Monthly Mingle - Kid's Lunch Round up

Read the MM round up here.
This is the first ever event I participated since I joined the blogosphere. So something special to me and it is thrilling to read the round up featuring my recipes. Here is an extract from the post.






Then we have Sree Vidya bringing in multiple choice for us to choose and each of them sound more interesting than the other. Am sure it would not be chore getting the kids eat these delicious Gobi Manchurian or the fancy Kathi roll.Her Macaroni hot pot is something to get done in jiffy not to mention the Paneer bhurji that can save your day anytime.



But lets start it all with her Nutty n Creamy Veg Soup, it sure to make anybody crave for more. She adds in nuts along with veggies, which makes it a ideal wholesome food for kids! Even if you can't pack it regularly, am sure you will find a way to send this along if your kid gets to fancy this!


Or this yummy Coconut Milk Pulav, which am sure any kid will fancy. So that's a great idea to share with other mommies right. This pulao is mild and is quite easy to get the kids take this!

Read the rest here and it's a great pleasure to go through other entries. Thanks for your nice words Srivalli and it is very encouraging.You are putting in a lot of effort to host such wonderful events and it is simply amazing!

Gobi Manchurian

Gobi manchurian is a chinese dish tweaked a bit to suit the Indian palate. I love to have it tangy and hot. This along with a plate of chinese fried rice is absolutely scrumptious. When I was working at Chennai Infosys, this used to be the featured lunch menu on fridays at the food court. It would be either manchurian/plain fried rice or schezwan fried rice on the menu and I would be eagerly waiting for the lunch time :) I grabbed my share hot-hot and if there were any early bird prizes, I would have won hands down. To tell the truth, the food was not so great and people who knew abt out chennai food court would endorse. But, a tiny piece of paper with 'chinese food' written on it is enough to amuse me and I also believe even the baddest cook can manage to cook it reasonably well. Incidentally, paper was also invented in China. Oh, I don't eat paper by the way. However, I should confess that I have never tasted authentic chinese food and people who have tried it say it is nowhere close to what we get in Indian restaurants. I am still contented with the Indo-chinese food and do not even want to visit a chinese restaurant. Ingredients:
Cauliflower - 1 cup
Rice flour,corn flour,maida - 1:1:1 (1.5 table spoon of each aprrox)
Capsicum - 1
Onion - 1
Oil to fry
salt to taste
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Orange color - 2 pinch (optional)
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Tomato ketchup - 1 tablespoon
Soya sauce - 2 tsp
Spring onions to garnish.

Method:
1. Break the cauliflower into medium size florets. Clean them by immersing in salted water for 5 min. I use lukewarm water but I have heard people telling it is better to use cold water as against some people telling hot water. So i choose to be moderate and use lukewarm. Someone please enlighten me as to which is the best. I always eat my caulifower with 100% belief that it's worm-free. I don't want to be paranoid here and lose the charm.
2. Make a batter with all the three flour,water,chilli powder,color,salt and ginger garlic paste.The consistency should be such that it sticks to the florets coating thoroughly. Deep fry in hot oil.
3. Cut the onion and capsicum into cubes.
4. Heat oil, fry the onions and capsicums till tender. Add the fried florets, tomato ketchup and soya sauce. Mix well and garnish with spring onions. Serve immediately with chinese fried rice.
I feel this is good to go with the rice and not much as a starter.


Click here for the chinese fried rice recipe. This time I tried a small variation. Reduced the amount of soya sauce to 1.5 tsp and added a tsp of white pepper powder. It just tasted as heavenly as before. One other tip is while frying veg for fried rice, do it over high flame quickly to get it crisp.
This is off to the kids lunch event as I find it good enough to fascinate the kids.

http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2009/03/monthly-mingle-31-kids-lunches.html http://whatsforlunchhoney.blogspot.com/2006/04/my-monthly-mingle.html

Macaroni hot pot

One more in a row to go for the kids lunch event. This is the first event I am participating after starting my blog and hence very enthusiastic about it. It is lot of fun. As and when I cook something which is fit enough to be eaten by kids, I send it off as an entry. Thanks Srivalli, for being such a good host. Eagerly waiting for the round-up!
This is cooked as a one-pot meal and with ingredients like cheese, butter, pasta etcetera, it is sure to impress everyone at home. But this is something to be served straight from the stove (oven) when the cheese is melty. What more do you need for a weekend lunch?

Ingredients:

Macaroni - 1 to 2 cups
Mozarella cheese - as you wish
Onions 2
Capsicum - 2
Butter - 2 tablespoon
tomatoes - 2
Tinned corn - 1/2 to 1 tin
For White sauce
maida - 1 cup
Milk 1/2 cup
Butter 1 tablespoon

Method:

1. Boil macaroni in hot water till tender.
2. Drain and keep aside.
3. Fry the chopped onions till tender and pink in the melted butter.
4. Add the macaroni, salt and 2tsp chilli powder. Mix well and keep aside.
5. Fry capsicum and tomato along with the corn.
6. Melt the butter, fry the maida, add the milk little by little and stir till the white sauce thickens.
7. Grease a baking tray and spread the macaroni. Top it with capsicum, tomato and spread the white sauce. Sprinkle the tomato sauce and cheese. Bake at 180 deg for 15 to 20 min or microwave high for 3 min.

