Cooking up a li’l storm

KOCHI: From bread and cookies to apple pies and burgers, many children are nowadays preparing their favourite delicacies at home. For many, it has become a new hobby.

Parents also support their children in cooking up a storm in the kitchen as it inculcates healthy eating habits too. As Children’s Day is around the corner, TNIE speaks to chefs, parents, and health experts to know healthy eating practices for children.  

‘Homemade is better’
Food delivery apps have made our lives easier. “But do we order healthy options at least for our children?” asks home chef and television anchor Priya Kolassery. The mother of an adolescent also stresses that children don’t generally need a specific diet. “All one needs to focus on is feeding them nutritious food which would take their metabolism on the right track,” she says.

“The habit of eating right must be inculcated from a young age. Components like cereal, pulses, fruits, sugar, meat, egg and good fat must be included in their diet. Fibre content is important in their diet.”  According to her, traditional homemade snacks are tummy-filling and easily digestible.

“Western brunches can be homemade too in a healthy way. Whatever be the cuisine, ensure the child is given homemade food and create the culture of eating from home.”

Sharing some tips on healthy eating among children, Priya says replacing cooking oils with olive oil will help children’s metabolism. Giving Vitamin C-rich fruits, apples, raspberries and pears instead of packaged snacks will provide antioxidants and prevent constipation in children.

She suggests one spoonful of ghee also for kids.Being a mother and actress Elsa George, known as Muktha, says she is determined to provide her daughter Kanmani with the taste of home.

Even during busy shooting schedules, she creates easy-peasy healthy snacks for her toddler.“Children need variety and we must ensure healthy aspects in food too. So I sometimes make wheat ada for a school snack. It is made using wheat flour, grated coconut, jaggery and ripened banana. Some kids will not eat a banana if we give it to them as it is. Through recipes like these, we can make them eat fruits. We can also develop different types of recipes and replace sugar with jaggery,” she adds.

Self-cooking, the new fad
Kochi-based cooking trainer Mahima Simon says that for the past two years more boys have been enrolling in her summer cooking class. The former kindergarten teacher has been taking cooking classes during summer vacation since 2012 and says there is no gender when it comes to learning cooking.

“More boys are coming to learn cooking as they do not want to depend on others for this basic necessity in life. Cooking makes one independent,”she says.

“No matter the gender, preparing food is a good quality and necessity in life. I teach the basics, starting with baking. I start cooking with fire later, that too with strict guidelines. Children generally prefer to prepare cookies, burgers, sandwiches, cakes and even drinks”.

EAT RIGHT   
The need to eat healthy and right is a better way to avoid lifestyle diseases and PCODs in women, says the celebrity dietitian and nutritionist Lekshmy Manish. Lack of exercise means you need to pay more attention to eating healthily. “I know it is difficult to afford the proper nutrition per cent for a child in financially struggling families. A child of three to 14 years needs 20 to 30 grams of protein per day. One boiled egg, a cup of milk or 10 badam nuts etc can be given. Do not feed them to fill their stomach, make them eat heartily and healthily,” she says. According to her, when we eat junk and advise our kids to eat healthily it does not work. “We have to become the first example for them to turn into healthy individuals. The wrong eating in boys also results in hormonal issues. For PCOD and hormonal issues apart from taking medical prescriptions, regulating the gut is important. No matter the climate, ensure to drink 2 to 3 litres of water per day. And 8hrs of sleep is a must,” she says.

RAGI DIGESTIVE BISCUITS

Ingredients
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (100g)
1/2 cup rolled oats powdered (45g)
1/4 cup ragi flour (30g)
1/2 cup jaggery powder or brown sugar (75g)
4 tbsp butter (56g)
3 tbsp cold milk (45ml)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preparation
Sift the whole wheat flour, ragi flour and baking soda into a mixing bowl. Add the powdered oats and jaggery powder (or brown sugar) to the flour and mix well
To this add butter and mix them with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add milk, a tablespoon at a time and knead the dough just until it comes together. Do not overwork the dough else the cookies will turn out tough.
Flatten the dough into a disc and cling wrap the dough. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Remove the cling wrap from the refrigerated dough and place it between two sheets of parchment paper/butter paper and roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.
Use a cookie cutter and cut out the cookies.
Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper/aluminium foil. Alternately using a toothpick to poke holes in the biscuits.
Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until it turn light golden colour. Thinner cookies would require only 10-12 minutes in the oven.
Remove the tray from the oven and let sit on the tray for a minute before transferring it to a wire rack. The biscuits will turn crispy and crunchy in cooling. Once cooled completely transfer to an airtight container. The cookies will stay good for 2 weeks when kept in an airtight container.

