Chicken + Peanut Noodle Curry

Nuts are not only a fantastic source of protein but also give a wonderful creaminess to many dish which kids absolutely adore. My daughters have both loved this dish since they were 7 months and its so fantastic as I can prepare all the elements beforehand and then put everything together at the last minute. As you can see in the image below you can also serve it in a variety of different ways to suit different family members- blitz down to a puree for early weaning or puree feeding, separate out all the ingredients for baby led weaning or children who like a DIY dinner or just chuck it all in a bowl and tuck in. Either way everyone's happy!

[Note: if there is a history of allergies in the family or any other indications that your child may have allergies check with the doctor before giving nuts a go.]

Serves 2 adults and 1-2 small children

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for the peanut sauce:

1 tsp mild curry powder

15g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

1-2 garlic clove, roughly chopped

3 tbsp peanut butter

juice of 1 lime

2 tsp soy sauce

200ml coconut milk

1 tbsp sunflower oil

250g chicken fillet cut into 1cm slices or cooked and shredded roast or poached chicken

100g broccoli florets, cut into pieces

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp soy sauce

100g egg noodles, soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes and drained

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Place all the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and blitz down until a smooth paste. Set aside or place in the fridge for up to 2 days.

To assemble: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok and cook the chicken* for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli, garlic and soy sauce and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If serving everything together then add the drained noodles and sauce and bring everything to the boil. Serve immediately.

serving separately: arrange so that your children can dig in and explore the different tastes and texture. I like to use little bowls.

for early weaning: blend 4 tbsp sauce + 30g chicken + 30g noodles + broccoli floret.

for adults: sprinkle over finely sliced spring onions, fresh coriander, chilli flakes and some toasted peanuts.