Rice and Flaked Fish

You may not realise that some of the food that we ordinarily throw away can be put to good use. I just put those fish bones that I would ordinarily have thrown away to a maximum benefit.

A simple and delicious meal made with the stock and flakes gotten from those bones. This flaked fish and rice is just the perfect balanced meal for babies and toddlers starting to experiment on the big food . They will enjoy the fishy protein goodness in their rice without any worry of choking on bones.

It is equally another way of cooking rice for the whole family in another distinctive way. Serve with  baked,  grilled or fried fish if you still want a chunky lump to go with your meal.

Flaked Fish and Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rice
• 1 medium bulb onion -chopped
• Fish stock and fish flakes – you can alternatively use whole fish, boil and flake it.
• Mixed vegetables of your choice – See notes below for cooking for babies and toddlers.
• 2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
• 2 tsps curry and thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste (omit for babies)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Hot water

 Method:

1. Parboil rice by adding boiling water to the bowl of rice. Cover for about 20 minutes. Rinse and wash in fresh cool water, then set aside to drain in a sieve.
2. Put fish stock in a pot to boil.  Add 1 tsp of curry powder to it once boiled and pour in the rice. Stir to combine and add some hot water if the stock is too little. The water and rice should be on the same level. Boil till rice is soft and you can top up with water little by little to get your desired texture.  You may want it quite soft and mushy for the babies.
3. Whilst the rice is boiling away, put a dry pan on medium heat, pour in the vegetable oil and once hot, add the garlic and onions. Fry till onions are translucent, then add the fish flakes, together with the seasonings and fry for a few minutes. Mix in the vegetables and simmer for a minute or two, then remove from fire. The heat from the rice will get it done.
4. Once the rice is done and has absorbed all the stock, scoop out and mix with the fish flakes stir-fry.
5. Remember to check and adjust for taste now. Doing this before adding the cooked rice is not advisable and you might end up with a salty food. This is because the rice is cooked with stock which already contains seasonings that may balance the taste of the finished dish.
6. Time to serve.

**If cooking for babies or toddlers, you may want to steam the mixed vegetables separately, coarsely blend or purée, then add it at the end of your cooking rather than as stated above. Also, you can mash the rice and add a combination of your homemade puréed vegetables to it.

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