Bhorta Bhorta Baby! A mashy squishy potato party

A baby watches an adult making bhorta, a South Asian dish of spicy mashed potatoes: potatoes go in to boil, then chillies and onion are fried up. Baby mashes the squishy potatoes: such fun! Then the oil and salt is added and the bhorta is made into little balls. Yummy! 

This charming board book celebrates food and cooking – one of the true pleasures of everyday life – and helps little ones start to understand how food is made, as well as fostering positive attitudes towards food and eating healthily.

There aren’t a huge number of books on the market featuring food from specific cultures, either, so it’s wonderful to see a book representing South Asian food too (and a useful recipe for bhorta, for the adults reading!) – as well as a celebration of the humble potato. 

Maryam Huq’s adorable, colourful illustration works perfectly to create a cosy sense of home, and Jumana Rahman’s text uses plenty of expressive language (splash, bubble, chop, mashy, squishy) as well as a song-type rhythm and rhyme, perfect for learning new words and practising speech. A lovely book.