Kids are fun to work with. My son Sidd is an amazing kid who has achieved his milestones much earlier than others. As his parents, we have tried our best to nurture him with hands-on activities like science experiments, baking and cooking. He learns math by counting the cupcakes and he understands chemistry by watching the reaction between baking soda and vinegar in a balloon. Repetition is the key. I would casually talk about the same thing in different ways.
With constant guidance and discussion, kids get tremendous ability to get creative. Since he turned 2, I have made conscious effort to involve him in the kitchen. He started by peeling boiled eggs and potatoes. That is a easy task to start with. He then graduated to pour batter into the idly plates with utmost precision. He would talk about the fruits he will want for snack. He was beginning to take control of his food.
Then he demanded to bake a cake for me. He wanted to make it all by himself so I had to come with a recipe that involved no cooking. Cheese cake is an obvious choice. This no-bake dessert is a glamorous treat by itself. I decided to add gulab jamun and cardamom powder for an Indian twist. I make cheesecake using cream cheese or mascarpone but this time we went with paneer (Indian cheese) and yogurt.
By Vijitha & Sidd
She is the food blogger- photographer of Spices and Aroma and Sidd is her son. Currently living in Silicon Valley, California with her family, she is also a recipe developer, cooking instructor and pop-up dinner host.