Kheer (rice pudding)

Something for breakfast, or perhaps dessert? I've been coming up with different breakfast recipes for my son, and this has hit the nail on the head. Not sweet like the traditional recipe, but wonderfully aromatic as I have used saffron and other whole spices. It does take 20 mins to cook, but don't let this put you off. You can prepare this the night before. Just stir in some hot milk till creamy and serve.

I made 2 portions:


3 tbspns basmati rice, washed and soaked (for an hour if you can)
1 cup of water
whole spices: cardamom pod, small cinnamon stick
4-5 strands of saffron
7 tbspns full fat milk

1. Add the rice and a cup of water into a saucepan.

2. Once the water starts to boil, add the cardamom and cinnamon stick.

3. Turn the fire to medium heat and put the lid on.

4. The rice will take 20 mins to overcook. There will be hardly any water remaining in the pan.

5. Add the milk and saffron. Continue to stir till the kheer starts to bubble.

6. Use a masher to break down the rice.

7. Remove the whole spices and allow to cool before serving.

X'mas Treats anyone?

Xmas is less than a week away, however it has been going on for 3 weeks. And what I mean by this is that the decorated shop windows, the mini Xmas trees with twinkly lights, the carol singing, the Xmas drinks and as far as my toddler is concerned the three c's: cookies, chocolates and candy. Its the time when friends and family want to indulge her! We have been to many Xmas parties and all of them have involved lots of sugary delights. As a mom, I have found it very difficult to manage this. Do I tell the adults to stop giving her these treats or confiscate them the minute her eyes light up with joy when she sees a golden wrapped chocolate reindeer? I've turned into the Grinch! Even her nursery gave a small bag of chocolate and jelly beans. I know its the holiday season but part of me thought why couldn't they make healthier sweets? Such as yoghurt covered cranberries or sesame brittle? Surely, they should know better?! Luckily, my little one doesn't turn into the duracel bunny after eating them but she does skip her dinner which does bother me.
Only 6 days till Xmas, so parents out there, I am going to just ride this one out. Allow some sweets, hide the rest and enjoy this year which has truly been a special one-the birth of my son which has completed our family. Xmas is truly about family....Merry Xmas everyone!

Weaning Diaries: Courgette and Dal (Lentils)

In India, the dish dudhi  (bottle gourd)with dal is very common, and even though you do get dudhi here it isnt commonly available in regular supermarkets. However, Asian grocery stores stock dudhi and it is used in many dishes to 'bulk up' a dish. It is high in water content and vitamin C. I have found that the courgette is similar in taste, easily available and babies tend to love them! They steam quickly and you can just mash up with a fork.
As for the red dal, they are a high source of iron and contain beta carotene and vitamin A which strengthens your baby's immune system. Lets face it, during the winter months, we need our children's defences up! The fiber in the dal helps maintain a healthy bowel and the phytonutrients have anti cancer properties. I cant praise dal enough! In soups, purees and of course in kichdi...

For 2 portions I used:

4 tablespoons masoor (red lentils) dal
1/2 a courgette
pinch of tumeric powder
1 mug of water

1. Wash and soak the dal for an hour. They will increase in size and this helps reduce gas and cooking time.
2. Drain the water
3. Add 1 mug of fresh water, pinch of tumeric powder and cook on the stove on low flame with a lid for 50 mins.
4. Peel and chop the courgette and steam for 10 mins or until the courgette can be mashed with a fork.
5. Once the dal is cooked, add the mashed courgette or blend both together.
6. Serve to baby with overcooked rice.

Weaning Diaries: Turkey Keema

As my son has his morning nap, I am marinating turkey mince for tonight's dinner. We are having Indian style turkey burgers using coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, garlic and chopped coriander leaves. Chillis for my hubby dearest of course and less for my toddler. And what about baby? At the moment I have found what works best is making one meal for the family, so I have taken aside some turkey mince for him so that he can have some too!

He has never tried turkey, and its one of the easiest meats to digest.

