Get Your Kids Excited for Dinner with These 6 Fun Indian Dishes
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Hey there moms and dads! Struggling to turn dinner from a never-ending food critique showdown into a joyful family gathering? Well, worry not! I have some delightful ideas to get your kids excited for dinner with these fun Indian dishes for kids.
Join me as we explore a colorful world of mouthwatering Indian cuisine, guaranteed to dazzle your little ones and bring playfulness and adventure to their dinner plates! 🍛😋
Why Indian dishes, you ask?
Indian cuisine is celebrated for its flavorful richness, tantalizing aromas, and stunning rainbow-like palette of colors. Each dish here will be like a little party for your kids’ taste buds!
Introducing these fun meals to your children not only brings some playful diversity to the table but also welcomes them into the expansive world of global tastes. And hey, these recipes are packed with wholesome and nourishing ingredients – perfect for those growing munchkins 😉
Are you ready to add some mischievous touches to your dining table? Let’s explore!
1. Paneer Tikka Pizza 🍕
Who said pizzas can’t be joyfully deceptive? Let’s combine the universal love for pizza with the rich taste of Indian paneer tikka – an instant tweak on the classic Italian favorite.
This pizza is an explosion of taste and colors, transforming every dinner into a playful celebration.
Some key ingredients to start this fun journey:
- Pizza base
- Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) cubes
- Bell peppers, if desired
- Onion slices, if desired
- Tikka marinade (Maya Kamal makes a good one)
- Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Jar of pizza sauce
- Herbs like dill and cilantro to garnish, if desired.
Marinate the paneer cubes in the tikka marinade. Grill the paneer and veggies (if using), assemble the pizza, and then pop it into the oven. Garnish with dill and cilantro. There you have it, a joyfully clever twist on the traditional pizza!
2. Colorful Vegetable Pulao🌈🍚
It’s time to sneak in those vegetables on the dinner plate with the classic vegetable pulao. This aromatic rice dish, filled with a merry medley of vibrant veggies, is both a visual treat and a joyous dance of flavors for kid’s palates. It brings the rainbow from the sky to your kids’ plates — fun, isn’t it?
Here’s what you need:
- Long-grain Basmati rice
- A vibrant assortment of vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, beans, and more!)
- A lineup of aromatic spices
- Onion and garlic for that added flavor
- Salt, and a drizzle of ghee or oil
With just a few simple steps, you’ll serve a healthy, colorful treat your kids are sure to devour with glee! I like this recipe for easy vegetable pulao or you can try my Vegetable Tahiri or Peas and Carrots Pulao.
3. Chicken (or Veggie) Kofta Curry 🥘
Dinner time is about to get a mischievous twist with the Indian kofta curry! This hearty dish, with its delicious sauce filled with playful kofta balls, is a gateway to the grandeur of Indian curries. Each kofta ball they bite into will be a flavorful surprise, keeping them guessing and excited for the next bite.
To get started, you’ll need:
- Minced chicken for the kofta balls
- Onion, ginger, and garlic
- A pile of aromatic spices (see this recipe)
- Finely chopped cilantro
- Tomato puree, cream, and butter for the luxuriously rich curry sauce
Craft and cook your koftas, simmer the flavorful curry, and get ready to watch your children munch away delightedly. Serve it with warm naan bread or steamed rice and enjoy the adventurous and joyful food journey!
Note: To make dinner even easier buy premade meatballs and follow the recipe for the curry. Easy, peasy for a dinner that’s breezy.
4. Chicken Tikka: A Symphony of Spices 🍗
Chicken tikka is all about the flavorsome and aromatic combination of spices and yogurt marinade. The vividly colored dish owes its hues to a blend of spices such as turmeric and paprika.
Here’s the recipe:
- 1 pound boneless chicken thighs
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp. tikka masala spice blend (available on Amazon)
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- Salt to taste
- Instructions:
Mix the yogurt with the tikka masala spice blend and all the other spices, and marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours.
Skewer the chicken and grill until its golden brown and cooked thoroughly. Or alternately, shallow fry in a pan or use an air fryer.
5. Chicken Kathi Roll: Indian Street Food at Its Best 🌯
The Chicken Kathi Roll is an enticing Indian street food featuring a flavorful mix of marinated grilled chicken enveloped in a warm, egg coated wrap, garnished with tangy sauces and crisp vegetables.
Recipe for Kathi Roll:
- 2 eggs
- 2 flour tortilla wraps
- 1 onion
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 3 tablespoons chicken tikka masala
- Salt to taste
instructions:
Sauté the onions and bell peppers with your choice of protein and chicken tikka masala.
Scramble the eggs and cook the wraps with the egg coating on one side. Roll the sautéed filling inside the egg-coated flatbread.
6. Egg Roll: A Classic Indian Delight 🍳
The Indian Egg roll is very different from the Asian egg rolls that are also very delicious. Indian egg roll is more than an appetizer it’s a complete meal in a wrap. The delightful mix of a crispy envelope embracing a scrumptious filling of egg and spices is a sure shot hit with kids
.
Recipe for Egg Roll
- 2 eggs
- 2 flour wraps
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 green chillies, minced (optional), use green bell peppers instead
- Chaat masala to taste and ketchup
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
Cook the flour wrap on a pan, crack an egg on it and let it coat one side.
Once cooked, add the onions, chillies or green bell peppers , sprinkle some chaat masala, squirt some ketchup and roll it up.
With these exciting, playful Indian dishes at your fingertips, each meal can now be a delightful journey – and not a battleground. Perhaps allow your children to join in the dinner preparation. It’s a fun way to get them interested and helps them to feel more involved in the process.
These are simple recipes that can be improvised according to your pantry and the likes and dislikes of your kids. The idea is to create a dish that invites them to the dining table with a happy heart and curious palate.
So, why not try one (or all) of these tantalizing recipes and transform dinner time into a fun, mischievous, and joyful culinary adventure? Remember the idea is to have fun – food is always about bringing people together.
And no matter what, your kitchen will be filled with love.
Bon appetit! 😊
