kids corner

Popcorn Cone

July 6, 2013 By

Here is an delicious and kids friendly recipe. Kids will love this as it looks so attractive and will surely make them to have a bit 🙂 This is an delicious snack which i made for my daughter’s last day school snack 🙂 Kids loved it and happily enjoy each and every bite if this chewy delight :). As kids love both marshmallows and popcorns this is a combination of boths kids favourite snack presented in an ice cream like pattern 🙂 Lets move to this delicious and attractive kids special snack recipe 🙂

Ingredients

1 cup popcorn kernels
1-3 tbsp cooking oil (i use cooking olive oil)
8 cups mini marshmallows
1/4 cup butter
12 sugar cones ( I used color full cones to make it look more attractive )
optional -sprinkles. jelly beans and M&Ms

Method

Pop popcorn according to package directions if you are using an instant popcorn mix or microwavable popcorn mix.

Popping Popcorn kernel on stove top :

Pour cooking oil in to heavy 3 quart or larger pan with a lid on top.
Heat the oil and pour the pop corn kernels in the oil , cover pan and turn the heat to medium high.
Once the popcorn starts to pop shake the pan gently with the cover on (donot ever remove the lid till you here the popping sound else it may pop up on your skin )
While popping slows 2-3 seconds apart, remove pan from heat and carefully transfer into a bowl .
After this stage is you want to munch some popcorn as is you can season them with some salt and munch them . But as we are making a sweet treat for kids we have little more work to do .

Assembling Pop-corn cone :

Pour in the pop corns in a large bowl and remove any unpopped kernels.
If you are filling your cones with M&Ms do this now and set aside.
Also, if you are garnishing with sprinkles, it’s easiest to pour the sprinkles into a bowl so that you can dip your popcorn ball into them.
In a large pan melt butter over low heat. When melted add in marshmallows and stir until melted.
Pour the melted marshmallows over popcorn and stir until coated completely and evenly.

Immediately spray your hands lightly with cooking spray and form into 3″ balls and press gently onto the cone. You need to do this gently so the cone doesn’t break.
As soon as the popcorn is on the cone dip in your sprinkles.
Transfer to a wax paper lined counter or baking sheet to set up.
Individually wrap or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

This an excellent treat for kids and they we love to

Masala vada/Masal vadai Recipe | Paruppu Vadai

January 17, 2013 By manjulabharathkumar@gmail.com

Masala vada/masal vadai is one among the favorite snack of tamil nadu . Masal vadai are the crispy delight prepared from channa dal soaked and ground in to coarse paste in which onion, green chilli , ginger,fennel seeds and salt is added, after which they are shaped and deep fried in hot oil till golden and crispy beauties. slurrrp !!! mouth watering right?? My mom never fails to make these in rainy days so i learn’t to make masala vada from her .. lets quickly look into the ingredients and method to make these delicious vadas..

Ingredients

Channa dal/Bengal gram dhal- 1 cup
Onion-1 no ( finely chopped)
Green chillies-3 nos ( finely chopped)
Fennel seeds/ sombu-1 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Mint leaves – 4- 5 ( chopped)
Ginger – 1 inch piece

Salt as needed

Method

Soak Channa dal for 3 – 4 hours. After 3-4 hours drain channa dal completely.
Grind the batter to a coarse mixture without adding any water. I usually remove a handful of soaked dal before grinding and add them after I am done grinding.
Note: Don’t grind too long as we don’t want the batter to become a paste.
Mix onions, green chillies, ginger, fennel seeds .cut mint leaves curryleaves salt and cut curry leaves.

In a kadai heat oil , at the same time make vadai by taking a portion of the batter and flattening them between your palm.

Now deep fry the shaped vadai in hot oil fry the vadai till golden in color. Do the same for the rest of the vada mixture and fry them in low heat.
Lower the flame after you drop all vadai and cook in medium flame until done , keep flipping from one side to other frequently. Drain it in paper towel.
Serve hot with coconut chutney as side dish or enjoy it as is .

