Why You Should Introduce Spices To Your Kids (Bonus : Recipes Included)

Don’t you think spices are what sets a dish apart? You can even pinpoint the regionality of a dish just from the kind of spices used.

The Italian use a lot of oregano & marjoram, the South East Asians have their 5 spice powder & star anise and India has turmeric, kasuri methi and so much more.

As the custodian of my family’s palate, I would like to introduce my child to a variety of spices — not just for the flavour but also for the unique health benefit each spice has.

Did you know:

Turmeric is:

An excellent antibiotic, anti-viral & anti-fungal
Can be used to treat throat infections, respiratory infections, cold/ cough and viral fevers. Turmeric powder mixed with ginger juice and rock candy is an effective remedy for cold/ cough/ throat infections and respiratory ailments
Treat bruises

Hing is:

Commonly used as a digestive herb, hing or asafoetida has numerous health benefits in child health like relieve gas, cure bloating and prevents flatulence
It’s a boon in disguise for colicky babies
For kids below 12 months of age, asafoetida paste made using water can be applied to the belly button to help relieve gas

Jeera:

Improve digestion
Help in detoxification
Improve immunity
Prevent respiratory infections

Natural oils give spices their taste, aroma and flavour and the fresher the spice the better. So make sure your spices are always fresh.

Today I’ve put together two regional recipes that are kid-friendly and use spices in a manner that the family is sure to enjoy. You can also listen to Chef Kunal Kapur tell us how to introduce spice into our children’s food. Scroll down for more!

Can be used to treat throat infections, respiratory infections, cold/ cough and viral fevers. Turmeric powder mixed with ginger juice and rock candy is an effective remedy for cold/ cough/ throat infections and respiratory ailments
Treat bruises

Hing is:

Commonly used as a digestive herb, hing or asafoetida has numerous health benefits in child health like relieve gas, cure bloating and prevents flatulence
It’s a boon in disguise for colicky babies
For kids below 12 months of age, asafoetida paste made using water can be applied to the belly button to help relieve gas

Jeera:

Improve digestion
Help in detoxification
Improve immunity
Prevent respiratory infections

Natural oils give spices their taste, aroma and flavour and the fresher the spice the better. So make sure your spices are always fresh.

Today I’ve put together two regional recipes that are kid-friendly and use spices in a manner that the family is sure to enjoy.

Maharashtrian Chikulya/ Varan Phal/ Dal Dhokli

Image Source: https://www.foodfanatic.com

This Maharashtrian dish is a complete meal and it uses basic spices to add flavour to the dish. This adds another dimension to our humble dal and roti. Kids enjoy this dish since its all mixed together and no extra work is required. You can serve this with papad and pickle.

Ingredients

2 Cups Wheat Flour (atta)
1 Tsp Oil
Salt to taste
1 Cup Toor Dal (arhar dal)
½ Tsp Turmeric (haldi)
½ Tsp Asafoetida (hing)
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds (kali rai)
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds (jeera)
10-12 Garlic Cloves- crushed
10-12 Curry Leaves (kari patta)
1-2 Green Chillies (sliced – optional)
1 Tsp Jaggery (gur)
1 ½ Tbsp – Oil
Juice of one lemon
Ghee
Coriander Leaves

Method

Put the dal with hing, salt and haldi and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles. The dal should be easy to mash.
For the dough, take the atta and salt and mix it together.
Add a little water at a time and keep kneading it to form the dough. The dough should not be too soft.
Make the dough into a ball, apply a few drops of oil on top and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
Make medium sized balls on the dough and roll each ball into a thin roti.
Cut the roti into strips and then squares.
In a kadai, heat some oil. To this add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin seeds, garlic paste and green chillies if using. Saute the garlic till it’s cooked.
Add the dal to the kadai and mix well.
You can add the jaggery at this point.
The dal should be thin at this point so add water if you feel it’s getting thick. It will further thicken when you add the roti pieces.
Once it has come to a boil, start dropping the roti pieces into the dal. Let the dal and roti bits cook for 15-20 minutes.
Check the salt and squeeze in some fresh lemon juice.
Throw in a handful of chopped coriander and top it with a tsp of ghee.
Your Maharashtrian Chikulya/Varan Phal is ready.

Litti Chokha

Image Source: https://www.imagesbazaar.com

This Bihari dish is bursting with flavour and is healthy since its ingredients are roasted and baked and the dish uses little oil. The addition of a little ghee may put off some people off but using ghee in your food is recommended (in small quantities). Ghee is actually considered a superfood and is a good fat that should be added to your meal plan. You could totally avoid it if you think it’s adding extra calories.

Chokha is actually made with roasted eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes and is eaten with the Litti. My family prefers it without the eggplant. You can make the chokha as per your family’s palate. Give it a shot and tell us how your family enjoyed it.

Ingredients

Dough

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Cup Ghee
1 Tsp Salt
Cold Water to mix

Filling

1 Cup Sattu (powdered roasted gram)
2 Tbsp Oil
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds (jeera)
1/8 Tsp Asafoetida (hing)
3/4 Tsp Garam Masala
3/4 Tsp Red Chilli Powder (lal mirch)
2 Tbsp Powdered Fennel Seeds (saunf)
2 Tsp Coriander Seeds – powdered (dhania)
2 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 Tsp Powdered Amchur (dried mango powder)

For The Chokha

1/2 Cup Mustard Oil
3 Large Tomatoes, charred on a tawa
2 Medium Brinjals, charred on a tawa
3 Potatoes, boiled and mashed
1/2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder (lal lirch)
1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder (haldi)
1 Onion, chopped
3 Green Chillies -optional
Juice of One Lemon

Fresh Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste

Method

To Make The Litti

Mix the filling ingredients together and keep aside.
To make the dough, mix the flour, salt, ghee together with water to make a stiff dough.
Cover and leave to rest for at least 15-20 minutes.
Make balls from the dough.
Roll into 1/4″ thick rounds and wet the edges.
Place a spoonful of in the centre of the rolled out discs and bring the wet edges together.to cover the filling completely.
Make sure the dough is sealed and then roll it between the palms to make it smooth.
Preheat the oven to 200 C.
Bake in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature and bake another 20-25 minutes, till brown and cooked through.

For The Chokha

Heat the mustard oil in a heavy bottomed kadai till it starts to smoke.
Puree the charred tomatoes.
Add the tomato puree in the oil and let it fry for 5-6 mins till the puree turns a deep red.
Peel the skin of the brinjals and roughly puree the flesh.
Mix in the mashed potatoes and brinjal puree into the kadai. Combine it well.

Add the red chilli powder, turmeric and salt as per taste and cook on a low flame, stirring constantly.
Add the onion and green chillies to the chokha,
Turn off the gas and finish off with a squeeze of lime & coriander leaves.
Serve hot.

These recipes honour how spices should be used to add flavour to food. And as a parent, there is nothing more satisfying than to watch my children finish off their meals without me having to force them, each time. A clear win-win case for me and the kids!

We spoke to Chef Kunal Kapur about the introduction of spices and this is what he had to say.