I used the following ingredients and made two portions:

1 teaspoon oil
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 crushed garlic clove
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small cinammon stick
1 teaspoon coriander powder
pinch of tumeric powder
2 tablespoons chopped tomatos
3 tablespoons minced turkey
1.5 cups of water

1. In a pan, add the oil. Now add the cumin seeds and cinnamon stick.
2. Once they start to sizzle, add the onion and garlic and stir for a few mins till the onions lightly brown.
3. Add the turkey mince, and break down the mince with a spoon.
4. Add the coriander powder and tumeric powder.
5. Finally add the chopped tomatos, stir for a few minutes and add the water.
6. Put the lid on and increase the heat to medium heat.
7. Once the turkey looks rich in color, remove the cinnamon stick and then blend.

Weaning Diaries: Poached Fish in Milk

This recipe does not use Indian spices at all, however I wanted my son to try fish for the first time today. So why poach it in milk? The problem with fish is that it can be very bitty in the mouth and a 7 month old needs the consistency to be creamy and easy to swallow. Hence, the use of milk.
I would recommend using white fish else salmon would be lovely too. I have come up with this recipe and will feed it to him at lunch time today. It smells beautiful, and now I wish I had made this for the rest of the family!

I used:

6 tablespoons full fat milk
knob of butter
1 small crushed garlic clove
small piece of white fish, seasoned with black pepper
handful of washed and chopped spinach

1. In a small saucepan, add the milk and once it starts to bubble, add the garlic.
2. Next, add the fish with a knob of butter on top.
3. Then add the chopped spinach.
4. Put the cover on add the flame on low, allow to gently simmer till the fish has cooked through (around 6 mins)
5. Blend and serve.

Weaning Diaries: Week 4

Its been 4 weeks now since my little boy has entered the world of food, and what has happened since my last entry you ask? He has tried a number of new tastes: pears, apples, bananas, plums, kichdi (overcooked dal and rice), courgette, apple, red peppers, sweet potato, spinach and both chicken and lamb. I learnt that my son really enjoys spinach and courgettes; and plums go down a treat as well! He wasnt too keen on lamb, so I will re introduce it in a few weeks time.

Today I decided to make a typical Sindi ( from the area of Sindh, now in Pakistan) dish called sai bhaji, which is a blend of spinach, vegetables and whole chana or gram lentils. This recipe tends to vary from household to household. It's not as good as my grandma's of course, but we seem to like it! This went down a treat with my son and for the family meal, chillis and salt were added. This saved mama alot of time and my boy was happy! Perhaps this is the way to make meals from now on...?

For a family of 4:

250 gram bag of spinach leaves
1/2 cup of soaked overnight or for a couple of hours chana lentils
1 cup of chopped vegetables: carrot, beans, pumpkin, potato, aubergine.
handful of freshly chopped dill
2 large pinches of dried fenugreek leaves (methi)
1 onion
2 inches of ginger
2 garlic pods
1 cup of water

1. In a pressure cooker, fry the chopped onion, ginger and garlic till brown.
2. Next add the chopped vegetables
3. Add the chana dal (remove the water) and the spinach leaves.
4. Once they have wilted add the dill , the fenugreek leaves and cup of water.
5. Close the pressure cooker and give it 4-5 whistles, then turn off.
6. Open and blend with hand blender

The Weaning Diaries...

Its been exactly 10 days since my little boy has started weaning. He was having some baby porridge a month before I started, but now he is onto fruits and vegetables. I have started him on one meal to get an idea of how hungry he is. The verdict so far? My boy is hungry! He first started slowly taking in each mouthful, gagging on the spoon and making a mess everywhere. In this short span, he has learnt how to hold the food in his mouth and swallow. The first food he had was butternut squash, and this was easy to make (chop up, steam in colander and blend with some water) and he had no reaction (allergy wise) and he easily expelled it in his poo an hour later. So that was simple. Then there was avocado, which he loved but rather rich and heavy on his system which took over 36 hours to come out but with some advice from a dear mommy friend some steamed pear did the trick. Of course there was banana, but I was wary as this too can constipate the baby so I mixed this with his porridge in the morning. I did try some rice with steamed carrot, however he found this hard to eat, even after the rice had been over cooked and blended. And his favorite so far has been steamed courgette and steamed sweet potato.

I am leaning towards introducing more vegetables than fruit in his diet simply because babies tend to like more sweet flavours. So far, my boy has eaten everything except for the rice. I did find another recipe suggesting to put the rice in a spice grinder and then cook it. I think I will try this and it will keep him fuller for longer.

