Tag: kids food ideas

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Sabudana waffles and Tikki for Kid’s Lunch Box

Preparing a lunch box every morning can be tiring but incredibly satisfying, especially when you know you’re giving your kids a healthy meal. Using all-natural ingredients without any artificial flavors or substances is the key. Snacking a healthy lunch box for your kids ensures they get the nutrients they need to stay active and focused throughout the school day. This easy to make sabudana vada/waffle is nutritious and tasty snack which will keep them energized throughout the day.

Ingredients:


1 cup sabudana (tapioca pearls), soaked overnight
½ cup peanuts, roasted and crushed
2 potatoes, boiled and mashed
1-2 green chilies, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Oil or ghee for frying

Method:

Begin by rinsing the sabudana thoroughly under cold water until the water runs clear. Then, soak the sabudana in enough water to cover it and let it sit overnight.

Boil the potatoes until they are soft and can be easily mashed. Once boiled, peel and mash them in a large bowl. Make sure there are no lumps. To the mashed potatoes, add the soaked and drained sabudana, finely chopped green chilies, chopped coriander leaves, crushed peanuts, and salt according to your taste. Mix all the ingredients well to form a uniform mixture.

Take a portion of the mixture in your hand and shape it into a flat, round tikki or patty. You can make them as big or as small as you prefer. Repeat this process with the remaining mixture. Heat tawa with enough oil or ghee for shallow frying. Make sure the vadas are crisped from both side.

Alternative Method (Waffle Plate):

Another way to make crispy sabudana vada is to grease a waffle plate and place a ball of the sabudana mixture in waffle mold. Close the waffle maker and cook until they turn crispy and golden brown.

Close the waffle maker and cook until they turn crispy and golden brown.

I hope you enjoyed reading this recipe. Do give this recipe a shot. I am sure your kids love this crispy tikki/waffle in their lunch box. If you try this recipe, do give us a shout out. Just click a picture and tag us on @masala.monk or use the hashtag #MasalaMonkRecipe and share on Instagram and Facebook. We would love to hear from you.

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Healthy Non-Fried Gulgule Recipe For Kid’s Lunch Box

Preparing a lunch box every morning can be tiring but incredibly satisfying, especially when you know you’re giving your kids a healthy meal. Using all-natural ingredients without any artificial flavors or substances is the key. Packing a healthy lunch box for your kids ensures they get the nutrients they need to stay active and focused throughout the school day. Incorporate a mix of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains to provide a balanced meal. Including snacks like these non-fried gulgule can make lunch more exciting and enjoyable for your little ones. Today, I’m sharing a non-fried gulgule recipe that’s perfect for your kids’ lunch boxes. This nutritious and tasty snack will keep them energized throughout the day.

Ingredients:


1 cup Wheat flour
2 ripe Bananas, mashed
1/2 cup Jaggery, grated or powdered
1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
1/4 cup Milk
1 tablespoon Ghee or Butter
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

Method:

In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas until smooth. Add the grated or powdered jaggery and fennel seeds to the mashed bananas. Mix well until the jaggery is dissolved.


Pour in the milk and mix the ingredients until they are well combined. Add wheat flour into the banana mixture. Mix until you get a smooth batter without any lumps.


Heat the appe pan on medium-low heat. Grease each cavity of the pan with ghee or butter. Once the pan is hot, pour a spoonful of batter into each cavity, filling them about three-fourths full. Allow the gulgule to cook on medium-low heat until the bottom side turns golden brown and crispy. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip each gulgula using a skewer or small spoon and cook the other side until it becomes crispy and golden brown.


Once both sides are cooked, remove the gulgule from the appe pan and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more ghee or butter to the pan as needed. Let the gulgule cool down slightly before packing them into your kid’s lunch box.


Do give this recipe a shot. If you try this recipe, do give us a shout out. Just click a picture and tag us on @masala.monk or use the hashtag #MasalaMonkRecipe and share on Instagram and Facebook. We would love to hear from you!

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Apple Pancakes for Baby-led Weaning or Toddlers-Dairy free Gluten free 

Apple pancakes are great finger foods for baby lead weaning or toddlers. Pancakes are the simple snack or breakfast option that I often whip for son. I experiment quite a lot with different wholegrain flours and fruits to make nutritious pancakes for my child. 