Sure to melt in your mouth!
http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2009/03/monthly-mingle-31-kids-lunches.html http://whatsforlunchhoney.blogspot.com/2006/04/my-monthly-mingle.html

Paneer Bhurji & Kathi roll

I feel paneer and potato are similar in more ways than one. Both are versatile and universally acclaimed. Of course, paneer is mostly used by Indians but still those who taste it once, will crave for it ever. Not to mention, both of them starts with the letter 'p' :) I'm leaving the potatoes here and going ahead with paneer to make a very simple and quick dish - paneer bhurji. You can use your creativity to come up with various other recipes using this as the base.

Paneer is Indian cottage cheese which is a rich source of protein good enough to substitute for meat. I have also mixed a handful of spinach in this recipe for extra nutrition. It is always better to mix a variety of vegetables/ingredients to get all possible nutrients in a single meal.Not only that, this strategy can be used to make your kids(sometimes even adults) eat things which they normally resist. But ofkors, the ingredients should blend well to make the meal tasty.

Ingredients:
Grated Paneer 2 cups
Jeera - 2 tsp
Onions - 1 or 2 finely chopped
Tomatoes - 1 (grated)
Chopped spinach - half a cup
Crushed green chillies - 2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Dhania powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Kasoori methi - 1 tsp
Chopped Coriander to garnish
Salt to taste

Method :
1. Heat oil, season jeera, fry the onions.
2. Add the chillies and ginger garlic paste and fry.
3. Add spinach, fry half a minute and add the tomatoes.
4. Add the dry powders after the tomatoes get cooked.
5. Add paneer and a little water and cook till done. Be careful while adding salt as the paneer might be salty already. I made use of the masala paneer available in the Indian grocery. Give it a try.
6. Garnish with coriander and serve with rotis.

Serving tips:
1. You can use this to make paneer kathi rolls. Spread the paneer on the rotis and roll them tight to make the kathi rolls or wrap. You can heat it once on a tawa if you wish to. This can be used for travel or pack lunch boxes. It can be served anytime of the day. This is also a way to use your leftover rotis. You can also use this idea to conceal veggies which your kids don't eat otherwise.


2. You can stuff this inside dosa to make paneer masala dosa. The other way is, arrange 2 or 3 layers of dosa with paneer in between, roll them tight, slice them into pieces and serve. You can pour some curd on the top and serve as curd dosa similar to curd vada.

3. You can make paneer sandwiches by filling this in between bread slices and toasting it or even make stuffed paneer parathas.

Needless to say, this goes to the kids lunch event.

http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2009/03/monthly-mingle-31-kids-lunches.html http://whatsforlunchhoney.blogspot.com/2006/04/my-monthly-mingle.html

Nutty n Creamy Veg Soup

This richly flavored soup has the goodness of milk n nuts and the nourishment of vegetables which makes it a wholesome diet. It is absolutely healthy and a quick recipe. When I was thinking what to cook on a lazy afternoon, (Well, all my afternoons are synonymous with laziness) this recipe struck me. I added whatever I could lay my hands on and finally it did turnout lip-smacking. I always cook any dish as if I were an expert at that and so far the confidence has lent me a helping hand. I guess my passion for good food and the joy of making it all by myself are the driving forces for me to experiment with various recipes. Hope I will master it someday. So far so good. Let's get back to business now.
First comes the preparation of white sauce which is the base for any creamy soup.
Ingredients:
Milk - 1 to 1 1/2 cups.
Corn flour - 6tsp
Butter - 1 tablespoon

Method:
1. Melt the butter on a pan and fry the corn flour till the aroma comes out.
2. Add the milk little by little and boil till it thickens. Take care that no lumps form.

Now, for the soup.

Ingredients:

Grated Carrots - 1
Fresh green peas - half a cup
Spinach - a handful finely chopped
Almonds - 10
Cashews - 5
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Pressure cook the veggies, make it into a paste and keep aside.
2. Soak the almonds and cashews in water. Remove the skin of almonds and grind the nuts with a little milk. Now boil the paste with a little milk or microwave for a minute or two.
3. Mix the white sauce, nuts paste, veggie paste, salt and add enough water to bring it to a soup consistency. Bring it to boil. Add pepper.
Your heart warming soup is ready to serve. Though not a chinese preparation, I chose to garnish it with spring onions and it tasted good.

A nutty soup for the naughty kids out there and I am sending this kid-friendly soup to the monthly mingle.

http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2009/03/monthly-mingle-31-kids-lunches.html http://whatsforlunchhoney.blogspot.com/2006/04/my-monthly-mingle.html

Coconut Milk Pulav

which is a little different from the normal spicy pulav vareities. The colorful, sweet, nutritious, non-spicy and yummy dish is an ideal meal for kids. Why am I suddenly concerned about cooking for kids? Read through the post.




Ingredients:

Basmathi rice - 1 cup (Soaked in water for 10 min)
Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Carrot - 1 sliced diagonally
Peas - half a cup
Cloves - 2
Green chillies slitted - 1 or 2
Cashews fried in ghee - 5 to 10
Butter - 2 tsp
Jeera - 2 tsp
Chopped coriander to garnish
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat the cooker vessel, add the butter and season with jeera and cloves.
2. Add the soaked rice and coconut milk. Add half a cup of water.
3. Add the veg, chillies, salt and cook till done. (10 to 15 min in medium flame) Don't use the weight.
4. Garnish with chopped coriander and fried cashews.

Serving Tip : Remove the cloves and add a dollop of ghee. Serve with potato wafers and curd.

I made this for dinner yesterday and only then did I notice this event. What a coincidence!!!
And now you get the drift as to why I was talking about kid's lunch.
Sending my recipe to the events.

http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2009/03/monthly-mingle-31-kids-lunches.html
http://whatsforlunchhoney.blogspot.com/2006/04/my-monthly-mingle.html