Bombay Pao Bhaji Or A Quick & Delish Way To Get Your Kids To Eat Veggies!

It's a drab Monday evening and that dreaded question looms in the air: "What should I cook for dinner?"

"No idea" pat comes the husband's standard response. (One of these days I'm going to pan fry a 'No idea' and serve it to the man just like those many internet memes I've seen floating around. Pah!)

"Something interesting Mom!"

"Not boring roti, sabzi, daal puhleeeez!"

Well, at least the kids are more forthcoming in their replies. To be honest, I'm not in the mood for roti, sabzi, daal myself. I scour the fridge for ingredients, hoping inspiration will strike. What a mess! There are some sorry looking small brinjals floating around, looking at me accusingly for excluding them from the achari baingan medley that was cooked up last week. There're also two lonesome carrots, half a head of cabbage, one bell pepper, some celery.....I sigh and turn my head to the right when it suddenly hits me! Inspiration! It's staring me right in the face! A packet of Kohinoor pav bhaji masala beams back at me cheerily. Of course! The perfect way to get rid of all the bits and bobs floating around in the fridge and get the kids to eat their veggies while we're at it. Purrrfection!

What's more, the quintessential Mumbai style pao bhaji is a breeze to whip up and does away with the need for making rotis which I....well, let's just say, don't particularly fancy. Here's my easy, breezy Mumbaiya pao bhaji recipe:

• Chop up all the lonesome looking veggies in the fridge, especially those in ones and twos that you know are not going to get eaten otherwise. I used up the brinjal, carrots, cabbage, some potatoes to add to the mix, and even a little sliver of pumpkin (hah!) left over from my pumpkin pie experiment last week. Steam in a pressure cooker, cool and mash
• Finely chop some onion, ginger, garlic (add more if you like your bhaji with a nice garlicky flavour) and tomatoes. Take some oil and a generous blob of butter if you like and sauté all of the above till nicely done.
• I then added some finely chopped bell pepper and celery that I also had floating around, sautéed it for a bit, and then added the mashed veggies from step one. Add in a sprinkle of turmeric, red chilli powder, pao bhaji masala and chaat masala. Mash everything together nicely, add two small cups of water and let it all simmer for about 15 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Done! Fridge clean up accomplished and happy kids and husband licking their plates. And they even ate and relished all the veggies that they normally wouldn't touch with a barge pole. Bwahahahaha.

PC: Umesh Soni @unsplash.com

It was SO good I didn't even get a chance to click a picture before the troops gobbled it all up and had to source one from the net instead. Hmph. Reminder to self: next time round, plate and click in the kitchen before serving it up to the fam.

Any other pav bhaji fans out there? Give me a holler!

Immunity Boosting Foods For Kids

Immunity on your mind? What with the ongoing pandemic and the monsoon in Mumbai, children's immunity tops the list of concerns of most parents these days. The damp weather makes kids even more susceptible to infections and the new normal will need us all to have strengthened immunity.

One of the easiest ways to boost children's immunity is by incorporating nutrient dense foods in their regular diet. Here are the top 5 immunity boosting foods most nutritionists recommend:

1. Turmeric: Our good 'ol haldi is a powerful antioxidant, known to boost immunity. Apart from your veggies and daals, add a pinch of turmeric to warm milk for a healthy bedtime drink for your kids.

2. Go nuts! Dry fruits like almonds, dates, raisins, cashews and walnuts make a great snack for kids in-between meals and are packed with vitamins and antioxidants.

3. Yoghurt: The probiotics in yoghurt stimulate the immune system so include a serving or two at meal times or serve it up with some fruit as a snack. Just make sure you avoid the high sugar flavored yoghurts though as those aren't great for the immune system due to the excess sugar.

4. Ginger: Ginger works well against sore throats and coughs thanks to a compound present in it called gingerol. Use it liberally in your soups and stir fries and of course for mommies, your  cuppa ginger chai!

5. Vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables: The list would be incomplete without these. The seasonal fruits and veggies that are available this season have phytonutrients that are great for fighting infections. Make sure you're getting your 5 daily servings of fruits and veggies!

What foods do you make it a point to include in your children's diet during this season?