Food talk
 Fun with kiddie bites

Nutritious easy-to-eat foods are sure to delight children as well as adults, says Pushpesh Pant

KIDS are hard to please. At times, they want to eat something that was served at a friend’s birthday party — a snack that hadn’t been encountered ever before — and then there are days when they will demand the family favourite, an out-of-season delicacy from grandma’s repertoire, to be packed for the tiffin in school. More often than not, they will not touch anything other than what the parents consider ‘junk’.

We have had more than our share of fussy juniors to cope with at home and are glad to share with our beloved readers some survival strategies. To begin with, one must recognise the significance of the novelty factor. Children seldom refuse to take a bite of that’s not-the-same-old-boring stuff that was packed in the lunch-box yesterday-sandwiches or paranthas. And, it helps greatly if what is to be consumed comes in tiny bite-sized portions. It is surprising that small squares carved out of bread with various toppings are identified as mini pizzas and accepted without demur.

Finger foods are synonymous with fun and freedom. If the foregoing is combined, the winning formula is easy enough to follow — keep innovating and improvising: prepare bite-sized, easy-to-handle portions emphasising the fun part. What goes without saying is that the basic ingredients used should not compromise on nutrition. The baby bites should be balanced. Baby corns and gherkins, cherry tomatoes, button mushrooms, olives all can be pressed into service when all else seem to fail. Mini loaves like the ones used for pav-bhaaji come in handy as staple. Chopped fresh or dried fruits can lend a touch of exotic and enhance the taste. Hard-boiled eggs and pearl koftas and sliced-seekh kebab do wonders for the non-vegetarians. Spoons full of rajma or chole suitably dressed up can be healthy substitute for chaat.

You will be surprised how large quantities of wholesome dahi are tucked in without complaint as accompaniment to palate tingling look alike of dreaded (by most parents) street food. The recipe we share with our readers this time is one inspired by such ‘tricky treat’. Incidentally, this is not only kid stuff — it can be shown off as an original ‘side dish’ at a meal for adults only too.

Sunahre  kurkure

Ingredients

Baby corns 200 gm

Sweet corn kernels 100 gm

Gram flour/rice flour/cornflour 3-4 tbsp

Thick curds 200 ml

Cumin seeds powder ¼ tsp

Oil to deep-fry

Salt to taste

Method
Cut the larger baby corns into halves diagonally. Keep intact the small ones. Prepare a medium thin batter mixing the gram flour with water. Add cumin powder and salt to it. Separately whisk the curds. Flavour this dip with ingredients of choice — mild mustard, chopped gherkins, raisins, mint, crushed cloves of garlic. Now, heat oil in a deep pan to smoking point then reduce to medium flame. Dip the baby corns in batter, shake excess batter and fry till light golden in convenient batches. Remove with slotted spoon and drain excess oil on paper towels. Steam sweet corn kernels for five minutes. Serve the golden-fried sunhare kurkure corns on a bed of these kernels. Taste equally good hot or cold.





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