This baby-friendly version of the popular Japanese fried shrimp dish, Ebi-Fry, is quick and easy to make and fun for any kind to want to try!
When making food for Rei, I not only want to give him nutritious meals, but fun ones, too! I think plating and eating with your eyes plays a lot into how much a dish is enjoyed – plus, it can be hard to encourage babies or kids to eat new things.
It can be really hard to find Japanese or Asian baby-led weaning recipes out there, so I have been adjusting recipes that are for adults or for older kids to be age-appropriate for Rei. He enjoyed this right as he turned 8 months, but if you are doing baby-led weaning, it should be fine even for a 6 month old (except for the small carrot – you can eat it or omit this if your baby is at an age where this size is unsafe). This recipe is based on a recipe by @mama__recipe, but I changed some ingredients as well as some steps in the process (but this is her design). Please make sure your baby has been exposed to all allergens properly before using this recipe (shrimp/shellfish, wheat, etc).
This recipe also freezes very well – which makes it great for meal prepping!
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Baby-Friendly “Ebi-Fry” (“Fried Shrimp”)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup kabocha steamed
- 3-5 shrimp depending on size
- 1/3 cup panko
- neutral oil
- 1 carrot
Instructions
- Cut your kabocha and steam until soft.
- Steam shrimp until opaque and cooked through (or cook with any other method until cooked through).
- Mince the cooked shrimp.
- Cut the carrot into thin rounds. Use a five-petaled-flower veggie cutter to punch out the shape from each carrot round. Cut the flower into sections that contain two petals each. Steam until soft.
- In a bowl, combine the steamed kabocha flesh and shrimp.
- Roll the kabocha-shrimp mixture into logs that are about the size and shape of a small ebi-fry.
- Over medium heat, lightly oil a pan (or skip the oil if you'd like) and put in the panko. Toast until lightly golden, remove from heat, and place the panko in a flat bowl or plate.
- Roll the kabocha-shrimp logs in the panko.
- Put the ebi-fry onto a plate and press in the carrot tails on one end.
- Have you baby explore and enjoy! *Please make sure it has cooled down properly before servingRecipe by Sylvia Wakana (http://sylviawakana.com)
