Emdad Rahman interviews Zainab Jagot Ahmed, creator of Easy Indian Supermeals for Babies.
Zainab Jagot Ahmed is first-time mum to daughter Aaliyah and currently resides in Leicester, England with her husband and two cats. Before she became a mother, Zainab – a passionate home cook – worked in marketing in London for over ten years in the fashion, entertainment and retail industries. After the birth of her daughter, she felt inspired to turn her attention to cooking nutrient-rich, homemade baby food.
Zainab was keen to introduce Aaliyah to aromatic Asian flavours early on. However she soon discovered there were no dedicated baby and toddler cookbooks with Asian or Asian-influenced recipes.
After researching aromatic spices, dietary recommendations and various Super Foods, Zainab began inventing her own Indian-inspired baby-friendly meals, and soon friends were asking for recipes. Now she’s giving everyone the chance to try them at home.
ER: What inspired you to start cooking Indian baby meals? ZJA: Well I’ve always enjoyed cooking, but after the birth of my daughter I felt inspired to turn my attention to cooking nutrient-rich, homemade baby food. Being Asian myself, I was keen to introduce my daughter to aromatic Asian flavours early on, when I began the weaning process – both to broaden my daughter’s palate and to introduce her to her culinary heritage. I soon discovered, though, that there were no dedicated baby and toddler cookbooks and blogs at the time with Asian or Asian influenced recipes. That’s why I began researching aromatic spices, dietary recommendations and various superfoods, and began inventing my own Indian-inspired, baby-friendly meals. Shortly afterwards, friends were asking for recipes
ER: Has your experience working in London helped you with this venture? ZJA: Yes I’d say so. Working in London has given me the confidence to try out new things. I’ve met new and interesting people and have been inspired to really go for my dreams. I’m not sure I would have achieved as much if I’d stayed in my home town.
ER: What are key ingredients a wholesome meal should contain? ZJA: I think it’s important for meals to be balanced. A good variety of protein, fruit/ vegetables, dairy and carbs are hugely important in wholesome meals. Superfoods are also key – provided they haven’t been overcooked. They are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants, so they are great for well-being and for fighting off diseases. The final ingredients are spices. Spices smell so good, and they make food taste delicious. Delicious, mouth-watering meals means children and adults are more likely to eat their meals, leading to a well-balanced diet.
ER: What has the response been like? ZJA: I’ve had a great response to my cookbook and to weaning with spices. I receive messages daily from mums who have tried my recipes on their fussy eaters and they’ve actually eaten the meals! It makes me so happy to know that I’ve been able to help other mums with their fussy eaters, and their babies weaning journey in general.
ER: Can you give some tips on storing baby food? ZJA: A great way to store baby food and to ensure its freshness is to store meals in the freezer. You can do this by using flexible ice-cube trays and good quality freezer bags. Simply label the contents and date it before you place it in the freezer – a great way of rotating meals. Baby food will stay in the freezer for six to eight weeks (sometimes longer).
ER: Tell us about your “vegetarian evenings” concept? ZJA: My vegetarian evenings is an idea I came up with at the beginning of the year – a new years’ resolution. My husband loves eating meat, but eating too much meat is also bad for health, so I decided as part of a healthy balanced lifestyle to create our vegetarian evenings.
ER: What constitutes a healthy Indian curry/food? ZJA: For me, healthy Indian food is all about cooking with healthy ingredients. No butter or ghee, but instead using olive oil as an alternative. It’s important to use as little oil as possible and to avoid overcooking vegetables. I prefer to steam vegetables then add them to curries to keep the curries as nutrient-rich for my family as possible.
ER: What weaning technique do you recommend? ZJA: I would recommend using both the traditional spoon-feeding method and baby-led weaning method combined with aromatic spices. The combination of these methods worked really well for me and my little one. She’s not a fussy eater, she’s happy and healthy.
ER: Does the adding of spices enhance the culinary experience? ZJA: Absolutely. Weaning with aromatic spices is a great idea for baby and it’s perfectly safe. Aromatic spices are an excellent substitute for adding salt and sugar to provide much-needed flavour in baby meals; the mouth-watering aroma spices release when cooked makes food tastier when eaten; and the range of spice flavours available allows parents to offer a wider variety of meals in a baby’s diet – helping to broaden palates and reduce fussy eating behaviours.
ER: How can parents combine preparing homemade healthy food with a busy lifestyle? ZJA: It’s important to be organised. Use a meal planner (you can download them for free from my website – www.ZainabJagotAhmed.com). Download them and populate them with meals for the week ahead. It’s great for avoiding food wastage, reducing costs and saving time for busy parents too. It’s also useful to dedicate just one hour each weekend to preparing meals in advance and, if you wish, you can freeze meals too.
ER: What are your top three favourite recipes? ZJA: Coconut Chicken Curry, Tandoori Potato Curry and Desi Mac ’n’ Cheese with Tuna.
ER: Do you have adults guzzling down and enjoying your recipes? ZJA: Yes I do – I create lots of family meals. I had one Facebook follower who said some of the best curries she’d ever cooked had been from one of my recipes. I love it when adults enjoy my meals just as much as children.
ER: Is Easy Indian Supermeals for children only? ZJA: No it’s not. There are plenty of family recipes in the cookbook too – suitable for the whole family. All of the family recipes can be tailored to suit both a toddler’s taste buds and an adult’s taste buds all from one pot! So parents don’t have to cook lots of different meals saving them valuable time.
ER: What are your future plans? ZJA: I will be speaking about “Weaning with Aromatic Spices” at The Baby Show at the NEC in Birmingham in May for parents who may want more guidance on weaning with spices but unsure where, or how to start. I also plan to write more books – I absolutely love writing!
About the book
Easy Indian SuperMeals for Babies, Toddlers and the Family written by Zainab Jagot Ahmed, is an award-winning cookbook containing over 65 delicious, nutrient-rich recipes suitable from weaning to one pot family meals. Shortlisted for the Prima Baby Awards 2015, it’s the only weaning cookbook guiding parents on safely introducing yummy aromatic flavours into baby’s diet; reducing fussy eating behaviours from occurring and allowing family mealtimes to be enjoyed. Recipe influences range from Indian classics to British, Spanish, Italian and more, all with clever spice additions. Available to buy now from Amazon and Waterstones (RRP £14.99).
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Indian-Supermeals-Babies-Toddlers-Family/dp/099296430X/
Twitter: @ZainabJagAhmed Facebook: facebook.com/ZainabJagotAhmed www.ZainabJagotAhmed.com