A blog for a 6 yr old's cooking interests? Sounds crazy but its not so in our house. Shruthkirti aka Chellu has shown keen interest in cooking & everything related to it ever since she could sit and hold smntg in her hand. I still remember those NJ days when the only way she would allow me to cook was if she was given some veggies herself & a blunt butter knife. I would strap her down on her dinner seat and she would play/chop/experiment for hours. Her favorite place in the house was the kitchen. She would open all the racks & love playing with the utensils. Many a times I have found her toys in my kitchen racks. When she was old enuff to stand she would volunteer to empty the dish-washer for me.
That interest only kept increasing as she grew. Attta was an obsession for her ..she could easily do like 2-3 hrs of play with atta. Ever since we came back to India she has been showing a keen interest in participating in everyday cooking. So MANY days we have cut veggies together. Her dexterity with the ktichen knife is amazing. She cuts much better than me & can put me to shame with how beautifully thin her strawberry slices can be. And then she started to help more & more. Mixing the fermented idli dough, filling the idli plates , removing the cooked idli, washing the vessels, washing rice, cutting up steamed mootia pieces, making hand-pounded chutneys, pounding ginger-garlic paste ,churning butter, churning the besan buttermilk mix for kadhi etc...
She then went through a stage of explorative cooking where she wanted to make up her own stuff. She along with Kunju would mix up all sorts of weird stuff- spices from my masala dabba with dates syrup, juice what-nots..But in the process she also tumbled upon some of her first recipes like juice ice, chocolate dahi & orange dosai!
For the past few months Chellu is back on the track of cooking for real. She loves cooking recipes from her cooking art book & also trying her own things. She even dreamt a recipe recently!! ( Potato balls ...)
Chelu's favorite movie is guess what? BAWARCHI!! The old Rajesh Khanna classic . She said she loves the way he cuts veggies..she must have watched it like 10 times atleast!!
Its a pleasure to watch her cook. Her whole aura is lighted up. One can make out her passion. She is in a different world enjoying every second , every detail of what she does. She is all charged up.. This blog is a testimony to that zest, enthusiasm & passion. After all this is the very reason why we Home-school. To let our children find what seizes them, engulfs them & to experience what it is to indulge in one's passion..So whenever Chellu says " Amma I want to be a cooker when I become big" , its taken very seriously in this family !!! :)))
That interest only kept increasing as she grew. Attta was an obsession for her ..she could easily do like 2-3 hrs of play with atta. Ever since we came back to India she has been showing a keen interest in participating in everyday cooking. So MANY days we have cut veggies together. Her dexterity with the ktichen knife is amazing. She cuts much better than me & can put me to shame with how beautifully thin her strawberry slices can be. And then she started to help more & more. Mixing the fermented idli dough, filling the idli plates , removing the cooked idli, washing the vessels, washing rice, cutting up steamed mootia pieces, making hand-pounded chutneys, pounding ginger-garlic paste ,churning butter, churning the besan buttermilk mix for kadhi etc...
She then went through a stage of explorative cooking where she wanted to make up her own stuff. She along with Kunju would mix up all sorts of weird stuff- spices from my masala dabba with dates syrup, juice what-nots..But in the process she also tumbled upon some of her first recipes like juice ice, chocolate dahi & orange dosai!
For the past few months Chellu is back on the track of cooking for real. She loves cooking recipes from her cooking art book & also trying her own things. She even dreamt a recipe recently!! ( Potato balls ...)
Chelu's favorite movie is guess what? BAWARCHI!! The old Rajesh Khanna classic . She said she loves the way he cuts veggies..she must have watched it like 10 times atleast!!
Its a pleasure to watch her cook. Her whole aura is lighted up. One can make out her passion. She is in a different world enjoying every second , every detail of what she does. She is all charged up.. This blog is a testimony to that zest, enthusiasm & passion. After all this is the very reason why we Home-school. To let our children find what seizes them, engulfs them & to experience what it is to indulge in one's passion..So whenever Chellu says " Amma I want to be a cooker when I become big" , its taken very seriously in this family !!! :)))
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