Get your toes tapping to a Bollywood soundtrack as you explore Indian cuisine with your kids in the kitchen. There’s lots to smell and taste and plenty of not-too-spicy dishes that children will love to make and eat. Namaste!

New Tastes
Set up an aromatic tasting-smelling platter for your kids to get a glimpse of the colorful, varied world of Indian cuisine. Since spices dominate the complex flavors of most Indian dishes, you’ll have a lot to smell and taste.

• Basmati rice


• Cardamom


• Chai tea


• Cloves


• Coriander (dried) and fresh cilantro


• Cumin


• Curry powder


• Garam masala (spice mix)


• Ginger


• Mango


• Tamarind paste


• Turmeric

Special Tools
You can make wonderful Indian food with standard kitchen equipment found in most Western kitchens, but some things to talk about with your kids are a mortar and pestle (for grinding those fragrant spices!), a karhai or Indian wok-style cooking vessel, and a masala dabba or masala dani, the traditional Indian spice box with seven stainless steel containers and a small spoon.

Fun Facts about Indian Food

• India has over 1 billion inhabitants and 15 major languages—now that’s big!


• Instead of multiple courses, Indian meals are based around rice or bread served with an assortment of savory dishes; this is called a thali and in the South it’s often served on a large banana leaf.


• Most people in India believe that eating with their hands makes the food taste better and wash carefully before and afterwards.


• A large portion of the Indian population practice some form of vegetarianism—the Hindu and Sikh don’t eat any beef and many Hindu people don’t eat any meat at all.

1. Spinach or Peas and Fresh Cheese
Paneer is a fresh, mild Indian cheese that’s most well-known here for its pairing with spinach in the creamy dish known as either Saag or Palek Paneer. For a more kid-friendly dish, replace the spinach with peas for equally traditional and delicious Mutter Paneer. You can even make the paneer together to really create the whole dish from scratch!

Recipe to try: Saag Paneer

or

Paneer Recipe in Palek Paneer

2. Mango Lassi
Lassis can come salty or sweet—the salty version often has spices added to this creamy yogurt drink while the sweet may be scented with rosewater or blended with mango. Any kid who likes a smoothie will love this sweet and fruity treat. Show your children how to cut a mango by slicing off the meat alongside the flat pits, scoring with a knife, and cutting the scored pieces off the skin. After that, it’s just a matter of a quick whirr in the blender!

Recipe to try: Mango Lassi

3. Naan Bread
Most of us don't have tandoori ovens at home to get the perfect char-grilled texture of classic naan bread, but you can make this chewy flatbread together and practice your kneading skills while testing a traditional accompaniment to Indian meals. Try taking the bread out early and grilling it on a pan
to get more of the savory charred flavor.

Recipe to try: Naan Bread

4. Carrot Halwa
Extra-sweet Indian confections—many based on super-reduced milk—can be served with a meal or as a snack. Carrot Halwa is one that’s not only easy to make, but is a relatively healthy dessert with lots of grated carrots and nuts. Just mix together about 3 grated carrots, 1 quart whole milk, 1/2 cup cream, and 3/4 cup sugar, bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour. Stir in 3/4 cups ground almonds or cashews, 3 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and garnish with slivered toasted almonds. Serve warm or cold.

Next month we’ll learn all about la cuisine in France!