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Preparation
10 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
With the Japanese-style weaning method, mothers can see that no matter how we prepare it, one ingredient cannot be missed, which is dashi stock. So, how to make vegetable dashi stock for weaning is like, let’s get into the kitchen with TasteVN to learn how to make this dashi stock.
Ingredients for Vegetable Dashi Stock For 4 people
Lotus seeds 200 gr Carrots 2 pieces Sweet potatoes 1 piece Small pumpkin 1 piece (about 300gr) Corn 1 piece
How to choose fresh and delicious ingredients
How to choose fresh and delicious carrots
- Choose carrots that are straight, with smooth skin, bright color, and feel firm and heavy in hand.
- Avoid choosing those with leaves or stems at the base, and thick shoulders, as these are usually carrots with large cores, which do not taste sweet and are low in nutrients.
- Do not buy carrots that are misshapen, dark in color, bruised, or have unusual spots.
How to choose fresh and delicious red pumpkin
- You should choose beautiful, slightly round, evenly plump fruits. They should have a dark brown color, slightly bumpy but not too many black spots or dents.
- Choose fruits with a stem length of 2 – 5cm, press down and feel that the pumpkin is still firm, heavy, and solid in hand.
- Avoid selecting fruits that are bruised, feel light in hand, or have a strange smell, as they are likely spoiled or have been damaged by pests inside.
How to choose delicious sweet potatoes
- Choose tubers that are round or elongated, without any waist or dents; if you press lightly and they are not too hard, then these are tubers that are less fibrous, starchy, and very sweet.
- Those tubers that often have a layer of powder or dirt on them are the fragrant sweet potatoes; when you cut a thin slice at the end of the tuber, you will see a light orange color and sap flowing out, which will taste very good and sweet.
- Avoid selecting tubers that are bruised, rotten, or have sprouted.
How to choose fresh and delicious corn
- When choosing corn to make dashi broth, you can choose either American corn or sticky corn, however, American corn will be sweeter.
- When selecting corn, you should choose fresh ears, with the outer husk green and not dried out, the corn silk still soft and smooth, and the stem should not be brown or wilted.
- Choose ears with a husk tightly wrapped around the kernels inside. You also need to pay attention to the corn kernels, which should be plump, uniform, shiny, and straight.
- You should avoid choosing corn that is too large; instead, select medium-sized, elongated, and firm ears.
How to choose fresh and delicious lotus seeds
- Good lotus seeds are round, uniform, about half the size of a finger joint, and have a white color slightly tinged with yellow.
- Additionally, when purchasing, you can press your finger on the lotus seed to check. If the seed still exudes a little water when pressed, it is fresh.
- Avoid buying lotus seeds that are brown, have wrinkled outer shells, and are wet, as these seeds will easily turn brown and wilt quickly.
How to Make Vegetable Dashi Broth
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Prepare the vegetables
Peel the carrots, wash them clean, and cut them into bite-sized pieces about 1 finger length.
For the pumpkin, use a knife to peel it, cut it into bite-sized pieces, then use a spoon to scrape out the seeds inside the pumpkin.
Peel the sweet potatoes, wash them briefly with water, let them drain, and cut them into bite-sized pieces about 1.5 finger lengths.
For the corn, peel off the husk, remove the silk, wash it clean, and cut it into bite-sized pieces about 1.5 finger lengths.
Wash the lotus seeds with cold water; if they still have the green core, remove it to avoid bitterness.
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Simmer the vegetables
Place a pot on the stove, set the heat to medium, add 1.5 liters of water, and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the corn and simmer for 5 – 7 minutes on low heat.
Next, add the carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and lotus seeds in turn, spaced about 2 – 3 minutes apart.
Simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft, then turn off the heat.
Tip:- To make the dashi broth sweet and fragrant, adjust the amount of water so that it just covers the vegetables.
- Note to add the harder vegetables first, followed by the softer ones.
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Straining vegetable residue
Let it cool slightly and strain through sieve to obtain the dashi water.
Divide the dashi water into portions for one meal into jars and store in the refrigerator for later use.
Tip: You can mash the vegetable residue for your baby to eat as well.
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Final product
The dashi water is naturally sweet and aromatic, suitable for making broth for porridge, pasta, baby noodles.
The natural sweetness is very light, ensuring that your little one will love it, so get into the kitchen and make it for your beloved child.
Tips for successful preparation
- To achieve standard vegetable dashi, you need to balance the amount of water and cooking time of the vegetables as instructed in the article.
- When cooking for babies, there is no need to season. For babies under 12 months, do not use overly concentrated dashi.
- You can use dashi immediately after cooking or divide it into portions and freeze it. When needed, just take it out and defrost.
Storage time and usage of vegetable dashi for babies
- Dashi can be stored for about 1 week for frozen dashi. When using, take it out to steam for defrosting, or directly add it to porridge and boil again.
- Usage: Add 15 – 30ml to porridge or mix it with pureed vegetables for serving.
See more
*Refer to the recipe and images from the YouTube channel HEALTH FOR EVERYONE
