Image: https://unsplash.com/photos/uWt3ek5hsJ8 Children love to eat at fast food places since the food, visuals, and fancy and colorful characters used to market these establishments appeal to their tastes. Eating fast food fare once in a while as a treat won’t likely cause harm to a child’s health, but consuming burgers and other fried and highly processed foods frequently can have a negative impact on your little one’s wellbeing and academic performance. According to research, fast food intake more than thrice a week can increase the risks of developing health conditions such as asthma, rhinitis, and eczema in children. Moreover, the study also revealed that eating unhealthy food 4 to 6 times a week can lower a child’s math and reading skills.
To ensure that your child stays healthy, take time to make healthful meals at home, such as pizza from scratch , instead of ordering from a fast food place. Teaching kids to cook may also encourage them to make better food choices. This year, teach your children to make these easy-to-cook Indian dishes that aren’t just good for the body, but are oh-so-delicious too.
Spicy Vegetable Stir Fry
If you’re planning to let your child join you in the kitchen, it’s important to take some precautions to prevent accidents from happening while you’re prepping and cooking meals. You’ll need to supervise them while they’re using the stove, and it’s also essential to equip them with kid friendly cooking tools such as non-slip bowls, nylon knives, and an apron. You’ll also need to have a sturdy step stool so they can easily reach the counter. Once you have all of these ready, think about recipes that you can cook togethe r. One of the easiest dishes to make with a child is stir fry, so consider making a spicy veggie stir fry.
First, heat some oil in a pan and fry up half a cup of paneer cubes. Set it aside. In the same pan, saute some curry leaves, cumin, mustard and ginger, then add about a cup of cauliflower and one-fourth cup of green peas. Add salt and turmeric, then cover the pan and cook until the cauliflower is tender. Add a chopped boiled potato, one chopped carrot, bell pepper strips and one chopped tomato, then mix until cooked. Finish by adding masala powder, pepper powder, and amchar powder.
Mango Lassi
If your child is craving something sweet, try making a simple mango lassi in the kitchen. It’s healthier than ice cream or soft drinks since it isn’t loaded with artificial flavors, and it’s refreshing, especially on a hot day. Moreover, it aids digestion so it’s best consumed after a meal. To make mango lassi, place a cup of chopped ripe mango, 1 cup of plain yogurt, half a cup of milk, 3 tablespoons of honey and some ice in a blender. Pour the mixture into glasses and sprinkle some ground cardamom or cinnamon on top before serving.
Cheese Balls
For a healthy and delicious appetizer or snack, consider making some cheese balls with your child. To make this savory dish, combine 1 and a half cups of grated processed cheese or mozzarella cheese with 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons corn flour, 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, and 2 teaspoons chopped green chilies with some salt in a bowl. Divide the mixture into 25 to 30 portions and shape each portion into a round ball with your hands. Deep fry the cheese balls in oil until golden, drain, then serve with chili sauce or ketchup.
Teaching kids to cook helps them make good food choices, which can lead to better health. Consider these easy Indian dishes to teach your little chef, and make delicious food that everyone can enjoy.
Recipe for traditional patti kuzhambu made during pongal celebrations in the region of Tamilnadu. Traditionally the kuzhambu / curry is served for lunch with rice.
Patti Kuzhambu is a vegetable lentil curry made during the harvest festival of Pongal in January. In villages of Tamilnadu, the second day of the festival is considered very important. It is called maatu pongal (cow pongal). It is celebrated mainly to thank the farm animals. The animals, mainly cows are bathed, horns are polished and painted, and the barns – whitewashed. On this day, Patti kuzhambu is made and served during lunch for everyone on the farm. “Patti” is essentially an Indian-style barn used for housing farm animals. On this day, the family and the workers on the farm come together to celebrate the festival. A communal meal is served. Before the meal, they say their prayers and thanks to the sun, and the animals and chant “பட்டி பெருகனும்” – “patti peruganum” meaning let the farm be blessed with prosperity for the coming year. Patti Kuzhambu is made with grains and country vegetables. It is served with the season’s first harvest of raw rice. In Kongunadu, the main grains that are consumed throughout the year are horse gram, cowpea, and green gram. This curry is made with these grains and a variety of country veggies are added. A tamarind-coconut masala paste is added and made into a curry.
