tuna helps children develop intelligence and robust health due to its rich nutritional content. The myriad benefits and fantastic functions of tuna make it a preferred choice for mothers when cooking porridge for baby weaning.
1.1. Nutritional Value of Tuna
Tuna is undoubtedly a fresh, delicious, and nutritious food. It not only provides the body with essential compounds and proteins but also a variety of nutrients such as iron, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, along with ample vitamins like B12, B2, and PP.
Moreover, the fish meat contains undissolved fat components, making it highly absorbable. It aids in easily replenishing the child's blood with good cholesterol while reducing bad cholesterol. Notably, it includes Omega-3 fatty acids, enhancing blood vessel function and fostering intelligent brain development. Mothers should also be mindful of the usage and dosage of Omega-3 fish oil for infants to 18-year-olds.
1.2. When Can Babies Start Eating Tuna
Tuna is a seafood rich in nutrients, but its protein content may cause allergies. To ensure safety for babies, introduce tuna around the 7th month. Begin with small amounts gradually to acclimate the child. Exercise caution for infants prone to allergies.
2. 9 Recommended Tuna Porridge Recipes for Delicious Baby Weaning
Below are suggestions for mothers to consider when preparing tuna porridge for delightful baby weaning with nutritious vegetables.
2.1. Tuna Porridge with Winter Melon and Cowpea
Ingredients needed: frozen porridge, cowpea, winter melon (enough for cooking porridge), and don't forget ¼ piece of tuna. If you have cheese, pumpkin seed oil, or olive oil, it's even better.
Instructions:
- Start by cleaning the tuna thoroughly, then steam it to soften. Remove the fish meat and discard the bones.
- Heat a little olive oil with onions until fragrant. Next, add the tuna and flip it to let the fish absorb the spices gradually.
- Clean the cowpea and winter melon. Dip them in boiling water. Then finely chop or grind them evenly.
- Put rice in a porridge pot and add the tuna meat evenly. When the porridge starts boiling, add the cowpea and winter melon, stir well, and turn off the heat.
- You can also add cheese, fish sauce, or olive oil for enhanced taste.
2.2. Tuna Porridge with Brown Rice, Coriander, and Carrots
The ingredients for this baby weaning tuna porridge include tuna, rice (preferably brown rice, or you can use glutinous rice), carrots, coriander, and spring onions along with common and necessary spices.
Instructions on how to cook:
- Step 1: Clean the tuna thoroughly, drain the water, and cut it into medium-sized pieces. Place them in a clean bowl. Add fish sauce and chopped green onions to marinate the fish.
- Step 2: Heat a pan, add cooking oil, and roll all the fish pieces to make them fragrant. Remember to finely chop the fish for even mixing in the porridge.
- Step 3: Put brown rice (or you can substitute with glutinous rice) in a pot and simmer until it becomes porridge. Peel the carrot, wash it, then slice it and add it to the simmering porridge along with the fish.
- Step 4: When the porridge is almost ready, transfer the marinated fish bowl into the porridge. Keep the heat low and simmer for about 30 minutes to cook the fish. Stir occasionally to ensure even distribution. When the porridge is almost done, add finely chopped coriander and remember to taste and adjust the seasoning.
2.3. Tuna Porridge with Water Spinach
Ingredients needed: water spinach, tuna (equal weight, about 30g), 35g Hipp baby porridge, and some dried shallots along with necessary spices like cooking oil...
Instructions:
- Start by cleaning the tuna and finely chopping it.
- Heat some cooking oil in a pan, add shallots (peeled and finely chopped) to sauté until fragrant, then add the finely chopped tuna and stir-fry.
- Pick and wash the water spinach, then put it in a grinder to make a smooth paste.
- Pour rice into the pot to cook porridge. When the rice is soft, add the prepared ingredients: stir-fried tuna, ground water spinach. Stir well until thoroughly cooked, then pour it into a bowl to cool before feeding your baby.
2.4. Tuna Porridge with Mung Beans
Ingredients needed: 30g tuna, 35g rice for porridge, 15g mung beans, shallots, chives, coriander, spices.
How to cook tuna porridge with mung beans:
- Step 1: Rinse the rice and mung beans, you can soak them for about 3 hours, then put them in a pot and simmer. Clean the tuna, finely chop the shallots, and marinate the tuna with the chopped shallots if your baby is over 1 year old.
- Step 2: Heat oil in a pan, sauté the finely chopped shallots until fragrant, then add the tuna and stir briefly.
- Step 3: When the rice begins to break and the porridge is cooked, add the tuna and stir well. Bring to a boil, then add finely chopped coriander and turn off the heat. Pour the porridge into a bowl, and the mom has a tuna porridge for the baby to enjoy while still warm.
2.5. Tuna Porridge with Pumpkin
This is a suitable porridge for a 7-month-old baby.
Ingredients: equal weight of tuna and pumpkin (30g each), 35g rice (either brown or glutinous), 1 bunch of chives, ½ piece of dried shallot, along with essential spices like cooking oil...