The good part about these apple pancakes which makes it great for babies and toddlers is that, it doesn’t contain any leavening agents. 

These pancakes are very simple to make. You can literally whip these in 15 minutes with minimal ingredients. All you need is rolled oats, apple and an egg. These pancakes do not require any milk. Moisture from apple and egg will be enough to get the right batter consistency.

If you don’t have rolled oats, you can use wholewheat flour too or any other flour of your choice. I can bet your toddler won’t refuse this for breakfast 

Recipe: makes 4 pancakes

Ingredients 

  1. Large Apple: 1 
  2. Large Egg: 1
  3. Rolled Oats flour: 5 tbsps (simply grind rolled oats in a grinder)
  4. Rolled Oats: 2 tbsps 
  5. Butter/Oil for cooking
  6. Cinnamon: 1/4th tsp
  7. Vanilla extract: 1/4th tsp

Instructions

  • Peel the apple and grate it in a bowl. 
  • Crack an egg straight in a bowl or you can use a separate bowl and lightly whisk it first and then add to apple. Mix it well.
  • Tip in cinnamon and pure vanilla extract. Mix well. 
  • Now add rolled oats flour and 2 tbsps rolled oats. This is optional. I like to keep a bite and texture of rolled oats in pancakes. You can grind it if you want. Mix till everything incorporates. Batter consistency is thick.
  • Heat a nonstick or cast iron pan to a medium heat. Brush it with some butter or oil. Pour 1 scoop or roughly 1/4th cup batter.
  • Cook till top sets and edges start to leave the pan. Gently flip and cook the other side till golden brown. Cook the remaining batter similarly.

How to serve pancakes?

  • Babies 6-9 months old: cut pancakes vertically in the size of your index finger. It is easier for babies to grasp.
  • Babies 9months+: You can cut the pancake to small bite size pieces.
  • Toddlers: Serve the same way as you would serve an adult. You can also smear pancakes with some nut butter fold them and make a little pancake sandwich.

Variations

  1. You can swap apple with any other fruit of your choice like peach, strawberry or mango.
  2. You can also experiment with different flours- wholewheat flour or different millet flour.
  3. You can also substitute fruit with a vegetable like carrot or zucchini.
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Best Homemade Fresh Strawberry Popsicle Recipe

Temperatures are literally skyrocketing this year in India. In this unbearable heat, you just can’t ignore the craving for something cold and refreshing. What better way to kick that summer heat off than with Homemade Popsicle made with fresh fruits. They can be your perfect go-to-treat all summer long!

There is nothing better than lounging on a hot summer day with a popsicle in hand. Even though I love all those fancy pants popsicles but sometimes you just want to make something classic and fuss free. These strawberry popsicles are exactly that! They are pretty simple and straight forward: fresh strawberries, lemon juice, salt and sweetener of your choice.

It’s a perfect healthy treat for adults and kids. They are dairy free, gluten free and eggless. They are literally on repeat every summer at my house. 

Let’s dig in!

Recipe: makes 8 popsicles

Ingredients

  • Strawberries: 500 grams
  • Unprocessed Cane Sugar: 4 tbsps
  • Chia seeds: 2 tbsps (optional)
  • Salt: a pinch
  • Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
  • Strawberry Jam: 2 tbsps (optional, but highly recommended)

Instructions

  • Wash and quarter the strawberries.
  • In a large bowl, add all the ingredients mentioned above except chia seeds.
  • Mix well and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. When sugar comes in contact with strawberry, lemon juice and salt, it will melt and release its natural juice making strawberries juicer, sweeter and more intense.
  • Now add everything in the bowl to a blender and  blend everything to a smooth purée. 
  • After blending, add chia seeds and mix well. 
  • Pour in popsicle molds and freeze overnight or for 6-8 hours. Leave a little space on top of the popsicle molds because when freezing they will expand slightly. 
  • For unmolding, run tap water over the popsicle mold for few seconds. Unmold carefully.

Variation

If you’re not in the mood for strawberries but still want a sweet summertime treat, this recipe also works great with other fruits as well. You can go for summer fruits like watermelon, mango, pineapple, peaches or most other fruits make for a great popsicle filling.

