Chicken tikka masala (CTM) is a mild Indian curry dish of bite-sized chicken chunks (tikka) marinated and cooked in a tandoor oven, then added to a spicy sauce (masala). This is one dish I must order whenever I dine in an Indian restaurant. It has such a perfect blend of spices and flavour that goes well with either naans or rice.

After reading more about this dish, I was quite surprised to learn that it was not exactly an authentic Indian cuisine. Both the Indians and the Brits lay claims on it. But, till now, its origin is still in dispute. More detailed explanations can be read at these links: The Sun and Menu Magazine.

Regardless of its origin, CTM has become so popular in the UK that the former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook proclaimed CTM as “British’s true national dish” in 2001. Now, it is served in restaurants all over the world.

Being a noob in Indian cooking, I didn’t have the guts to make CTM even though I had bookmarked the recipe for almost a year. Am I a coward? Well, maybe. Last month, I picked up the courage and did it!! Not once but several times! Proud and satisfied.

To start, I marinated the chicken chunks overnight. On the next day, I cooked them and made the sauce. Easy and fun, I must say. I followed largely the recipe from Annabel Karmel’s “Kids Can Cook” cookbook. Along the way, I had also modified certain steps and improvised some ingredients. This recipe is kid-friendly and not spicy at all. Though the ingredients seem a lot, they are readily available in the supermarket. They lend a distinctive flavour to the dish and also make my kitchen smell so fragrant and aromatic during cooking! This recipe will give you plenty of sauce. So, feel free to add some greens such as cauliflower, eggplants and lady fingers to make it more nutritious, and served with rice, chappati or naan to complete the meal.

I don’t know how much my CTM version would fare against those served in Indian restaurants. But, it really made my day seeing how my hubby and son polished up the leftover sauce. If you have never tried CTM or Indian food before, this dish is probably a great introduction to the world of spices.

>> Get the recipe and step by step photos for CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA at PAGE 2 BELOW.

Did you notice some recent changes in my blog layout? I had changed my logo and hope you will like it. Recently, my site had been featured by several media as follows:

1. The New Age Parents (online magazine) Apr/ May 2012 Issue
2. Essential Parenting (a website by the Family Education Department, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Singapore) March 2012>
3. Young Parents Magazine (a Singapore parenting magazine) May 2012 Issue – In their article titled “10 STEPS TO A HAPPY BELLY”, 10 websites and blogs by mums around the world were mentioned. Food For Tots is one of them!! Click on the image for a larger view.

What should I do if my child:
- refuses to eat vegetables?
– refuses to try new food?
– refuses to eat on his own?
– is not interested in food?
– never sit still during mealtime?
– love to watch TV during mealtime?

Do any of these sound familiar to you? These are the questions frequently asked by my readers since I started blogging. When parents or caregivers encounter such problems, it is likely that the child will get the blame. But, if we analyze their situation carefully, we may be alarmed that root of these problems may lie more on the parents or caregivers than the child himself.

What are the common mistakes made by parents or caregivers?

1. No mealtime rules
   • If mealtime rules are not set, parents or caregivers will find it challenging to control or discipline their child during mealtime. Even though some have put efforts to do so, most of the time they give in easily.
2. No mealtime routine
   • Without having a proper routine for breakfast, lunch and dinner, a child will have a tendency of over or under-eating. He might stuff his/her stomach with more junks than healthy foods. This may cause him to lose his appetite when it comes to  the actual mealtime.
3. Limited choice of food
   • Generally, most parents or caregivers are reluctant to introduce new food as they are afraid that the child may reject the food and go hungry as a result. This will eventually limit his choice of food and also lead to lack of essential nutrition for growth. He will also get bored eating the same food over a long period of time.
4. Wrong approach to encourage eating
   • Some parents or caregivers can get anxious easily when the child dislikes the taste of certain healthy foods.  They will tend to either force him to eat or make him eat a larger portion. This method may cause the child to react negatively towards the food.
5. Speed up the eating process
   • When a child is slow in eating, the parents or caregivers will become impatient and quickly start feeding the child. This may delay the child from picking up the self-feeding skill. To avoid choking, Asian parents or caregivers tend to blend the food for their child even when they are over a year old. As the blended food doesn’t look and taste appealing, the child will eventually lost his interest during mealtime.
6. Bribery
   • Bribe the child with sweet treat or distract him with toys, mobile app or television may seem an easy way out to deal with the mealtime battle in the short run. As a result, the child will not be able to learn the correct mealtime manners as well as chew his food properly due to these distractions.

    

What should parents or caregivers do to cope with picky eaters and mealtime problems?