You can serve even with Tomatillo cilantro chutney Click here

Tips

Soak the channa dal well till it breaks when you try with your fingers, if its not soaked well the vadai will turn hard.
You an skip onion and add cabbage or spinach as well.
Green chillies can be skipped and you can use red chilli, but make sure you grind them with channa dal.
Flatten the vadai well in between your palms and press it , even that helps in making crispy vadai.
Leftover Vadai can also be used for making vadacurry.
Crush these masala vadas in White peas/ vatana gravy sundal top it with onion, coriander leaves and enjoy!!

Curd Semiya

January 11, 2013 By

Curd semiya is an alternate for regular curd rice and tastes better than a normal curd rice .. My kiddo loved this combination especially the grated carrot adds all goodness to this dish. lets look for the ingredients and method for making this delicious recipe..

Ingredients:

Vermicelli/semiya – 1 cup
Onion -1 medium sized
Oil -1 tbsp
Chilled curd – 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Grated Carrot – 1 small size

To temper :
Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Urad Dal – 1 tsp
Finely chopped green chillies – 1
Ginger – 1/2 inch piece

Method:

Roast vermicelli in a pan for 2mins and keep seperately.
Drizzle oil, temper mustard, urad dhal, green chillies and ginger.
Add onions, saute till it becomes transparent.
Now add 11/2 cups of water and bring it to boil, add salt to taste. Drizzle some oil so that vermicelli don’t stick to each other and remain separated . Add roasted vermicelli to boiling water and keep closed for 3 mins.
Now check if the vermicelli is cooked else sprinkle little more water before it starts sticking to the pan.
Leave it to cool then add curd, carrot and mix well. It tastes good when it is served chilled with any pickle!

Paneer Tikka Pasta Recipe | Indian Style Paneer Tikka Pasta ~Pasta Recipes

November 25, 2012 By manjulabharathkumar@gmail.com

Pasta is always loved by kids and its my all time easy to make dish .. My daughter loves pasta and I wanted to try something Indianized style with these so I came up with this yummy recipes.. This idea was given by my hubby 🙂 he likes paneer a lot n just wanted me try this … thank u so much Mr. hubby for this wonderful idea as it tasted so good ….

Lets quickly look for the ingredients needed so tat you can hurry to the pantry n try this yummy pasta 🙂

Paneer Tikka Pasta

Category	Preparation time	Cook Time
Pasta Recipes	1-2 hr	15 mins

Ingredients

Pasta – 1 cup (elbows pasta)

Water – 3 cups
Chopped capsicum – ¼ cup (Finely chopped )

Tomatoes puree- ¼ cup

Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp

chilly flakes – 1/2 tsp

oregano – 1/2 tsp

Mozzarella cheese- 1 tbsp

Cumin pd- 1/2 tsp

Chilly powder/ hot sauce – 1 tsp

Garam masala – ¼ tsp

Tomato ketchup – 1 tsp

Oil- 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves ( chopped)- for garnishing

For the Marinating Paneer

12-15 cubes of Paneer

3 tbsp Thick/Hung Curd

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Garam masala powder

1/2 tsp Dried kasturi methi leaves (optional)

1 tsp Lemon juice

Salt to taste

1 tsp Oil

Method

For the Marination :

Take your thick yogurt and transfer it to a muslin cloth, keep aside for 20 minutes, so all the water is removed from it. Mix the curd with masala powders, kasoori methi, lemon juice and salt. Then add paneer to the yogurt mix and marinate for an hour.

How To Proceed

In a deep pan heat water and bring it to a boil.
Add pasta, salt and let cook for 8 minutes or as directed in the packet , until it is fully cooked (soft but firm).
Drain the water.. drizzle some olive oil and mix them so that pasta (macroni) don’t stick with each other and keep aside.

In a pan heat a some oil and shallow fry the marinated paneer till the outer layer is golden brown . Fry them and keep them on a tissue paper so that excess oil gets drained off.