Sweetener

If you don’t want to add sugar or unprocessed sugar, you can use other sweeteners like, maple syrup, honey, jaggery powder or syrup. I have tried this recipe with maple syrup and it was a huge hit too.
If you are not adding strawberry jam then you might have to increase the amount of sugar. However, you can try this easy to make Strawberry Apple Preserve if you don’t want to add any store bought jam.

Happy Summers! 🙂

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Coconut/Thengai Dosa- Karnataka Style Spongy Dosa

Karnataka style coconut dosa (Thengai dosai in Tamil) is a flavorful, yummy dosa variety. It is prepared with rice, poha and coconut as the main ingredients.

This dosa is so delicious. The texture is spongy, super soft and totally melt in mouth. Coconut adds a very refreshing taste to this dosa and takes the regular dosa to a whole new level. This is a healthy and a filling breakfast dish which takes only minutes to cook. Adding flattened rice, poha as we call it, makes it fluffier and softer than traditional dosas.

This is my child’s favourite breakfast meal. The first time I made this dosa some 3 years back, my child literally gobbled 4 of these. I made extra batter to last me 2-3 days and in those 3 days all he took was coconut dosa in his school lunch box too. 😄 Even today whenever I make this for breakfast, I see the same excitement on his face.

Traditionally, this is made without adding urad dal, but I added some to add more protein. You can skip it if you like. The softness in this dosa comes from natural fermentation. There is no need to add any leavening agents to it. Fermented dosa offers a wealth of nutritional value, thanks to the fermentation process. When the batter undergoes fermentation, all the beneficial micro-organisms convert sugar and carbohydrates from rice and dal to lactic acid. One of the significant benefits of fermentation is the increased bioavailability of nutrients. Also, the final product becomes easy to digest, making it an ideal choice for those with sensitive stomach or digestive issues.

Batter consistency is the key to the success of this recipe. It should be pouring consistency batter, neither too runny nor thick like idli batter.

Recipe:

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 3 minutes 
Fermentation time: 8-10 hoursServing: makes 10-12 dosas

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup raw Rice
  • 1/2 cup thin Poha/Flattened Rice
  • 1 tbsp Methi/Fenugreek seeds
  • 1/4th cup white split Urad dal
  • 3/4th cup grated fresh Coconut
  • 1 tsp Rock Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt
  • Table Salt to taste
  • Oil or Ghee to cook dosa

Instructions

  • Wash and soak all the ingredients mentioned above except coconut for 5 hours.
  • Now, drain all the water. Add grated coconut and blend the batter to a smooth consistency. Add a little water at a time. Do not make too thin or a thick batter. Make sure everything is well combined.
  • Transfer the batter to a large bowl. Make sure there is some room in the bowl because the batter will rise during fermentation. Add a tsp of rock salt and mix well. Cover and leave the batter for fermentation in a warm place for 8 to 9 hours.
  • After the fermentation the batter will become very frothy. Add salt to taste. Now you can add regular table salt. Mix it very gently till it is well combined. Do not over mix the batter.
  • Heat dosa tawa on a medium heat. Add a ladle full of batter. Spread slightly. Drizzle some ghee or oil around the edges and cover it with a lid for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Steam the dosa till top has set and the edges have browned.
  • Take it out on a plate and serve it with coconut chutney or sambar.

Fermentation Tips

  • Add rock salt to the batter before fermenting. Rock salt or Himalayan pink salt helps in fermentation. Do not use table salt.
  • Do not skip fenugreek or methi seeds. It is the main ingredient that helps in fermentation.
  • Do not add water in one go. Keep adding little by little to get right batter consistency.
  • Mix the final batter with your hands for 2 to 3 minutes and keep it in a warm place. The warmth of your hand will help in fermentation.
  • If you stay in a dry or cold place, fermentation may take more than 9 hours. You can place the batter in a pre-heated oven.

Storage

Securely seal the container and store the leftover batter in the refrigerator. The lower temperature will slow down the fermentation process, allowing you to use the batter for several days. While fresh batter tastes the best, but you store the batter for 2 to 3 days without compromising on the taste. Beyond that I do not recommend storing the batter. Freezing idli or dosa batter is not recommended. Freezing will lead to change in the texture and taste. Before using refrigerated batter give it a gentle stir to redistribute the ingredients.