1. Teach the right eating manners
   • Teach your child the right eating manners from young. Start by letting him join the family at the dining table so he can pick up the right mealtime manners. Avoid distraction like toys, mobile app and television during mealtime.
2. Cultivate healthy eating habit
   • Offer your child more fresh fruits and vegetables. (Refer to this post for more tips on how to encourage your child to love green). Cut down on fats, oils and sweets. Avoid food with colouring and preservatives. Snacks that are offered in between meals should be healthy and nutritious (eg, sweet potato crisps, power-packed oat bars and oatmeal raisin banana muffins) . Soft drinks, sweets and packaged food (such as potato chips) should not be allowed.
3. Set a good example
   • If you don’t want your child to become a picky eater, start to exhibit a good example by following a healthy diet. Do not show your feeling on the food you dislike as it will influence your child to dislike it.
4. Set mealtime rules and routine
   • Set reasonable rules and routine for mealtime, and stand firm on it. Eg, no playing, having meal at the dining table only, must not leave the table until the meal is finished etc.
5. Praise wisely
   • Small kids response positively to praises. Praise your child whenever he demonstrates good mealtime manner or is willing to try new food. But, avoid over-praising.
6. Relax yourself
   • Try to relax when feeding or having meals with your child as he can easily sense your anxiety. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself as it will make matter worst.
7. Emphasize the importance of healthy eating
   • Do not make your child eat just to please you. Starting teaching your child from young the benefits of having healthy eating habits by saying “milk makes your bones strong”, “salmon makes you smarter”, “sweets will cause tooth decay”. Reinforce these messages to him from time to time.
8. Use books and songs
   • Reading books and singing songs relating to healthy eating habit can arouse a child’s interest in healthy food. My son loves apple after he learns the song “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” (Eg, apple soup and apple flapjacks)
9. Make food look interesting
   • Healthy food may not taste blanch or look bored. Be creative and make the food looks interesting by playing around with shape, colour, taste and texture. Here are some suggestions:
   • Shape: Ingredients can be minced, diced, sliced or julienned. Cookies cutter and rice mould are my favourite tools for making different type of shapes. (eg, fancy sandwiches with sardine filling, onigiri with salmon and cucumber, oven baked fish fingers)
   • Colour: Use different combination of colour to not only brighten up your dish but also provide more nutrients to your child’s diet. (eg, rainbow seafood pasta salad and stir-fry udon with prawns)
   • Taste: Enhance the flavour of the food with condiments, spices and herbs. (eg, orange pilaf and oven baked fries)
   • Texture: Vary your cooking methods. For example, fish can be steamed, pan-fried or baked. It can also be made into patties or added into soup. If your child doesn’t like cooked vegetables, try offering him raw vegetables instead such as cucumber and carrots sticks with a tasty dip. (eg,  salmon in a parcel, teriyaki chicken skew and Japanese egg salad sandwiches)
10. Make mealtime fun and enjoyable
    • For babies, you can create imaginative stories with food. Eg,”The helicopter (aka spoon) is going to crash! Hurry, open your mouth to rescue it.”
    • For toddlers, let them have some “pretentious games” with their food such as using broccoli to make “hair” of a face, “mini tree” or “little flower” or just about anything based on your creative imagination (eg, broccoli and bow-tie). This will definitely make them look forward to their next mealtime.
    • Use colourful and cute cutlery and plate to serve the food.
11. Introduce new food as frequent as possible
    • Be more adventurous with new food but limit to one new food at a time. Pair the new food with his favourite and familiar food such as cheese and eggs or homemade sauce. Eg, my son dislikes eggplant but loves cheese and tomato sauce. So when I baked eggplants with bolognese sauce, it became a big hit. (Another example is cauliflower cheese and burdock root soup)
    • Offer new food in small portion but do not force him to eat. Take no offense if he refuses it or couldn’t finish it. Give praise even if he just takes one bite. If he still rejects, stop for a while and reintroduce a few weeks later. Sometimes, it may take 10 attempts or more for him to accept the new food. (Eg, I managed to convince my son to eat coconut with this coconut banana muffins)
12. Keep portion small
    • Kids have smaller appetite than adults. So, do not pressure your child to eat as much as an adult. Start with a small serving. If he can finish and request for more, then offer a second helping. Also, do not rush your child to finish his meal. Allow him time to consume his food. His stomach will be able to signal if he is full. This helps to avoid over-eating.
13. Involved your kid in food preparation and simple cooking process
    
    • Get your child involved in shopping, preparing and cooking his food. It will excite him and chances are he will be more willing to try out the food. You can try simple baking recipes with your child such as almond crisps, mini fluffy pancakes, banana muffins, simple breadsticks, wholemeal cookies, cheesy cookies and gingerbread man cookies)
14. Offer smart choices
    • Rather than letting your child decide freely on what he wants to eat, give him scope to assert his independence. Eg, let him choose two out of three vegetables offered to him.
15. Encourage self-feeding
    • When a child reaches one year, encourage him to self-feed and master mealtime skills. Though it can be messy and the child may take a longer time to eat, it’s worth the effort to train him to be more independent.

     

These tips are written based on my research and personal experience in raising my son. They work for my son. Please use them with your own discretion and do not expect miracle to happen overnight. But, never give up so soon. It is important to be persistence and consistent with your approach. As long as you are determined and keep trying, you will definitely see progress in your child’s eating habits.

Note: This post has been re-written for Singapore Motherhood and Parenting Forum. Please refer to THIS LINK for the featuring.

