Level 6 · Soft & Bite-Sized: soft, tender, moist food cut into pieces no bigger than 1.5 cm (about the width of a thumbnail). Some chewing is needed, but no biting. What do the levels mean?
Serves: 3 · Time: 1 hour, mostly simmering
Ingredients: Daikon, boneless skinless chicken thigh, dashi, soy sauce, mirin, fresh ginger.
Steps
Peel daikon and cut into 1.5 cm cubes. Simmer in water 10 minutes and drain.
Add 2 cups dashi, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, a few slices of ginger and 8 oz chicken cut into 1.5 cm pieces.
Cover and simmer gently 30 to 40 minutes, until the daikon is soft enough to cut with a spoon.
Remove the ginger and thicken the sauce lightly.
Shortcut: Instant dashi granules are fine.
Check the texture: press a piece with the side of a fork until your thumbnail turns white. It squashes and does not spring back. Cut every piece to 1.5 cm before serving, and keep sauces thick rather than thin and runny.
Use the food level recommended by your speech-language pathologist or doctor. Textures change with cooking time, cooling and reheating, so check the food each time before serving, using the simple fork and spoon tests in our swallowing guide. Sit upright to eat, take small bites, and stay upright for 30 minutes after.