Instructions:
- Step 1: Peel and clean the pumpkin, then cut and finely chop it like pomegranate seeds.
- Step 2: Rinse the rice and pour it into a pot to cook porridge. When the porridge boils, add the prepared pumpkin. Continue cooking until both the rice and pumpkin are soft and smooth.
- Step 3: Clean the tuna thoroughly and let it drain completely. Heat oil in a pan, sauté the shallots until fragrant, then add the tuna and fry until crispy and golden.
- Step 4: When the fish is starting to cook, turn off the heat, separate the meat from the skin, and add the tuna meat to the cooked porridge. Stir well and add some freshly washed and finely chopped chives. Then turn off the heat.
2.6. How to Cook Tuna Porridge with Green Pumpkin
This porridge is suitable for an 8-month-old baby, serving as a substitute for other nutritious foods for your baby's supplementation or delicious daily vitamin-rich cereals. Ingredients: similar to cooking tuna porridge with red pumpkin but replacing red pumpkin with green pumpkin.
How to cook tuna porridge for baby weaning with green pumpkin:
- Step 1: Clean the tuna thoroughly and steam until cooked, then remove the meat.
- Step 2: Sauté the white part of the spring onions with olive oil until fragrant. Then add the fish and stir to make the fish firm. Peel and clean the green pumpkin and string beans, blanch them in boiling water, and finely chop.
- Step 3: Cook white porridge, then add the tuna when it starts to boil. Continue adding green pumpkin and string beans, then turn off the heat.
2.7. Tuna Porridge with Tomato Sauce
Ingredients: Frozen porridge, various vegetables and fruits such as spring onions, cilantro, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, along with ¼ piece of tuna…
Procedure:
- Step 1: Firstly, take ¼ piece of prepared tuna, wash it thoroughly, and remove the meat from the bones. Add some oil to the pan, then add spring onions and tomatoes to sauté. Add the tuna meat and stir well. Peel and clean the carrots and potatoes.
- Step 2: Steam the carrots and potatoes until cooked. Grind them into a smooth paste using a blender. Pour water into the rice to cook porridge. When the porridge is ready, add the tuna meat with tomato sauce and stir well. Continue boiling and add the carrot and potato paste, stirring everything evenly.
- Step 3: Optionally, add cilantro or finely chopped spring onions for aroma, then turn off the heat.
2.8. Tuna Porridge with Potatoes
This porridge is suitable for an 11-month-old baby and is very nutritious. Prepare ingredients similar to tuna porridge with tomato sauce.
- Step 1: Steam the tuna until cooked, remove the fish bones and discard them. Grind the remaining meat separately. Similarly, steam the potatoes, then mash them into a paste.
- Step 2: Cook white porridge, then add the tuna and mashed potatoes from above, stirring well.
When cooked, season with spices, add about 3 small spoons of fish sauce, and a little cooking oil, then turn off the heat.
2.9. Tuna Porridge with Sweet Potatoes
Tuna porridge with sweet potatoes is a dish for babies aged 12-18 months. Ingredients: Frozen porridge, 1/4 piece of tuna, sweet potatoes, spring onions, cilantro, cheese (optional), pumpkin seed oil or olive oil.
Instructions:
- Step 1: It's best to buy pre-cut tuna. When you bring it home, grind it into a paste.
- Step 2: Add a little clean water to the ground tuna to mix in, making the fish evenly distributed. Wash the sweet potatoes, peel them, steam until cooked, then mash into a paste.
- Step 3: Put the ground tuna in a hot oil pan and stir well. Add water and bring to a boil. Then add sweet potato porridge, tuna, and pre-cooked porridge for your baby to enjoy.
3. Tips for Cooking Tuna Porridge for Baby Weaning
While preparing tuna porridge for baby weaning, mothers should take note of the following important information:
- For babies under 1 year old, it's advisable to limit adding salt to their weaning foods. Excessive salt can overload the baby's kidneys, which is not good for their health.
Moreover, stuffing too many spices into the baby's weaning food may develop a salty eating habit that can be challenging to break, increasing the risk of other health issues.
- If dealing with children under 1 year old, mothers should be particularly cautious about adding salt to the baby's weaning food. For children over 1 year old, mothers can choose suitable products such as fish sauce or cooking oil and don't forget to learn about how to use different types of cooking oil for introducing new flavors to weaning babies.
- Currently, there are many suitable products available, but the choice depends on the budget, and parents can choose accordingly.
- Usually, as we all know, children tend to be picky eaters, especially when starting a new dish, they become even more reluctant. Therefore, mothers should be patient, try to cook regularly for the baby 3-4 times to gradually get them used to it!
- These porridge dishes are considered a weaning menu for babies from 1 year old and above. Depending on the age and preferences of the children, mothers should choose to cook suitable and effective dishes.
We hope that with the interesting and useful information provided in this article about cooking tuna porridge for baby weaning with some nutritious foods, mothers will successfully apply it in the process of caring for and raising their children.
