how to improve your child's nutrition - part 2

Paneer is widely used in India as a very rich source of protein, riboflavin and good fats and can be used in place of meat by the vegetarians. Tofu or cottage cheese is another name for paneer. Most children love paneer and there are hundreds of snacks you can make out of them at home.  It is very easy to make paneer at home.

Boil 1 liter of milk. When it comes to a boil, add 1 tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice or yogurt and stir well. The milk curdles instantly. Take it off heat and allow it to cool. Then, pour the contents into a muslin cloth or a fine strainer. Lightly rinse with fresh water and drain it well till all water is completely drained out leaving behind the soft white paneer.

** The water drained out while making paneer can be used to knead your dough for making breads. It can also be used in soups or stews as a vegetable stock.

100 gms of paneer contains 18 gms protein, 21 gms fat, 1.5 gms carbohydrates, 2,5 gms carbohydrates, 270 mgs calcium, 2.5 gms minerals and 270 kcal energy.

Proteins are builder blocks of our body and are used to build and restore our tissues. Growing children need protein for building their bones, muscles, skin, body cells and increase the quantity of blood. Regular consumption of paneer will replace protein deficiency in your vegan diet.

Given below are a few paneer snacks that can be made in less than 10 minutes for your child who does not like to wait too long.

Paneer and mint tikkis

1 cup paneer/cottage cheese (grated),

4 ½ tbsp finely chopped mint leaves,

¼ tsp paprika or 2 chopped green chillies,

3 tsp of cornflour

salt as required.

Oil for frying the tikkis

Mix all the ingredients together in a deep bowl and divide them into 17 equal sizes. Shape each equal size portion into a round but flatten it a bit on both sides and deep fry them in hot oil till they are golden brown in color. 

 

Paneer with nuts tikkis

         

1 cup paneer (mashed or crumbled)

1 tbsp parsley (chopped) or coriander chopped

¼ paprika or 1 green chilly chopped

1 tsp cashewnuts and almonds (chopped)

1 tsp raisins chopped

2 tbsp cornflour

A pinch of sugar and salt as needed

Add parsley, paprika, cornflour, sugar and salt to the mashed paneer and mix it well. Mix the nuts and raisins together. Divide the mixture into equal number of balls. Take each ball and press a little of the dry fruits mixture into its middle and seal it. Roll the balls in cornflour and shallow fry in a pan on both sides till it turns golden brown. Serve hot with a dip, ketchup or chutney.

This tikki recipe is made out of chick peas. Chick peas are a very rich source of calcium and protein and will fulfill your child’s nutritional needs. It is vital for strong bones and teeth.

White chick peas tikkis

1 cup chick peas (soaked overnight)

½ cup mint leaves (chopped) and grated cabbage

1 cup carrot (grated)

¼ cup capsicum (grated)

1 green chilly (chopped)

½ tsp garlic (grated)

½ tsp cumin powder

1 tsp oil and salt as needed

Drain the chick peas and grind it coarsely with green chilly and mint leaves, without adding water. Add all other ingredients into the chick peas mixture and mix it well in a bowl. Divide the mixture equally into 12 tikkis and shape them into small flat tikkis. Brush all the tikkis lightly with oil and shallow fry them lightly in a pan till golden brown. Drain them on a napkin and serve with ketchup/dip/chutney

I’ll give some recipes of yummy chutney that your child or even you cannot say no to. Meanwhile enjoy making these snacks that should bring a smile on your child’s face.