And now portions, started with 5 teaspoons and now its already over 10-12 teaspoons followed by 5-6 ounces of milk. Since yesterday I noticed he wasnt satisfied  after his food, so today I have increased the portion. And tomorrow I will introduce the third meal and see how satisfied he is. My guess is that he needs it!

At the same time, I am working on dropping his night feeds, and I feel there is a difference now that he has started eating solids. Wish me luck out there, I hope to have some uninterrupted sleep! Its been six months and my brain is slowly frying....

Tomorrow's menu: Breakfast: Porridge with steamed pear and cinnamon;
Lunch: Yellow lentils
Dinner: Steamed sweet potato and courgette
Followed by usual milk feeds...

Cooking on holiday?

Its been 3 weeks since we returned from a wonderful holiday in Florida and as you can imagine being back to drizzle and grey is rather depressing! I've been going through the holiday photos and wish we were back there in the sunshine. In Florida, we got accommodation with a kitchen so that we could eat meals in our apartment which meant carrying a few essentials. When I suggested the idea to my hubby he laughed and we both couldn't believe we had become one of those Indian parents who carry everything but the kitchen sink on holiday. So I settled for the essentials including some cumin seeds, coriander powder, red chilli powder and 2 cups of basmati rice! I feel embarrassed sharing this now! As we went for 2 weeks, I could see my daughter (my son is not eating solids yet) getting tired of restaurant food. A number of meals were made including chicken curry, rajma, some vegetables and all with yoghurt and rice. The person who most appreciated it was my daughter, and though it took planning, it was done while my son had his morning nap.

I know it's a holiday and us parents deserve time off, but the one thing that worries me is not eating proper meals whilst on holiday. There is always room for ice cream and pop corn but at least if the one meal is substantial then I too can enjoy myself!

Early Days Weaning Recipe: Kichdi (Lentils with Rice and Vegetables)

Kichdi is a staple in many households and it is introduced early on in a child's diet. Very healthy, and very easy!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons of rice (basmati rice or long grain rice preferred)
4 tablespoons of small yellow lentils (moong dal)
1 clove
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 green cardamom
2 tablespoons of finely chopped carrots, beans and potato.
Pinch of tumeric powder

You can use any vegetables you like.

1. In a pan, add a teaspoon of oil and add the whole spices.

2. Once fragrant, stir in the rice, lentils and the vegetables. Add the tumeric powder now and stir through.

3. Add half a cup of water and put the lid on and put on medium fire. Keep adding water till the kichdi is cooked. The kichdi is cooked once the lentils are soft and the rice and vegetables come together.

4. Remove the whole spices and mash with a fork and serve.

If you are using a pressure cooker, after closing the lid allow one whistle and turn off the gas. Let the kichdi simmer and open the lid once it has cooled.

Lemon Cake on a Rainy Morning

My 2 year old and I are stuck in at home this morning while my son has his morning nap. So we decided to make a cake together...It was a fun activity for both of us! Bring on rainy days I say!

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of white sugar
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 cups flour
4 tspns baking powder
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 juice of lemon
zest of 1 lemon
1 tspn vanilla

and lots of icing and sprinkles for your toddler to decorate with!

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C and grease a large 20" cake tin.

2. Mix together the eggs ans sugar.

3. Now beat in the oil

4. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and finally the milk. Beat until smooth and then mix the lemon juice, zest and vanilla.

5. Add into cake tin and cook for 40-50 mins. Use a toothpick in the middle of the cake to test if its cooked through, it should come out smooth.

6. Leave in the tin for 7-10 mins to cool, then loosen the cake and remove onto a rack to finish cooling.

7. Ice and decorate

Enjoy!

Healthy Eating, Healthy Children

On Monday, the Guardian posted an article about the increase in eating disorders in children, saying that '..more than 2,000 young people were being treated by NHS hospitals in the past three years, with 98 aged between five and seven years old'. The contributing factors according to the article were genetic factors, cultural factors and body image. All three had a large impact on how children perceive food.

I wish to bring up my children with healthy choices, but don't most parents want the same thing? So how do we do this in today's society without jeopardizing our child's emotional being so they don't fall down the path of having an unhealthy relationship with food?


Food is often used to treat oneself, but what happens when we associate these pick-me-ups with an emotional upheaval? A piece of cake to make all the difficult feelings go away often does the trick. But something has gone wrong when a child is gorging on chocolate cake till they make themselves sick. Where is our responsibility as parents to teach our children to manage their emotions rather than 'eat' their emotions?


