PhD research scholar Neeraja Subrahmaniyan’s kitchen is a “science laboratory” where her little cousins, nieces and nephews get creative. “My cousin likes to peel fruits and vegetables, shell peas, stir soups, handle ladles and spoons, and loves to offer her opinion on what has to be done,” says Neeraja. She came up with the recipe for a layered fruit salad when her cousin wanted them to create something together. Her Fancy Fruit Salad is one among the 10 recipes published in Cooking Is…Child’s Play, an e-book brought out by Women’s Web.
Featuring tips from mothers on getting kids into the kitchen and a host of recipes you can try out with children, this book is available for free download at www.womensweb.in.
The recipes range from fruit salads and sandwiches to chocolate cupcakes and ‘painting box parathas’. Says website editor Aparna V Singh: “In July last year, we ran a blog contest on our website. We had asked bloggers to send recipes of dishes that can be cooked with children.” A few months ago, Aparna and Anne John (content manager, Women’s Web) decided to compile the recipes and make them available online.
They took a month to work on Cooking Is…, and it was launched on June 5, right when the Junior Masterchef Australia fever was catching on. “Apart from the recipes, we have also included a couple of articles on how and when to start cooking with your child,” says Aparna.
Ancy George, whose article and recipe have been published in the book, recalls how when she started cooking, all she knew was to boil an egg. “When my daughter was born, I knew I had to graduate from ‘safe cooking’ to something more.”
Ancy claims she developed a passion for cooking with the sessions she had with her kids. “My kids are my muse. I started out by teaching my daughter the names of day-to-day foods. As a two-year-old she learnt colours, textures and names.”
Soon, they started baking cakes, cutting cookie dough and mashing biscuits. “My son came along and got involved. Soon, they understood that cooking, stirring the pot, cutting the dough and rolling out rotis was just one part. Washing dishes and keeping the kitchen clean was another. Imagine my surprise when I got back home one day to find my kids standing on stools at the kitchen sink and washing dishes!”
Bonding exercise
Lavanya Donthamshetty, who contributes food-based content for Women’s Web, believes that cooking as a family is a great bonding exercise. “I started cooking with my kids when they were young. We lived in England where the concept of ‘children in the kitchen’ is encouraged,” she says. “My son has been my commis chef since he was three. My husband also joins in with dinner prep. Making dinner is a family affair.”
Aparna mentions this is the first e-book of the website, and they’ve had about 150 downloads. Moushumi Palit, a freelance consultant from London, came to know about the book through a Facebook update. She downloaded it out of curiosity.
“Most of us don’t let our kids into the kitchen for fear of accidents or adding to our stress. This e-book, while taking that into account, offers brilliant yet simple suggestions that one could incorporate in day-to-day life.”
Moushumi has been involving her kids in her baking experiments, and now, thanks to the book, she is ready to make Pepper Egg Rings and Lemon Mint Cooler with them. “The twins love cooking and being in the kitchen! The other day, when we were discussing what our favourite hobbies are, one of them said, ‘Daddy likes running, Mamma likes to take pictures and Me likes to cook’. I can’t describe how thrilled I was. I had visions of him running a Michelin-starred restaurant!”
Teaming up in the kitchen
Gives kids an early comfort level with cooking
Is an interesting way to teach nutrition
Makes kids less picky
Gives you a little helper in the kitchen
Makes home-made food more interesting