In a separate pan heat oil.Saute the capsicum till its half cooked (don’t over cook the capsicum).
Next add the ginger garlic paste, tomato puree, chilli flakes, chilly powder/chilly sauce, salt,ga and oregano to it . saute till the mixture is cooked.

Then add the fried paneer and cooked pasta and mix well..

Toss everything together and sprinkle some grated cheese , garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips

If you wish u can marinate the capsicum ,shallow fry them and include them in the recipe but i marinated only the paneer.
You can even use tofu paneer ..and include other veggies like carrot , beans , peas etc..

Jack o Lantern Paratha’s

November 6, 2012 By

Jack o Lantern Paratha’s

First of all happy halloween to all !! Today’s Recipe is Indian version infused in halloween. I tried out this healthy and nutritious paratha using both barley flour and wholewheat flour for our yesterday breakfast..This paratha’s tastes marvellous along with raita or any kind of chutney.. at the same time y not along with any gravy vegetable, also its one of a best way to sneak veggies, in this paratha i used grated veggies like zuchinni and carrot. These paratha’s are going to vardhini’s halloween fiesta..

Ingredients

2 cups Whole wheat flour
1 cup Barley flour
1 cup Grated mixed veggies (i added carrot and zucchini..)
1 tsp Red chilli pd
1/4 tsp Turmeric pd
1/2 tsp Cumin pd
2-3 Chopped green chilli
2 Sprig’s coriander leaves (optional)
1 tsp Ajwain seeds
Salt to taste
Oil or ghee

Method :

Add the veggies to the whole wheat flour,barley flour,ajwain seeds, n all dry ingredients .. Mix well.. Gradually add water, knead everything as a soft dough.
Make medium sized balls from the dough,dust with enough flour and roll as slightly thick circles then using a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter cut then in to pumpkin shaped paratha .. Drop gently the paratha over a hot tawa, drizzle the oil, cook on both sides until they gets well cooked..
Serve this paratha hot with raita or any gravy veggie ..

sending to sara’s kitchen

Dalia House

October 30, 2012 By

DALIA HOUSE

Every mom has a trouble making their kids eat n kids eat only when it is attractive to their eye.Serve desi dalia(broken wheat porridge ) in an international style with vegetables and cheese, and your kids are sure to fall head over heels in love with it! Pour the prepared mixture into moulds of desired shapes and sizes, for interesting visual appeal. I am sure your kid will love this dish ..My daughter when she saw her dalia house in her plate she was very curious to try and liked it very much … Thanking god to give me such a cute lil precious gift – my daughter…

Ingredients

1/2 cup broken wheat (dalia)
1 cup milk
2 tsp butter
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic (adrak-lehsun) paste(optional)
1/3 cup finely chopped mixed vegetables(carrots, corn, French beans etc.)
1/4 cup grated cooking cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper (kalimirch) powder to taste
a few cream wafer biscuits , a few carrot cubes and a few french beans slices for the garnish

Method

Combine the broken wheat, ½ cup of milk and ½ cup of water in a non-stick pan and cook on a slow flame while stirring continuously till the broken wheat gets cooked. Remove and keep aside.
Heat the butter in the same pan, add the onions, ginger-garlic paste and sauté till the onions turn translucent.
Add the mixed vegetables and sauté for 2 more minutes.
Add the broken wheat mixture, remaining ½ cup milk and cook on a medium flame till the liquid evaporates, while stirring continuously.
Add the cheese, salt and pepper and mix well. Cook for another 2 minutes or till the cheese melts.
Remove from the flame and keep aside to cool.
When cool, divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and put each portion into a square shape cookie moulds and press it firmly. Unmould and keep aside.
Just before serving, make a roof using wafer biscuits, door using carrots and windows using French beans as shown in the picture. Serve immediately.

