Kid Friendly Fish Balti Curry

By Aileen Cox Blundell

The weather has been absolute pants here in Ireland and there is nothing better than a good homemade curry to warm your bones! This kid-friendly curry recipe is so easy to make and works for the entire family too. 

I’m all about Friday take away but to be honest with 5 hungry mouths to feed it pretty quickly can rack up a huge bill. With that in mind, I seldom order food but I still crave a good take away. The solution really is to make your own! It is so much cheaper, so much healthier and you can also make it taste just like a proper take away (hint it’s all in the onions!).

How to give your baby spice

Let me first start by saying that this curry is not hot spicy. It is, however, packed full of spices and bursting with flavour. Spices are a great addition to your baby’s diet. They add flavour, make sauces rich and also give them a taste for amazing food. Bland baby food is boring and in so many countries around the world baby’s are given spices right from the very start of weaning. Those babies grow up exposed to so many wonderful tastes of the world. 

If you are a breastfeeding Mum, your little one is already getting lots of tastes from herbs and spices which are transferred from your milk. Isn’t that so amazing!

Adding flavours like cumin, coriander, sweet paprika, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg etc to dishes, just really makes food so much more interesting. Just you wait and see! 

Kid Friendly Fish Balti Recipe

If you are a lover of a tomato-based curry recipe then this is the one for you! The balti sauce is made using onions which are cooked until they caramelise. Don’t skip this step because it is SO worth it and it will totally change the flavour of your curry. I then add the garlic followed by my new favourite ingredient Balti Curry Paste from Dunnes Stores. Honestly, I haven’t purchased a jar of sauce in a very, very long time. Usually, jars are high salt, sugar and rubbish but this paste is 100% natural and I totally love it! PLUS it saves lots of time making pastes at home.

Now you only need a teaspoon of the paste and that is enough especially for smaller babies. For older kids who are used to spice add an additional teaspoon. I also added in some additional spices; coriander, turmeric and a little fresh ginger for some zing.

Then comes the veggies; tomatoes (a fruit I know!), peppers, courgettes and let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes until the veggies were soft. For a perfect baby led weaning curry cook the veggies that little bit more to ensure they are soft enough for those little hands. At this point, you can store the sauce in the fridge, or alternatively freeze it.

How to get kids eating fish

I recently heard a report about how few kids eat fish. We are such huge fans in our house and that report really made me think about ways to get more fish into their diets. What better way than covered in a delicious sauce, am I right? 

This recipe uses fresh hake which I bought over the counter in Dunnes Stores. If you are worried about giving your baby fish then I highly recommend speaking to their fishmongers in-store. They are so knowledgeable and will really help put your mind at ease;

1. Tell them you are giving fish to your baby and you are worried!
2. They will debone the fish for you and make sure they check thoroughly for bones.
3. Ask them to take the skin off too – their knives are super sharp.
4. Get a recommendation for cooking time for the fish you are buying.
5. Get them to cut the fish into chunks for you. 

This will all help put your mind at ease when knowing how to cook fish for a baby.

Fish doesn’t take a long time to cook so it is naturally a quick dinner. When you add it into this dish, place large chunks in the sauce, then spoon over a little sauce, place on the lid and simmer for about 20 minutes. Don’t take the lid off or stir the sauce when the fish has been added or it will break apart. We want it to stay together to make it easier for little people to eat.

How to serve

I like to serve the curry with rice and a sprinkle of fresh coriander leaves. If it is the weekend, I sometimes bake fresh naan but for a mid-week easy dinner recipe, I just leave as is. 

If you make this recipe I would love to know what your little ones think! 

Happy Fake-Away Curry! Whoop!

Aileen xxxx

This recipe is sponsored by Dunnes Stores and all of the ingredients can be purchased in your local store. You can also find the Balti Curry Paste beside the Asian sauces. 

More fish recipes for babies and toddlers:

Baby led weaning finger food Fish Cakes

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Easy to make and a great recipe to get kids eating fish!

Tandoori Fish Bites – Yummy Baby Finger Food

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Bite sized white fish seasoned with fresh homemade Tandoori seasoning.

Here Fishy Fishy – Lime, Coriander & Ginger Salmon Pops

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Lime, Coriander and Ginger Salmon Pops for tiny little baby hands.

Baby Friendly Mackrell Paté with Salad

Lunch

This baby led weaning lunch recipe is easy, quick and really delicious.

Kid Friendly Fish Balti Curry

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Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 30 minutes minutes

Total: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 Adults & Children

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An easy and healthy baby and kid-friendly fish curry made with fresh hake. A family-friendly recipe that is full of flavor and not too spicy.

Ingredients

• • 1 large white onion
  • 3 tablespoons rapeseed oil
  • 1-3 teaspoons Balti Masala Paste for smaller babies add 1 teaspoon, for older children and adults you can add more
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 thumb size ginger finely chopped
  • 1 heaped tablespoon tomato puree
  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 2 red bell peppers roughly chopped
  • 1 courgette roughly chopped
  • 800g fresh hake de-boned cut into large chunks
• • Handful of fresh coriander leave
  • Cooked rice

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Method

• Peel and finely dice the onion, then add to a frying pan along with the rapeseed oil. Fry until the onion starts to caramelise. This should take between 4 and 5 minutes.
• Add the Balti Masala Paste to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes until it starts to turn fragrant. Mix in the coriander, turmeric, garlic, and ginger and stir well, then add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes, stir until the sauce is well mixed.
• Place the peppers and courgette into the sauce, cover with a lid, and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes until they turn soft. For smaller babies, leave them a little longer so they are perfectly safe for little hands.
• Place the hake (or other fish) into the sauce, give it a good stir to ensure the fish is completely coated, then place the lid back on and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the lid for the last 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken up.
• Serve with rice and a scattering of finely chopped coriander leaves.

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