# Help ... Kid Friendly Indian Food??



## vyapti (Jan 21, 2009)

We're having some friends over for dinner this weekend and they've requested Indian food.  Three of the kids (two of mine) are pretty picky and I'm trying to think of some things to suggest to them.  I may just resort to a teriyaki stir fry, but would prefer not to go that route.

So far, I'm making Koftas in a yogurt sauce, Parathas (which everyone will gobble) and rice.  I'll be adding one or two more dishes (a veggie for sure).

Any ideas for kid friendly Indian dishes?

Thanks


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## ChefJune (Jan 21, 2009)

All the kids I know love Chicken Tikka Masala.  I know that's not "real" Indian, but it's very popular with the young set.


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## VeraBlue (Jan 21, 2009)

Tandoori chicken is very very mild and the cool colour is kid friendly.  Naan bread is great for kids to rip apart.  

Go really authentic and eat with your fingers.  The kids will love it and forget how picky they are.


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## vyapti (Jan 21, 2009)

I was kind of toying with the idea of a pumpkin or cauliflower korma.  One of the kids really likes cauliflower, but the other two think its grodee, so I'd have to pair it with another veggie.

Agh, kids!  I should just leave out some bread and a jar of peanut butter =)



VeraBlue said:


> Go really authentic and eat with your fingers.  The kids will love it and forget how picky they are.


Pakoras might fit the bill too.  My kids would eat their own shoes if I deep fried them.


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## deelady (Jan 21, 2009)

How is that not REAL Indian food....? the first time I have ever tried that was in an Indian restaurant and the family had only been in the U.S at most two years.....as well as a parent of one of my students once had me over thier house for a meal and she made the dish vegetarian style and I know very well thats she didn't learn the dish from here.....

Did you just mean the chicken part in it?  But it is my favorite!!!




ChefJune said:


> All the kids I know love Chicken Tikka Masala. I know that's not "real" Indian, but it's very popular with the young set.


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## Scotch (Jan 21, 2009)

My grandkids (ages 5 & 3) like this:

_*INDIAN GLAZED SALMON*_

1½  Tablespoons Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
1  Teaspoon Ground Coriander 
½  Teaspoon Ground Fennel Seeds (crush in mortar)
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne
¼  Teaspoon Ground Cardamon
¼  Teaspoon Ground Cumin
¼ Teaspoon Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Ground Pepper
1/8 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/8 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 
½ Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Melted Butter
2 Boneless Salmon Fillets, with Skin (1-inch thick, 6 ounces each)
1 Sweet Onion (about ½ pound)
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Lemon Wedges

1. Adjust oven rack so that it is about 7 inches from broiler, and then
preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Line a 9” X 12” baking dish with aluminum foil.

3. Measure all the spices and mix together in a  small bowl or
measuring cup. Add the lemon juice and melted butter, and mix
to form a paste.

4. Cut off ends of onion, peel it, and cut in half lengthwise ( from end
to end). Stand each half on end and cut into ¼-inch pie-shaped
wedges. Break apart pieces and set aside.

5. Rinse salmon pieces and pat dry. Put in foil-lined baking dish,
leaving about 1 inch between them.

6. Scatter onion pieces around salmon.

7. Use a spoon or pastry brush to coat top and sides of salmon with
the spice mixture (use all of it).

8. Bake salmon for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then turn on broiler.

9. Broil for about 4 to 6 minutes, until top of salmon is well browned.

10. Use spatula to remove salmon and onions from pan (leave
salmon skin in pan) and put on serving plate.

11. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and put lemon wedges on plates.

Serve with rice (preferably Indian basmati rice) and a veggie.


