I'm not possitive so get a few more opinions, but it depends how mature the fish are. When they are little they should be able to eat flake food. I'm not sure what it will eat when its older and bigger. Hope this helps.
Hi. Not sure about making them food, but I have always fed them cichlid food since I got mine. They really love the Omega One brand. It comes in flakes and pellets. Fish are funny though. Each fish has its own preference.
I've never made fish food. I feed all my cichlids including my Oscar
Wardley Cichlid Flakes & Pellets
Hikari Gold Pellets
Frozen Brineshrimp
Frozen and Freeze-dried Bloodworms
Frozen & Freeze-dried Krill
Frozen Tubifex worms (only occasionally as they aren't really crazy about them)
And I'm always on the lookout for new things to feed them to keep their diet varied. My Oscar loves rosy reds but I keep them in a quarantine tank for at least 2-3 weeks before I give them to him.