Why diversifying your kids palate is a good idea

My first kid started as a picky eater and I've tried very hard to change that. My take has always been to encourage kids to be adventurous in eating. And there's many ways of doing so.

1/ Keep diversifying their tastebuds and introduce them to something new each week (sushi / indian food / chinese) It's one thing to blend their vegetables and hide it in the food but I think they should be exposed to eating different textures.

2/ Always keep the attitude positive. For example, on spicy food, never panic and say "Oh No its spicy!" instead, try a challenge "this is big people's food, when you are ready, you can try it." or you can use some imagination "It makes the mouth hot like a dragon! Too bad it only stays for awhile"

3/ Encourage wonderful food experiences in restaurants. growing up as a Singaporean kid, eating was our culture and we were exposed to a lot of different styles of eating: Dim Sum, South Indian food, Seafood, etc.

If your kids move from picky to adventurous eaters, you will be able to enjoy food adventures together as a family and not have to say "I can't go to xxx restaurant, Johnny can't eat xxx. It will also open the kids to different cultures and a wealth of life experiences.

Diversity won't hurt you, in fact I am a firm believer that it would benefit and sustain you.  

Natural Indian Snacks for School Lunchbox

My friend brought me to Madras Supermarket in Sunnyvale, California. I was impressed at the diversity of grains and spices in this supermarket. In the Western diet, we have grown so used to eating wheat that we forget that there is such a diversity of ingredients out there. Take flour for example...most Westerners are familiar with wheat flour and maybe they may have two or three other different flours in their pantry. The Indian diet incorporates so much different varieties of flour: sorghum, moong dal, chick pea, rice, soya bean, buckwheat, millet and the list goes on...

It has added oomph into my kid's snack box. Here are some ingredients that you can buy from your local Indian supermarket:

Pani Puri (Left of lunchbox)
Made of semolina, flour, salt, oil and water, this crisp puffy snack is perfect for schoolkids. Apart from a little salt, there's no other preservatives. I  serve it with a little tub of yoghurt of cream cheese on the side. This is my little one's favourite. (he can't get enough of it)

Namak Para (bottom right of lunch box)
Primarily made of wheat flour, this makes a great nibble for the kids

Boondi (top right of lunch box)
These salted fried chickpea flour puffs are nice to pick and snack on (the version I bought contains a little peanut but I'm sure if you try hard enough, you can find non-peanut versions)

Sesame Chikki (centre of lunch box)
It comes in a slab. It's like sesame brittle. Break it up with your fingers. It goes well with coffee (or in your child's snack box) Nice crunchy sticky texture and it's a good substitute to all those snacks with artificial colors.

Incidentally, my kids loved the box of Indian snacks I put together for them. The older one loved Boondi and the younger one loved Pani Puri.

Keep trying.

How to host a fabulous Winter Raclette party

There's nothing like melty cheese to warm the cockles of your heart in winter.  Most people are familiar with fondue but I think I also like the lesser known cousin...raclette.

Raclette is a semi-hard cheese that originates from Valais, Switzerland. Is is said that Swiss cow herders used to take Raclette cheese with them when they are out and about with their herd. Then they would light a fire and roast the cheese. These days, the cheese is warmed on a pan and scraped onto boiled potatoes. In Switzerland and the French Alps, it's a popular dish after a hard day's work of skiing.

I was hosted by my French friend recently; She threw a wonderful raclette party for 12. I realize that it's actually a nice fuss free way of entertaining. Your guests cook their own food and they're having so much fun in the process.

So here's three easy steps to get started with your raclette party: 

1/ Get one of these cool raclette grills. You basically melt the raclette cheese with your individual pans, that can be slotted into the grill. You can grill vegetables on top or cook crepe on the top of the raclette grill, but that's for another party! You can get one of these raclette grills on Amazon. 

(6 person raclette grill) 

2/ Besides the raclette cheese, you can put together a charcuterie plate of saucisson, cuts of meat like parma ham and bowls of olives and cornichons on the side.

If you're in the Bay area, you can order your raclette and a variety of dried cured meats from an artisan shop or Frenchery.com. Serve with a bowl of boiled baby potatoes and maybe even a salad. 

Easy. 

By the way, my French friend adds that you should be enjoying raclette with white wine. And end the meal with herbal tea. 

3/ Don't forget to create an atmosphere - a winter lodge or swiss chalet feel. You don't have to do much to your table setting, as your ingredients will be the star of the table. Light a fire in the fireplace, put on some cool music and you're all set. 

Bon Apetit!