Fresh turmeric is available during the Pongal season and fresh turmeric is used for making this curry. Dried turmeric powder can also be used for making the curry during off-season.
This recipe is made in four parts.
- The lentils are soaked, cooked and set aside. 2. The lentils are added to the vegetables and cooked again. The lentils become very soft by the time the vegetables are done cooking. 3. A masala paste called the “Aravai Masala” is made by sauteing spices, shallots, tamarind, and coconut. The Aravai masala is then added to the vegetables and lentils and simmered for a few minutes. 4. The kuzhambu is finally finished by adding a tempering of shallots and spices.
The Lentils Predominantly native lentils that belong to the region like horse gram, cowpea, and green moong is used to make patti kuzhambu. The Vegetables Country vegetables that are usually grown on the farm are used for making this kuzhambu. Field beans / Mochai, Arasanikkai (yellow pumpkin) are available in plenty during the harvest season and are used to make patti kuzhambu. Aravai Masala A masala paste is made by sauteing spices in oil. Shallots, tamarind and coconut are added at the end and ground to a smooth paste. This paste is what gives the kuzhambu its texture, thickness and flavour. Tempering Finally shallots are fried along with spices and added to the kuzhambu.
Here is the video of how to make Patti Kuzhambu
Cooking lentils for Patti Kuzhambu
2 tablespoon cowpea 2 tablespoon horse gram 2 tablespoon green moong 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Indian sesame oil 1 -inch fresh peeled turmeric root 2 cups water
Vegetables and Other Ingredients
3 cups water (divided) 1/4 cup mochai / field beans 1/2 cup diced yellow pumpkin 1 drumstick, cut 1 raw plantain, diced 1/2 cup elephant foot yam, diced 3 brinjals, cut into four s 1/2 teaspoon fresh turmeric, grated 1 teaspoon salt
Patti Kuzhambu Aravai Masala
2 tablespoons Indian sesame oil 1.5 tablespoon chana dal 2 teaspoon coriander seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 6 dried red chillies 1 sprig of curry leaves 1/4 cup shallots, chopped 1 gooseberry-sized tamarind 1/4 cup fresh shredded coconut 3/4 cup water
Tempering for Patti Kuzhambu
1 tablespoon Indian sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 2 dried red chillies 1 sprig of curry leaves 2 tablespoon shallots, sliced
Cooking the Lentils
Wash and soak the lentils in water for about 30 minutes. After soking the lentils, drain the water used for soaking. Add the drained lentils to a pressure cooker. I have used a 3 liter cooker for this recipe. Add about 2 cups of water, half a teaspoon of salt, little oil and a piece of fresh turmeric. If you do not have fresh turmeric, you can omit it. Cover the cooker and add its whistle weight. Cook for 15 minutes on a medium flame. Ignore the number of whistles. After the said time, remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure settle on its own. Open the cooker and discard the turmeric used. Set aside.
Making the Kuzhambu
Take a heavy pan and add in the vegetables and the cooked lentils. Make sure to chop the vegetables uniform in size so they cook evenly. Add little grated turmeric or dried turmeric powder and the salt. Mix well to combine. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the vegetables should be cooked but firm. At this stage, add the Aravai Masala. Add a cup of water and mix well to combine. Cover the pan and simmer the kuzhambu for 5 minutes. Finally, add the tempering. Serve hot with rice.
Here is how to make Aravai Masala
Add Indian sesame oil to a pan. Add in the chana dal and roast the dal on a low flame for a minute. Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chillies (adjust the chillies according to your taste), and curry leaves. Saute for a few seconds. Add the chopped shallots. Saute for a few minutes till the shallots are soft. Add in the tamarind and fresh shredded coconut. Roast everything for a minute. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool. Transfer the mixture to a mixie. Add up to a cup of water and grind to a paste.
Tempering
Take a small kadai and add in Indian sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add the red chillies, curry leaves, and sliced shallots. Saute till the shallots are starting to brown. Once it’s lite brown, the tempering is ready.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 20m
- Cook Time: 40m