Then there is the issue of body image, young girls way before their teens aspiring to size 0 models on glossy magazine covers. They are becoming conscious of their bodies at a younger age. And this is not just the case in girls, the number in boys is rapidly rising. The demands society places on youth, beauty and weight affects even the youngest.


As a psychotherapist, I have worked closely with young adults who have struggled with food due to a result of unhealthy relationships with their parents. And now as a mom, I see how difficult it is trying to balance food choices on a daily basis. So Moms, Dads, and Moms to be out there--If you too feel anxious about these statistics or about your kids eating, please share.

Spaghetti Bolognese Indian Stylee

This recipe is for children over a year and you can use either lamb, beef or chicken mince. I tend to use 250 grams of beef mince.

Ingredients:
250 gms of mince
1/2 large onion
2 plummed tomatoes skin removed
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 inch grated ginger
Chilli optional
2 cloves
Small stick of cinnamon
2 tspn dhaniya or coriander powder
1 tspn jeera or cumin powder
Handful of macaroni or penne pasta

1. In a pressure cooker, add 1 tablespoon of oil and then fry the cinnamon stick and clove. Then add the chopped onion, garlic, ginger and chilli.
2. Once browned, add the mince and cook till the colour changes.
3. Now add the coriander and cumin powder and salt and cook for a few minutes.
4. Finally add the tomatoes and once cooked through add the raw pasta and a cup of water. Now close the cooker and put the flame on medium heat.
5. After one whistle and 7 minutes on low flame, turn it off.

Delicious!

Cake anyone?

Not sure if any other mommies out there are experiencing this, but for my 2 year old, 'birthdays' = 'cake'. Let me explain further, we were at a friend's son's birthday party a few weeks ago, and between each line of 'happy birthday', you could hear her whisper the word 'cake' which only got louder and louder with impatience, that by the end, the entire party could hear her! And lately, we have been attending many birthdays, and it seems that children around this age are obsessed with cake and it goes beyond just taste. There is what the cake looks like, and the excitement of candle blowing and cutting it and finally of course tasting it. Extra brownie points if it's chocolate! So now whenever I need to reward my daughter, it's followed by 'you'll get cake if you finish this'. Whether I choose to reward her is different but it certainly gets her attention!

Soon after cake, came ice cream and it has the same highly pleasurable affect. The different flavours, the cold texture in the mouth which eventually dissolves and once again if it's chocolate then even better! And this is just the beginning of a lifelong love of sweet things...

I'm back...

I have been away for several weeks now since having my little boy at the beginning of May and its been a huge adjustment in terms of recovering, nursing, sleep deprivation, and hormonal changes. My daughter has taken well to her brother, with many kisses and cuddles on a daily basis.

As far as 'feeding' is concerned, the biggest eye opener is how different my two children are. When nursing my first one, I experienced it as difficult, painful and my daughter was simply not a big eater so her weight gain was slow and steady. Waking her up to nurse ever 3 hours was a common occurrence in the first six weeks. I found it stressful and I was constantly worrying about her weight. Now take child number 2, from day one fed every two hours to the extent he would wake up from his sleep and feed and go back to sleep. I was so anxious that this baby would be very much like my daughter that from day 1, I kept a log of all his feed times. I am happy to say that after he was weighed on day 10, I no longer keep the log and I am a stress free mama! I am pleased to learn that each child is different and perhaps being the second time round, nursing does get easier? So far so good on that front...

To put chillis or not?

So some of my mommy friends have been asking about using chillis in food and the two main questions are:

1. When do you start introducing chillis?

2. And how much?

To answer both questions-- I would go with what your child can manage and slowly build on it from there. A friends daughter started eating chillis in her food before 9 months. If you decide to start, add a quarter of chilli in their dal for instance see if they can manage this. Increase this amount by half a chilli in a months time.

Most parents aim for their child to eat the family food around the age of 1. If you have decided to cook one meal now for the family, start by putting a small amount of chilli, lets say one chilli in a curry for 2 adults and 1 baby. Add plain yoghurt to the food so that they can get used to the idea not only of eating spicy food but eating the family meal. Then increase this amount over a few months and see how your child responds. I have found this has worked and there is no more making separate baby food (Thank God!).