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## Scotch (Jan 21, 2009)

This might work, too:

_*Meatball Curry*_

For the meatballs: 
1 pound ground lamb (or beef) 
½ medium onion, finely chopped 
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated 
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 
1 tablespoon ground coriander 
1¼ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 
¾ teaspoon salt 
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 
1 egg, lightly beaten

For the sauce: 
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 
4 cloves garlic, chopped 
2 fresh hot green chilies
1 tablespoon ground coriander 
1 teaspoon ground cumin 
3 tablespoons water
¼ cup olive oil 
6 green cardamom pods, 4 whole, 2 crushed 
1 teaspoon cumin seeds 
4 cloves, whole 
2-inch stick cinnamon 
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 medium tomatoes, finely chopped 
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 
4 tablespoons plain yogurt 
2 cups water
¾ teaspoon salt

Combine all meatball ingredients, then, with your damp hands, form mixture into
24 balls. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, or freeze for 45 minutes.

Mix ginger, garlic, chilies, coriander, and ground cumin, along with 3 tablespoons
water, in a blender until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.

Heat oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. When hot (but not smoking),
add cardamom, cumin seeds, cloves, and cinnamon. Stir once.

Add onions, and fry, stirring, for about 8 minutes, until onions are brown.
Add ginger paste, lower heat, and stir for 2 minutes. 

Add tomatoes and cayenne, and cook over medium-high heat until tomatoes are
reduced to a thick, dark paste.

Lower heat to medium; stir in yogurt, a tablespoon at a time. When all yogurt has
been blended in, mix in water and salt.

Add meatballs in a single layer, and bring to a simmer.

Cover and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes, shaking pan occasionally. (Don’t stir
with a spoon.)

Serve with rice or bread.


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## Scotch (Jan 21, 2009)

If you prefer chicken, here's one:

_*TANDOORI CHICKEN
*_
FOR THE RAITA:
1 cucumber
1 cup plain yogurt
¼ cup chopped cilantro (or mint)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

FOR THE CHICKEN MARINADE:
¾ cup plain yogurt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 2- to 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled & cut in chunks
1 tablespoon curry powder 
1 teaspoon ground turmeric 
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 chicken, quartered

Peel the cucumber, halve it lengthwise, then scrape out the seeds. Cut crosswise into
thin slices. In a bowl, stir together the cucumber slices, yogurt, cilantro or mint, salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Put the yogurt, lemon juice, oil, the garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, salt and
cayenne in container and blend well with wand blender; set aside.

Skin the chicken. Using a very sharp knife, score the chicken meat all around about ½
inch deep at 1-inch intervals. Put chicken in sealable plastic bag, add the marinade,
and seal. Massage the marinade into the meat. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or as
long as overnight, turning over now and then.

Preheat grill and position the rack about 4 inches above the fire. When hot, turn down
to medium heat.

Remove the chicken from bag and wipe off most of the marinade; pour the marinade
left in the bag into a small bowl or cup for use later. Spray the chicken well with cooking oil on all sides. 

Place chicken on middle of grill rack, and cook over medium heat, uncovered, for 10
minutes, then turn and brush with some of the reserved marinade. Grill for 10 minutes
more, then again turn and brush with the marinade. Turn side burners to high and
middle burner to medium-low, cover the grill, and cook about 15 minutes longer.

Serves 4


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## Scotch (Jan 21, 2009)

And another:

_*Malaysian Chicken Curry 
*_
6 shallots, peeled (about 1¼ cups)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled
¼ cup water or broth 
4 to 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1½ cups chicken broth
1 jalapeno, cut in quarters lengthwise, seeds removed
1 cinnamon stick
1 clove
1 star anise
chopped cilantro

1. Chop shallots, garlic, ginger and water or broth in food processor or with hand
blender until a smooth paste. Set aside.

2. Brown chicken on both sides, about 5 minutes; remove from pan and keep warm.

3. Add paste mixture to pan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 5
minutes; do not brown.

4. Add curry powder to pan and cook about 2 minutes, stirring.

5. Add all remaining ingredients except cilantro, bring to boil.

6. Return chicken and any juices to pan, reduce to simmer, cover and cook 15 to 20
minutes, turning once; remove chicken from pan and keep warm.

7. Bring sauce to low boil, and cook 5 minutes to reduce; discard jalapeno, cinnamon
stick, clove, and star anise.

8. Return chicken to pan for a minute or two to reheat.

Serve with chopped cilantro as garnish. Good with jasmine rice. 

