Level 4 · Pureed: smooth and thick enough to eat with a spoon, with no lumps and no chewing needed. What do the levels mean?
Serves: 3 · Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients: Lean ground pork, soft tofu, low-sodium chicken broth, soy sauce, fresh ginger, cornstarch.
Steps
Cook 6 oz ground pork with 1 tsp grated ginger until done. Add 7 oz soft tofu, 1/2 cup broth and 1 tsp soy sauce, and simmer 5 minutes.
Blend until completely smooth.
Thicken with a little cornstarch mixed in cold water, simmering a minute, until it holds its shape.
Check the texture: it holds its shape on a spoon and slides off in one spoonful when the spoon is tilted, leaving little behind. On a fork it sits in a mound, and no liquid separates out.
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.