I have found that my little one is happy to sample spicy flavoured crisps but makes a big deal out of a small amount of chilli in her food, so eating junk food can be an indicator of chilli tolerance!

Regressing?

So I am due with Baby # 2 in a few weeks. My little one has been involved from day 1, coming to every doctor's appointment, scan and has an understanding that there is a baby growing inside me. She often kisses my belly and points to it saying 'baby'. Now for the last 7 months, she has been eating by herself and my husband and I have been very proud of this achievement. She has this desire to be independent and feels part of the family unit when we all eat together. Now for the last two days, she is not interested in eating her food. In fact she welcomed being fed, which she normally doesn't like. She doesn't like others fussing over her while eating and likes to eat at her own pace by herself.

Is she aware that D-day is approaching very soon? Is there an unconcious desire to be the 'baby' again? I mean she IS still the baby, after all she is barely 2 years old. It's like she is pacing back and forth between independence and dependence. The next few weeks is going to be critical for her and lots of attention, love and patience is in order...

Chicken curry with potatoes

This is a delicious way to introduce curry to your child at 9 months. Chicken curry is a staple in any non vegetarian Indian diet. A lot of people prefer boneless chicken--however I have found that boneless chicken can becomes dry and chewy. So if you want a tender piece, I would recommend steaming a piece of chicken on the bone and then removing the pieces. The chicken is easier to swallow and is less chewy. Sometimes boneless chicken can get dry and overcooked.

And if you don't wish to use chicken you could boil some eggs and add at the end instead.

You will need:

Cooking oil

1/2 small onion

ginger

garlic

tomato

fresh coriander leaves

chicken

Spices: cumin seeds, tumeric powder, coriander powder

In a pan, add a tspn of oil and put half a spoon of cumin seeds once the oil is hot. Chop half a small onion and fry along with the seeds. Now add ½ tspn grated ginger and one small clove of finely chopped garlic. Add one chopped large tomato. Cook till it becomes a sauce, then add ½ tspn of haldi powder and ½ tspn of coriander powder and simmer till the masalas are cooked. Now add ½ cup of deboned chicken (or a piece of chicken on the bone which once cooked you tear away from the bone and cut into manageable pieces) and chop up one potato into small pieces. Add water till the chicken and potato is covered and cook on medium heat. Add finely chopped coriander at the end and stir through. Mash or blend according to your child's preference.

Serve with rice and plain yoghurt.

This recipe tastes lovely with sweet potato or butternut squash.

If you are using a pressure cooker: Put the cooker on medium flame and after it whistles once turn off the gas.

Eating out...Is it worth it?

Went out for family dinner tonight. This usually entails deciding on a baby friendly restaurant, then booking an early table and getting back in time for bed time. Anything too late then the evening is exhausting with my daughter feeling restless and cranky. In less than 2 hours we were in and out of there. It's all carefully planned to not throw her off the edge.

So dinner was Italian, lots of choices that appeal to kids: bread sticks, pasta, chunks of mozzarella and tomato, pieces of pizza and olives (which by the way she loves!) As each course was presented to the table there was plenty of 'wows' and pointing to each plate. She was curious about the pizza toppings and how the parmesan was being grated onto the pasta. But once her meal was cut up into bite sizes for her, then very little was consumed. She was engrossed with the experience of it all--watching the other children, drawing with the green colored pencil they gave her on her paper mat, sipping her orange juice and watching the waitress serve the neighbouring tables.

All in all, my husband and I had a nice meal and our daughter appeared to have had a fun evening out with a few nibbles here and there. I guess what bothers me is that she didn't eat enough but she was happy. So should I be concerned or accept that when eating out, its not actually 'eating' that takes place?

First Foods: Butternut squash with cumin

This is a wonderful recipe when you start weaning your baby. I know butternut squash isn't an 'Indian vegetable' but since we live in London I want to provide recipes that are accessible. Many baby recipe books use butternut squash as its naturally sweet and full of goodness, this is my Indian version. You could also use sweet potato.

You need:
1/2 butternut squash
1/4 spoon of cumin seeds

1. Peel, remove seeds and dice the butternut squash. Steam the squash in a double boiler. If you dont have a double boiler, then put the squash in a pan and add boiling water till the squash is covered and cook on high with the lid on. Squash doesnt take time to cook, so keep an eye on it.
2. Take a frying pan and put the gas up to med-high. Now add the cumin seeds and let them roast. Once the aromas come through turn the gas off.
3. Now add the squash and cumin seeds (and if you require some water) and put in a blender till smooth.
4. You can freeze leftover portions in ice trays and save for a later date.