Options: Use sweet onion instead of shallots.
This dish is mild – don’t seed jalapeno if you want more heat.
Should be good with shrimp -- skip browning, add shrimp to pan only after
sauce is reduced; cook for a minute or two.


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## deelady (Jan 21, 2009)

Great recipes!! Thanks for sharing!!


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## Yakuta (Jan 21, 2009)

Given we are Indian and my kids are used to this food so  I don't have to worry too much.   Having said that Indian food is an acquired taste and I can see why you need to make it more adjustable to a kids palate. 

I would suggest a few things:

Chicken Malai tikka - It's skinless, boneless chunks of chicken that are marinated in some freshly grated ginger and then seasoned with some raw cashew nut paste, green chilies (you can add little or omit based on your kids taste), heavy cream, lemon, salt and chopped cilantro.  

You can skewer them and cook them in an oven and serve them on the skewer. 

I can also recommend kabab's which my kids go ga ga ga over made with ground turkey, lamb, beef or whatever meat you like.  Season them the ground meat with minced ginger and add some freshly roasted and ground cumin, corrainder, finely chopped cilantro and mint and some superfine diced onions and salt.  Let it all marinate for a bit and then shape them on skewers like a sausage (takes some practice) if you don't have time then just take a little mixture in your hand and shape it like a sausage and then place them on a baking dish and bake.  Serve with ketchup, 

My kids love shrimps so I make shrimp curry with some indian spices, coconut milk, sugar and lime juice.  It's really mild and that over some rice in a bowl and they are happy campers.

Pakoras are O.K. but I tend to shy away from a lot of fried foods. 

I also make samosas at home that are a big hit with the kids but again it's a time consuming task . If you have a lot of people over then making samosas is not ideal but you can do the following instead. 

Make potato mixture like samosas (recipes are available by the dozen on the internet) and then instead of stuffing them in a samosa shell that is made from scratch, you can fill them in puff pastry squares, fold in triangles and bake.  Even your friends will like it and if you keep it mild your kids will enjoy it too. 

My kids also like sweet and savory chaat's (they are like snacks).  We make one with garbanzo beans and potato.  You make a yogurt sauce with plain yogurt, sweet tamarind chutney, freshly chopped cilantro, chopped onion, chopped tomato and some fresh cumin powder.  You stir this together adjust spices sweetness and sourness to your taste and add a tiny bit of salt.  Throw in the garbanzo beans and potatoes in the yogurt and let it sit in the refrigerator until it's cold.  You top it with some crunchy (I like just salted baked pita chips or sev) and serve.


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## RobsanX (Jan 22, 2009)

VeraBlue said:


> Tandoori chicken is very very mild and the cool colour is kid friendly.  Naan bread is great for kids to rip apart.
> 
> Go really authentic and eat with your fingers.  The kids will love it and forget how picky they are.



I totally agree... Kids will love both chicken tandoori and naan...


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## vyapti (Jan 22, 2009)

Ok, I think things are beginning to form in my brain.

Pakoras would be easier than samosas.  I'm just not sure I want to delve into deep frying.  I'll have to think about that.  I definitely like a chaat of some sort though.  I like the idea of lassi too.  It might get them excited to try something more.

Then I think I'll make a mild curry and simmer spicy kofta in half and some veggies in the rest.  Right now, I'm thinking Cauliflower and carrots or pumpkin.

This thread is making me hungry . . . why is Saturday so far off?


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## radhuni (Jan 22, 2009)

You may try this recipe

Tarka or tadka 


    * 250 gm Tarka Dal (black lentil)
    * 100 gm chopped onion
    * 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
    * 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
    * 2 teaspoon chopped green chili
    * 1/2 cup chopped tomato
    * 1 spoonful crushed kastoori methi
    * 1 bay leaf
    * 2-tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
    * 1 pinch turmeric powder
    * Salt according to taste

Preparation:

   1. Boil the dal in a pressure cooker and do not drain the water.
   2. Mix the Kastoori methi powder with the boiled tarka.
   3. Heat the ghee in a pan and sauté the bay leaf & add onion.
   4. When onion become brown add whole amount of chopped spices .
   5. Add the pre-boiled dal and also add turmeric powder, salt and cooked it for 5 minute.
   6. Tarka is ready to serve with hot rotis or parathas, green chili and onion.


