"If you don't eat your vegetables, how will you grow up into big, strong dinosaurs?", Sid gently reprimands (elephant sized) baby dinos in Ice Age - Dawn of The Dinosaurs.
That must be a standard meal time line for every mom. I am no exception.
For the first three years of his existence, Rudra depended on tomato rasam with rice or Pappula podi with chapati or dosa for survival. Being a highly self critical mom, I couldn't bear it. Many would agree there am sure. Consequences of nutritional deficiencies looming large on our consciences isn't exactly comfortable.
I must have tried curried vegetables, boiled vegetables with sauces mixed into them, boiled, roast and seasoned veggies...but nothing works. After a morsel, they are relegated to the dustbin.
Finally, we are now skirting the problem thus.
Veggie Rice:
- Wash rice of required quantity, soak and keep aside.
- Pick a selection of vegetables (leafy greens also can go into this) keeping compatibility and their taste post cooking in mind.
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker and do a tadka. Toss a few onions into it and after they turn pink, add veggies followed by salt to help cook faster.
- I usually add a combination, a pinch of sun dried herbs like methi, some turmeric, a lil bit of ginger and a crushed garlic clove to this. If my son has chest congestion, I choose green chillies over red chilli powder. And I add a small chopped tomato if I think the dish is burning.
- Once this curry like concoction releases some oil, smells cooked, add water according to the quantity of rice.
- When the water starts to boil, check and adjust saltiness and add the soaked rice to this.
- Mix with a spoon once before fixing the pressure cooker lid and cook for three whistles.
- Veggie rice is ready!
I have stopped trying to waste time and energy on making my son understand finer cooking and the great Indian curry tradition. Let him do the job himself.
This works. If you are a working mom with no time to spare, this is a blessing.
I serve this rice with rasam or sambar or curd, whatever he prefers it with. And there ends yet another set of travails over feeding obstinate children. :)
That must be a standard meal time line for every mom. I am no exception.
For the first three years of his existence, Rudra depended on tomato rasam with rice or Pappula podi with chapati or dosa for survival. Being a highly self critical mom, I couldn't bear it. Many would agree there am sure. Consequences of nutritional deficiencies looming large on our consciences isn't exactly comfortable.
I must have tried curried vegetables, boiled vegetables with sauces mixed into them, boiled, roast and seasoned veggies...but nothing works. After a morsel, they are relegated to the dustbin.
Finally, we are now skirting the problem thus.
Veggie Rice:
- Wash rice of required quantity, soak and keep aside.
- Pick a selection of vegetables (leafy greens also can go into this) keeping compatibility and their taste post cooking in mind.
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker and do a tadka. Toss a few onions into it and after they turn pink, add veggies followed by salt to help cook faster.
- I usually add a combination, a pinch of sun dried herbs like methi, some turmeric, a lil bit of ginger and a crushed garlic clove to this. If my son has chest congestion, I choose green chillies over red chilli powder. And I add a small chopped tomato if I think the dish is burning.
- Once this curry like concoction releases some oil, smells cooked, add water according to the quantity of rice.
- When the water starts to boil, check and adjust saltiness and add the soaked rice to this.
- Mix with a spoon once before fixing the pressure cooker lid and cook for three whistles.
- Veggie rice is ready!
I have stopped trying to waste time and energy on making my son understand finer cooking and the great Indian curry tradition. Let him do the job himself.
This works. If you are a working mom with no time to spare, this is a blessing.
I serve this rice with rasam or sambar or curd, whatever he prefers it with. And there ends yet another set of travails over feeding obstinate children. :)
Sure it works. You can also try different kinds of rice instead of just a mixed veg one like Carrot rice, capsicum rice etc. I guess the ginger-garlic ingredient is the one that adds a lot of flavor to the dish and makes it more appealing.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the post is so well-written. :-)