Recipe 1: Tadka Spinach with Egg

I tried this easy recipe on Monday which can be given to babies 6 months onwards. Please make sure your child is not allergic to any of the ingredients below. The best part is that adults can have the same dish except in step 6, add a couple of chillis to the tadka.

Tadka Spinach with Egg

1 egg
Spinach leaves (fresh or frozen)
Cooking oil
1/2 onion
1 Tomato
1 garlic

Spices: Haldi powder, coriander powder, cumin seeds, hing


1. Use either frozen spinach, 6-8 cubes else half a bag of fresh spinach chopped up finely.
2. Chop half an onion finely and sautee the spinach and a tomato (skin removed) in a tbsn of olive oil.
3. Add a pinch of tumeric and 1/2 tspn of coriander powder. Put the lid on and continue to cook till the color deepens and the onions are fully cooked through.
4. In a seperate pan boil water and once bubbling and an egg. Cook for 8 mins
5. Once the spinach is cooked, either mash up or put in a food processor depending on the texture your child prefers.
6. Tadka: In another pan or in a tempering ladle, add 2 tbsn oil, one clove of pressed garlic, one tspn of cumin seeds. Cook on high heat till the garlic has turned color. Then right at the end, and a pinch of hing.
7. Put all this on the spinach and mix through quickly.
8. Peel the boiled egg, and slice into six pieces and put on top of the egg. Mash the egg with a fork for children who are in the early stages of weaning.
9. Ready to serve!

My little girl is very partial to egg, so she enjoyed this dish. However, if your child doesnt like egg, you can crumble some cheese or paneer on the spinach.

Teething bites!

So my little one has been battling with sore gums, fever, smelly nappies, drooling, a chronic runny nose and the worst one crankiness aka TEETHING. It's her canines that are surfacing and the last time she was like this was over a year ago. I had totally forgotten how the household turns upside down--her sleep pattern changed in the day, there was moodiness, and nights were broken due to dry throat and pain in her gums. Naturally her eating was affected as well. The only thing that comforted her was yoghurt and warm milk with a pinch of tumeric. Good thing was that she was having alot of water, juice and fruit but hardly a few mouthfuls of her meals.

But it looks like post weekend, she has turned a corner. Gobbled up a bowl of chicken curry with roti and potato with mustard seeds. Of course it was all submerged in yoghurt (just the way she likes it). And slowly but surely, she finished her bowl and I breathed a sigh of relief. My baby was getting better....

Parents--Any ideas there of what foods comfort your baby at this trying time?

Inspiration?

So what is a 30 something mom to do? Between juggling a 22 month old, a husband, a home and baby number 2 on the way--the day is busy enough as it is. But since leaving my job as a psychotherapist for a large UK based charity, I miss the stimulation of work life and not to mention the banter with work colleagues. Dont get me wrong I am very happy that I left my job, but something is amiss. I need to go back to where the heart is...

When my daughter started weaning I started a project. Projects get me very excited as there is determination and focus. This project began unknowingly by first speaking with my mom 'what did you give us when you started weaning?', to speaking to other Indian moms and finally trawling through various websites to find Indian recipes to give to my daughter. However, here there was a dead end. The most popular baby recipe book in London is the famous Annabel Karmel's. It's packed with great recipes, however they are Western recipes. And I wanted to get my daughter to start sampling spices, and our exotic vegetables from the start. So we started with steamed pears with clove and cinnamon to butternut squash with roasted cumin puree to a basic chicken curry when she was 9 months. Not only was this a culinary journey, I was interested in the healing properties in our spices. They say a one year old on average gets sick upto 10 times a year! The cold, damp weather in London was not on our side either.

Other Desi moms around me seemed nervous about offering Indian food, spices and would rather cook seperately for their children. They did complain that the food they were giving was limited to pasta and baked beans and found their kids often fussy about trying new flavours.

So this is where the inspiration comes from--my wonderful daughter and other Indian moms, who like me are average cooks but want to give their children simple cooked meals with our rich and flavourful spices.