Okra-mole

File this one under Baby Food You Can Feed To The Whole Family.

Kishmish and Pista just started eating lots of pureed vegetables. The thing is, vegetables are expensive, and it takes time to clean and prepare them properly. Plus, it's hard to guess how much a baby is going to eat, because their preferences change daily.

So -- and I'm not particularly proud of this -- I often end up eating a few spoons of their leftover food, and I am happy to announce that a lot of baby food really is good. I present, therefore, the first in a series of recipes for things you can feed to baby and to anyone else.

Okra-mole

What a terrible name. But it tastes like guacamole, and calling it okra raita (which it is) just doesn't seem good enough.

Ingredients:
1/2 kg okra
salt
lemon juice or yogurt
red pepper
cumin powder
chopped onion/garlic
chopped tomato
chopped cilantro
amchoor (optional)

Method:
- Wash okra and cut off the ends.
- Steam for 7-9 minutes, or cook for one whistle in the pressure cooker, with minimal water.
- Puree the cooked okra. Don't puree it to a complete paste. It's nice if there's a little texture.
- Put half aside and serve to a baby.
- Take the other half and season with salt, lemon juice or yogurt, red pepper, cumin powder, chopped onion/garlic, etc. until it tastes the way you like it.
- Serve chilled with rotis or rice or thick dal.