JUNIOR MASTER CHEF KICHA
Remember a young Malayali boy who appeared on the popular Ellen DeGeneres TV show in 2016? Yes, that’s young Nihal Raj, also known as Kicha, a Kochi native who went viral after making Kerala breakfast puttu and kadala at the show. The young prodigy now aged 12 is an eggetarian who focuses more on cooking healthy recipes and posting them on his YouTube channel, Kichatube-HD.

“I always look at the healthy side while making recipes of my own as I want my friends also to eat right. I suggest whenever you cook, look for healthy alternatives like olive oil and jaggery or honey in place of sugar. However, the youngster considers cooking as an art. “Cooking is always an experimental process for me. What gives me utmost happiness is when I see the glow on another person’s face after eating my dish,” says Kicha.

Preparation
Saute ripe banana in ghee, then add grated coconut to it.
Cook for a couple of minutes. Mix honey and cardamom. Add fried cashew nuts and raisins.
Switch off the flame. Once it cools down roll into balls. Take desiccated coconut and crushed cornflakes in two separate plates. Roll these balls first in desiccated coconut and then in crushed cornflakes. Your yummy and healthy banana laddus are ready.

BANANA LADDU

Banana Laddu is the quick and easy-to-make laddu ever. This sweet treat can be a good
after-school snack.

Ingredients
Ghee 2 tbs
Ripe plantain 1 Cup
Grated Coconut ¼ Cup
Honey 3 tbs
Cardamom Powder ¼ tsp
Fried Cashew Nuts – 1 tbs
Fried Raisins 1 tbs
Desiccated Coconut ½ Cup
Crushed Corn Flakes ½ Cup

MERINGUE COOKIES

Recipe by Revathi K P, class 8 student
It was during lockdown when Revathi tried her hands at baking. She later explored cookies, muffins, macron varieties and more. For Revathy cooking gives happiness and confidence.  “I have wheezing issue, so eating out is risky. So I started searching for snacks that are safe on YouTube.

Soon I started making healthy snacks,” says the baker. She uses palm sugar, wheat, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds as ingredients. She also make wheat bread and bun at home for her homemade burgers and sandwiches. Revathi’s mother Suja Priyesh who is also a techie, supports her daughter’s self-cooking endeavour.

Meringue cookies are light as air. These sweet delights only call for 5 ingredients and are under 25 calories.

Ingredients
4 egg whites, 1 cup sugar, 1 pinch salt, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar/lemon juice
Preparation
Set oven to 95°C. Separate the egg whites one at a time into a small bowl then transfer each white to the bowl of your stand mixer.
Add the cream of tartar and salt to the mixing bowl then begin mixing on low and gradually increase the speed to high.
Once the egg whites have frothed up you can begin sprinkling in the sugar.
After the sugar has been added it’s time to add the vanilla extract.
Your meringue is done once it has a thick texture and can hold stiff peaks.
Use a pastry bag to pipe your meringues allowing at least an inch of space between each.
Bake at 95°C on the center rack for about an hour, then turn the oven off and keep the door closed for an additional 1-2 hours.

APPLE PIE POCKETS / APPLE STRUDELS

Recipe by Sagnika Dutta, degree student at the University College, Thiruvananthapuram
The native of West Bengal has been in love with cooking since the age of 10. As she was barred from cooking on fire as a child, the youngster started experimenting with baking. Later, she tried her hands at continental and Asian cuisines. “Cooking has been a great stressbuster for me, and it is a source of happiness as well,’’ she says.

Ingredients
4 apples
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 cup sugar
Puff pastry sheet

Preparation
Chop apples into small pieces and put them in a bowl. Then add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder, 1 cup of sugar, and a bit of lime juice. Mix them and keep it aside.

Take one puff pastry sheet and put two spoonfuls of the apple mixture and then cover with one more puff pastry sheet. Press the edges with a fork to seal them.
Poke a few holes and then bake at 190°C for 15-20 mins. Serve it hot.

CARROT AND ORANGE FRUITSICLES

Recipe by:  Priya Kolassery

Ingredients
Carrot juice 1 cup
Orange juice 1 cup
Sugar 1/3 cup
Milk 1/2 cup
Corn flour
2 tablespoon

Preparation
Mix cornflour in the milk and set to boil.
Take a pan and mix orange, and carrot juices with sugar and warm it on low flame. Pour this mixture into the cooled milk and cornflour solution.
Pour this mix into ice mould or glasses by fixing a popsicle stick in middle. Refrigerate them for 24 hours. And enjoy it.