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 22, 2009)

Regardless of what you decide to make, what's the worst that can happen?  The kids won't eat.  Big deal.  From what I've seen of kids these days, many of them could stand to miss a meal or two.  I'm assuming their parents have at least taught them enough manners so that they won't be making gagging sounds at the table should they not like what you've prepared?

I swear, I thank my lucky stars every single day that my parents always made us kids taste EVERYTHING once.  They never forced us to continue to eat anything we decided we didn't like, but we did have to taste everything once.  It sent me on a lifelong course of wonderful cooking & eating experiences, & even though my brother doesn't like to cook, he's continued to be open to trying anything & everything at least once!


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## vyapti (Jan 22, 2009)

BreezyCooking said:


> Regardless of what you decide to make, what's the worst that can happen?  The kids won't eat.  Big deal.  From what I've seen of kids these days, many of them could stand to miss a meal or two.  I'm assuming their parents have at least taught them enough manners so that they won't be making gagging sounds at the table should they not like what you've prepared?
> 
> I swear, I thank my lucky stars every single day that my parents always made us kids taste EVERYTHING once.  They never forced us to continue to eat anything we decided we didn't like, but we did have to taste everything once.  It sent me on a lifelong course of wonderful cooking & eating experiences, & even though my brother doesn't like to cook, he's continued to be open to trying anything & everything at least once!


I make my kids taste everything too.  If they don't like it, they can fix something else after I vacate the kitchen.  I hope it serves them as well.


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## archiduc (Jan 23, 2009)

Check out: www.mamtaskitchen.

You could post a question and seek advice for mild curry recipies or simply browse the site.

All the best,
Archiduc


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## Russellkhan (Jan 24, 2009)

deelady said:


> How is that not REAL Indian food....? the first time I have ever tried that was in an Indian restaurant and the family had only been in the U.S at most two years.....as well as a parent of one of my students once had me over thier house for a meal and she made the dish vegetarian style and I know very well thats she didn't learn the dish from here.....



  Chicken Tikka Masala was invented in the UK. A friend of mine who traveled to India said that the dish did appear on menus of restaurants there, but usually with a description like "The classic English dish".


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## Lynan (Jan 24, 2009)

This is probably too late for your planned dinner but keep in mind for next time.  

Think Quesadillla but make with chapatis and a spiced potato and spinach filling. 
Just make your own chapatis and cook first or buy frozen ones and cook off for a minute or so then add a good filling of cooked potato reheated with tomatoes and lightly spiced with cumin, coriander, turmeric, fresh ginger, black mustard seeds, chilli ( maybe optional for kiddies)fresh cilantro, and with steamed spinach added. Pop between 2 chapatis, press a little and reheat/crisp on both sides in a hot frypan. Cut and serve with something like sweet mango chutney and natural yogurt, Indian if you can find it.
Simple and very tasty.


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## nappi (Jan 24, 2009)

samosas a pretty tasty

for the filling you can use beef/lamb  or vegetables/potatoes

and there are a ton of dipping sauces ie chutney


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## vyapti (Jan 26, 2009)

Well, this kid friendly curry is what I came up with. I made a mild curry with coconut and yogurt. I blended it all together with the onion, ginger, spices and the like to make a creamy sauce. The spice was there, especially cumin, but was subtle and not at all hot. I also made Pakoras for a deep fried treat (which I never do).


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## Claire (Feb 9, 2009)

I know I'm too late for this, but I think that samosas are the best idea.  That said, I'd seriously consider just making something like chicken wings for the kids.  I'm trying to think ... no, I know.  I was well into my 30s the first time I had Indian food, and it was in a little basement place in Hong Kong.  It was love at first bite.  But I doubt if I'd have liked it when I was 8, and I was a pretty adventurous eater even then.


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