A “LOVE LETTER” TO MY HUBBY

Dear Darling Hubby,

As always, I agree wholeheartedly with you that flower, chocolate and romantic dinners aren’t the only sweet ideas for Valentine’s Day. So, this year, I have a brilliant Valentine’s idea to share with you. It’s a lovely breakfast meal that is extremely easy to make, yet tasty and healthy. Also, not pricey! It’s a winning combination of my two favourites: egg and toast which are presented with novelty. Wikipedia lists many interesting and funny names for this dish: egg in toast, toad in a hole, egg in the hole, cowboy eggs etc etc. I’m not sure which one to pick. Maybe we just call it “egg in a basket” first and create a more fun name after that.

I know you have a hidden talent in cooking and are seriously searching for ideas on what to cook for me. How about giving this lovely breakfast a try on this Valentine’s morning? If both your son and I see this dish on our dining table, we will definitely jump in joy and give you loads of irresistible kisses and hugs. But please don’t surprise me with a messy kitchen.

To make sure you succeed in making this special toast, I have prepared a detailed instruction with tips and steps and steps photos which you can find in page 2 of this post. Don’t worry if your first attempt doesn’t turn out well. (It took me 4 attempts to perfect mine). We will still appreciate your efforts from the bottom of our heart and devour a dish that is made out of your love, care and patience.

Just to let you know, I have stored plenty of eggs and bread in the fridge for you to experiment with. So, have fun and enjoy!!

Love,
XOXO
Yours forever

PS: Psssst! If you love this dish as much as I do, please pass it on to your circle of friends and colleagues (especially guys). You know what I mean, right?

For more information about egg, please refer to this post.

Let me share with you my two recipes that were featured online this week. The featured posts are as follows:
- Braised taro and dried shrimps featured on SHAPE – 5 tasty meals you can make with taro
- Oven baked fries featured on Yummly – Guilt-free versions of your favourite junk foods

—> Get the recipe and step by steps photos for egg in a basket (egg in toast) at PAGE 2 BELOW.

Early one morning, FEDEX delivered a parcel to my doorsteps. It was a box of triple chocolate brownies from someone special in London. They looked so delicious and inviting! Who can resist this sinful indulgence, especially when it comes to triple chocolate? Without a second thought, I quickly took one and put it into my mouth to savour. It was sooOOOoo delicious, moist, velvety…….. the best I had eaten so far! In a few seconds, I finished all the brownies without leaving some for my hubby and son……Ooooops!

No, that’s not real. It was just a story created by me.  As a big fan of chocolate, it was what came to my mind when Lee Mei of My Cooking Hut and I decided to feature this triple chocolate brownies recipe in her guest post.

Today, it is my great pleasure to have Lee Mei of My Cooking Hut to be my first guest in my blog. My Cooking Hut is one of my favourite food blogs. It has excellent food photos which gave me lots of inspiration in my own photo-shooting. Apart from that, I also love her Asian and French recipes. They are simple to prepare, and yet delicious. Although we have not met in person, I find her to be a very sincere and friendly person through our emailing. Whenever I wrote to her for advice, she tried her best to have an answer for me. I am so glad to have found a nice and wonderful foodie friend like her. Thank you so much, Lee Mei!

I hope everyone will enjoy these mouth-watering brownies (visually) as much as I do. Remember to grab one bite before it is too late!

One day, I received an email from LK, the writer of Food-4Tots. She asked me to be a guest writer for her blog. I was indeed very excited and agreed! We discussed about what recipe to feature, in the end, we thought it was just too difficult to run away from the temptation of Triple Chocolate Brownies!

A brownie or chocolate brownie is an American dessert. It usually looks semi-flat square, made with chocolate and baked in a sheet pan. Pretty much like a dense chocolate cake.

I am a real fan of chocolates – not that I eat it everyday but I do appreciate chocolates, especially good quality of dark chocolates. So, I guess, it’s an excellent idea to bake triple chocolate brownies.

For this recipe, the main ingredient is dark chocolate. I personally think that it’s important to get good quality of chocolate, be it for baking or eating. I have decided to choose Valroha dark chocolate with 68% cocoa. Valroha chocolates are top quality and are considered as one of the finest chocolate makers in the world. The price range for Valroha products is roughly the same as Godiva and Neuhaus. Well, you don’t have to specifically look for Valroha chocolates, any good solid dark chocolate with at least 68% of cocoa would do.

Baking is probably one of my weaknesses. I cook more main dishes than I bake! Luckily, I am a very patience person (some people say that I have the patience of a Saint! LOL….), so, the failure of my first attempt in baking brownies didn’t put me off! I learnt from my mistakes and I was very keen to get it right the second time. It turned out great! The saying of practice makes perfects really suits this context!

Well, I had all these triple chocolate brownies laid on a serving plate just right in front of me, they seem to be yelling “Eat me! Eat me!”. I couldn’t resist and took a bite. The moist and velvelty texture of brownies are great for my afternoon tea!

>> Click on page 2 below for Triple Chocolate Brownies recipe…………