Broccoli Manchurian

October 9, 2012 By

Today’s recipe is a Indo-chinese dish , Manchurian with a difference … yes !! “Broccoli Manchurian” . It was rainy day so i thought of making some spicy dish and got an idea of using broccoli in a unique way . Broccoli’s are high is vitamin c and blocks the growth of cancer cells.It may also prevent heart diseases, so do try this nutritious dish .

Ingredients

Broccoli (seperated into florets)-1 small
Refined flour-2tbsp
Corn starch- 1tsp
Garlic (chopped)- 1 tsp
Ginger (chopped)- 1 tsp
Green chilli – 3
Red chilli paste- 1/2 tsp(optional)
Soya sauce- 1tsp (optional)
Tomato ketchup – 4tbsp
Salt to taste
Black pepper – 1/4 tsp
Spring onions (chopped)- 2 stalks
Oil for deep frying

Method

Chop 2 green chillies in a chopper or mixer. Add half the broccoli(seperated into the florets) and continue to chop. Transfer into a bowl, grate rest of the florets and add to the bowl.
Add refined flour,corn flour, black pepper pd, salt, 1/2 of the spring onion greens, garlic , ginger and mix well.
Shape the mixture into small balls with damp hands. Heat oil to deep fry the manchurian ball. Slide the balls into the hot oil and deep fry on medium heat till brown and crisp.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a separate non stick pan add the remaining ginger, garlic and saute.
Chop 1 green chilli finely and add along with soya sauce, tomato sauce, red chilli paste , salt.
Mix 1 tsp corn flour with two tbsp of water and set aside.
Add 1/4cup water to the sauce in the wok and cook for two to three minutes.
Drain the broccoli balls and add to the sauce . add other half of the spring onions greens and toss.
Add the corn flour mixture and mix well. serve hot garnished with the remaining spring onion bulbs.

Tips

No need to add water while making the Manchurian balls dough as broccoli as such contains moisture so it will not need water . Just keep on kneading it and you will see it forms nice firm dough.
Soya sauce and red chilli paste are optional, if you don’t have these in your pantry readily available add red chilli flakes to the sauce.
To give it a complete chinese touch add 1/2 tsp vinegar, a pinch of ajinomoto to the sauce at the end .

Mango Badam Halwa

October 4, 2012 By manjulabharathkumar@gmail.com

MANGO BADAM HALWA

This recipe is kid friendly and kids will carve for it if they r sweet lover. My daughter who is not a sweet lover but still she liked this because of the heavenly taste . Badam are really good for kids as it contains very high Omega-3, should be included in your child’s diet if u want to raise a smarter kidoo 🙂 .. my mother used to tell me badam had with kali mirch (whole black pepper ) is so very good for our brain’s. I love to include fruits in my sweets and experiment different flavors, this makes the dish unique .

Ingredients

Badam- 1/2 cup heaped
Mango puree- 1/4 cup (thick puree)
Sugar- 1/2 cup heaped
Ghee (clarified butter)- 1/4 cup
Saffron strands – 1 pinch
Elachi powder – 1/2 tsp
Milk- 1/4 cup

Method

Soak the badam over night or 3-4 hours . peel the skin off n grind the badam with milk to a very smooth paste .
Heat a nonstick pan or a heavy bottomed pan add sugar and 1/4 cup water to the pan .After the sugar gets dissolved completely simmer the heat and add the ground paste to the syrup and mix it continuously to avoid lumps .
Add mango puree ,saffron soaked in warm milk , elachi. keep on stirring for 4 – 5 mins.
Add ghee in regular intervals 1 tsp at a time and stir it well till it leaves the sides of the pan and is no more sticky in consistency .
Transfer it to a greased plate or a bowl . serve warm .

Tips

After your halwa cools down it gets thickened a little bit cool the mixture a bit and then have it .If u feel that your halwa is still sticky then you can stir them again in the pan and add some more ghee to it for getting the right consistency.
Halwa’s consistency will be better if you cook them in medium heat throughout.