KOCHI: From bread and cookies to apple pies and burgers, many children are nowadays preparing their favourite delicacies at home. For many, it has become a new hobby. Parents also support their children in cooking up a storm in the kitchen as it inculcates healthy eating habits too. As Children’s Day is around the corner, TNIE speaks to chefs, parents, and health experts to know healthy eating practices for children.   ‘Homemade is better’ Food delivery apps have made our lives easier. “But do we order healthy options at least for our children?” asks home chef and television anchor Priya Kolassery. The mother of an adolescent also stresses that children don’t generally need a specific diet. “All one needs to focus on is feeding them nutritious food which would take their metabolism on the right track,” she says. “The habit of eating right must be inculcated from a young age. Components like cereal, pulses, fruits, sugar, meat, egg and good fat must be included in their diet. Fibre content is important in their diet.”  According to her, traditional homemade snacks are tummy-filling and easily digestible. “Western brunches can be homemade too in a healthy way. Whatever be the cuisine, ensure the child is given homemade food and create the culture of eating from home.” Sharing some tips on healthy eating among children, Priya says replacing cooking oils with olive oil will help children’s metabolism. Giving Vitamin C-rich fruits, apples, raspberries and pears instead of packaged snacks will provide antioxidants and prevent constipation in children. She suggests one spoonful of ghee also for kids.Being a mother and actress Elsa George, known as Muktha, says she is determined to provide her daughter Kanmani with the taste of home. Even during busy shooting schedules, she creates easy-peasy healthy snacks for her toddler.“Children need variety and we must ensure healthy aspects in food too. So I sometimes make wheat ada for a school snack. It is made using wheat flour, grated coconut, jaggery and ripened banana. Some kids will not eat a banana if we give it to them as it is. Through recipes like these, we can make them eat fruits. We can also develop different types of recipes and replace sugar with jaggery,” she adds. Self-cooking, the new fad Kochi-based cooking trainer Mahima Simon says that for the past two years more boys have been enrolling in her summer cooking class. The former kindergarten teacher has been taking cooking classes during summer vacation since 2012 and says there is no gender when it comes to learning cooking. “More boys are coming to learn cooking as they do not want to depend on others for this basic necessity in life. Cooking makes one independent,”she says. “No matter the gender, preparing food is a good quality and necessity in life. I teach the basics, starting with baking. I start cooking with fire later, that too with strict guidelines. Children generally prefer to prepare cookies, burgers, sandwiches, cakes and even drinks”. EAT RIGHT    The need to eat healthy and right is a better way to avoid lifestyle diseases and PCODs in women, says the celebrity dietitian and nutritionist Lekshmy Manish. Lack of exercise means you need to pay more attention to eating healthily. “I know it is difficult to afford the proper nutrition per cent for a child in financially struggling families. A child of three to 14 years needs 20 to 30 grams of protein per day. One boiled egg, a cup of milk or 10 badam nuts etc can be given. Do not feed them to fill their stomach, make them eat heartily and healthily,” she says. According to her, when we eat junk and advise our kids to eat healthily it does not work. “We have to become the first example for them to turn into healthy individuals. The wrong eating in boys also results in hormonal issues. For PCOD and hormonal issues apart from taking medical prescriptions, regulating the gut is important. No matter the climate, ensure to drink 2 to 3 litres of water per day. And 8hrs of sleep is a must,” she says. RAGI DIGESTIVE BISCUITS Ingredients 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (100g) 1/2 cup rolled oats powdered (45g) 1/4 cup ragi flour (30g) 1/2 cup jaggery powder or brown sugar (75g) 4 tbsp butter (56g) 3 tbsp cold milk (45ml) 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt Preparation Sift the whole wheat flour, ragi flour and baking soda into a mixing bowl. Add the powdered oats and jaggery powder (or brown sugar) to the flour and mix well To this add butter and mix them with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time and knead the dough just until it comes together. Do not overwork the dough else the cookies will turn out tough. Flatten the dough into a disc and cling wrap the dough. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Remove the cling wrap from the refrigerated dough and place it between two sheets of parchment paper/butter paper and roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter and cut out the cookies. Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper/aluminium foil. Alternately using a toothpick to poke holes in the biscuits. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until it turn light golden colour. Thinner cookies would require only 10-12 minutes in the oven. Remove the tray from the oven and let sit on the tray for a minute before transferring it to a wire rack. The biscuits will turn crispy and crunchy in cooling. Once cooled completely transfer to an airtight container. The cookies will stay good for 2 weeks when kept in an airtight container. JUNIOR MASTER CHEF KICHA Remember a young Malayali boy who appeared on the popular Ellen DeGeneres TV show in 2016? Yes, that’s young Nihal Raj, also known as Kicha, a Kochi native who went viral after making Kerala breakfast puttu and kadala at the show. The young prodigy now aged 12 is an eggetarian who focuses more on cooking healthy recipes and posting them on his YouTube channel, Kichatube-HD. “I always look at the healthy side while making recipes of my own as I want my friends also to eat right. I suggest whenever you cook, look for healthy alternatives like olive oil and jaggery or honey in place of sugar. However, the youngster considers cooking as an art. “Cooking is always an experimental process for me. What gives me utmost happiness is when I see the glow on another person’s face after eating my dish,” says Kicha. Preparation Saute ripe banana in ghee, then add grated coconut to it. Cook for a couple of minutes. Mix honey and cardamom. Add fried cashew nuts and raisins. Switch off the flame. Once it cools down roll into balls. Take desiccated coconut and crushed cornflakes in two separate plates. Roll these balls first in desiccated coconut and then in crushed cornflakes. Your yummy and healthy banana laddus are ready. BANANA LADDU Banana Laddu is the quick and easy-to-make laddu ever. This sweet treat can be a good after-school snack. Ingredients Ghee 2 tbs Ripe plantain 1 Cup Grated Coconut ¼ Cup Honey 3 tbs Cardamom Powder ¼ tsp Fried Cashew Nuts – 1 tbs Fried Raisins 1 tbs Desiccated Coconut ½ Cup Crushed Corn Flakes ½ Cup MERINGUE COOKIES Recipe by Revathi K P, class 8 student It was during lockdown when Revathi tried her hands at baking. She later explored cookies, muffins, macron varieties and more. For Revathy cooking gives happiness and confidence.  “I have wheezing issue, so eating out is risky. So I started searching for snacks that are safe on YouTube. Soon I started making healthy snacks,” says the baker. She uses palm sugar, wheat, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds as ingredients. She also make wheat bread and bun at home for her homemade burgers and sandwiches. Revathi’s mother Suja Priyesh who is also a techie, supports her daughter’s self-cooking endeavour. Meringue cookies are light as air. These sweet delights only call for 5 ingredients and are under 25 calories. Ingredients 4 egg whites, 1 cup sugar, 1 pinch salt, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar/lemon juice Preparation Set oven to 95°C. Separate the egg whites one at a time into a small bowl then transfer each white to the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the cream of tartar and salt to the mixing bowl then begin mixing on low and gradually increase the speed to high. Once the egg whites have frothed up you can begin sprinkling in the sugar. After the sugar has been added it’s time to add the vanilla extract. Your meringue is done once it has a thick texture and can hold stiff peaks. Use a pastry bag to pipe your meringues allowing at least an inch of space between each. Bake at 95°C on the center rack for about an hour, then turn the oven off and keep the door closed for an additional 1-2 hours. APPLE PIE POCKETS / APPLE STRUDELS Recipe by Sagnika Dutta, degree student at the University College, Thiruvananthapuram The native of West Bengal has been in love with cooking since the age of 10. As she was barred from cooking on fire as a child, the youngster started experimenting with baking. Later, she tried her hands at continental and Asian cuisines. “Cooking has been a great stressbuster for me, and it is a source of happiness as well,’’ she says. Ingredients 4 apples 1 tsp cinnamon powder 1 cup sugar Puff pastry sheet Preparation Chop apples into small pieces and put them in a bowl. Then add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder, 1 cup of sugar, and a bit of lime juice. Mix them and keep it aside. Take one puff pastry sheet and put two spoonfuls of the apple mixture and then cover with one more puff pastry sheet. Press the edges with a fork to seal them. Poke a few holes and then bake at 190°C for 15-20 mins. Serve it hot. CARROT AND ORANGE FRUITSICLES Recipe by:  Priya Kolassery Ingredients Carrot juice 1 cup Orange juice 1 cup Sugar 1/3 cup Milk 1/2 cup Corn flour 2 tablespoon Preparation Mix cornflour in the milk and set to boil. Take a pan and mix orange, and carrot juices with sugar and warm it on low flame. Pour this mixture into the cooled milk and cornflour solution. Pour this mix into ice mould or glasses by fixing a popsicle stick in middle. Refrigerate them for 24 hours. And enjoy it.