Tastyt tiffin for Indian kids ,five days a week school schedule

                 

             Ideas of a working mother

  Wow! It’s very good to hear from my daughter who is a student of standard seven that their school will reopen after holidays from next week.  As I am a working mother of two girls aged 17 and 12 years I don’t like that my girls should be at home throughout the day without me. So, sometimes I engage them in different activities like summer camp, swimming, drawing, art and craft DIY etc.

As the school is going to begin from next week, while returning home from office in public transport, I was planning for their tiffin or lunch box which is very important part of their life. All children wait for lunch break when they usually share tiffin with their buddy. It is considered as “Happy Times” from continuous subject classes. Their school starts at 8:15 a.m. and ends at 2:15 p.m. 

Some days extra classes are held for the older one till 3:30p.m so I put an extra tiffin box in her bag considering the nutritional value and very humid Kolkata summer which spoil the food if not properly cooled before packing.  

The first working day starts with Monday.

The tiffin goes like this –

Puri or Luchi , Sabji along with Kalakand and a seasonal fruit

Puri is made from Atta (flour), popular in India ( western part ) and Luchi is made from Maida popular in West Bengal.
Puri is reddish brown and Luchi is off white. Both are kneaded with warm water, pinch of salt and prior to that a little oil/ghee added to make the dough soft/fluffy.

Puri goes well with all types of sabji, mixed vegetable, hawla (sweetened semolina cake),  aaloo bhaji etc. Luchi goes well with chana dal and aaloo chenchki (steam potato with minimum oil, salt and green chilli ). 

Both Puri and Luchi are rolled on to small circle which are then deep fried in oil ( sunflower/soyabean/rice bran/vegetable).

Mixed vegetables are prepared with all seasonal vegetables like potato, capsicum, carrot, beans, peas, tomato, cauliflower. Cut them into small pieces then steam them after thorough washing.

Then heat oil of your choice ( mustard/sunflower/soybean/rice bran/vegetable) in a Kaddai ( wok ), add Jeera, Hing (asafoetida), Green chillis and Indian masalas e.g. turmeric powder, cumin, coriander and garam masala powder . Stir well and fry them add salt and steamed vegetables. Check the seasoning, semi-dry it and cool it then ready to pack into lunch box.

Lastly, “kalakand” (milk barfi in square form) which is easy to prepare with condensed milk, grated or crumbled paneer, sugar and cardamom powder.  Mixed all ingredients and cook in low flame with continuous steering.

When it becomes semi-solid, spread over a foil and freeze for 2 to 3 hours. After than cut squares out of it.   

I prefer to give them one seasonal fruit (whole fruit ); avoid peeled/sliced fruit.

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The second day of the week bright Tuesday. 

This day I prefer to give my children ‘paratha’ with ‘aaloo bhaja’ and Kissan mixed fruit jam or mango pickle or mixed pickle.

Actually, I kept some portion of dough which was prepared on Monday to be utilized on Tuesday.

Paratha is Indian flat bread, made from aatta and maida mixed or only aatta or only maida.

I don’t prefer to give my children whole maida experience because it lacks fibre, better I opt for 7:3 ratio of aatta and maida, which makes the paratha soft and looks good.It is rolled with rolling pin into a big round circle, roasted over a skillet or tawa for some time then fried with little oil/ghee.

Aaloo bhaja is simple to prepare; cut potato in thin strips then blanch  in hot water then strain.

Heat mustered oil in a wok ( kadai ), temper with kalonji ( black tiny seeds ) and red chilli and then fry potato, add turmeric powder ( optional ), salt to taste. When it turn soft and brownish, switch off the oven and cool. Sometimes, parathas are packed in slices or as a whole.

A dollop of Kissan mixed fruit jam is packed in a mini container or smeared in paratha or sometimes pickle in place of mixed fruit jam.

The third day of the week, Wednesday the mid week.

Energy level of my children is somewhat dwindling. Nope, no way as I am their mother I will rejuvenate them with my home made recipe. No junk food.

Brown bread sandwich with kissan orange marmalade jam and peanut butter. It taste awesome. The peanut butter neutralizes the sharpness of tangy orange jam and make it melt in mouth. First of all toast the bread in low flame over a tawa or skillet or toaster. Then take three slices of bread. Apply at one slice peanut butter. It is good to know that peanut butter available in two texture one creamy, all smooth and the other crunchy where you will find small bits of peanuts. Both taste good. It is up to you what you prefer. Now on the second slice of bread smear orange marmalade and put it on top of the peanut butter slice. Then smear the some peanut butter on the other side of the second slice and cover it with third slice which is smeared with orange marmalade. The arrangement goes like this peanut butter à orange marmaladeàpeanut butteràorange marmalade I have made two sandwiches that takes six bread slices. It can be made with two bread also, the easy version of sandwich. Middle slice will be missing.A boiled egg accompanies the sandwiches along with a seasonal fruit like guava/apple/banana/orange.

Now this is Thursday.The fifth day of the week. 

In West Bengal this is called as "Lakhi Baar"mean  Laxmi (Goddess of wealth and prosperity) will be worshiped in every household.Mostly people eat vegetarian food on this day. I prefer to give them roti or ruti or chapati, a Indian flat bread and begun bhaja or brinjal fry supported with fresh rings or strips of cucumber smeared with lemon( for tanginess and vitamin C) packed in mini container.I also pack dry fruits like almond, raisins and cashew nut in a tiny packet which I push into their skirt pocket during departure to school.

Roti or chapati and rice are the staple food of every Indian. To make roti simply knead the atta with a pinch of salt and warm water, keep aside for 20-30 minutes then rolled in round circles and roast in tawa or skillet for some time lastly throw in flame to inflate. Brinjal fry or begun bhaja is round circles are cut from round brinjal (must). Then smeared with salt and sugar and turmeric powder kept aside for 5 to 10 mins to drain out excess fluid.Add oil in kadai(wok) then release the brinjal rings one by one in hot oil.Should be very careful while slipping the brinjal into oil.Deep fry them turn them , when becomes golden yellow or light brown strain with karchi or chajri and keep in tissue paper to drain excess oil.

The last weekday of school, Friday .

Some fatigue is there in my children but a little relaxation and happiness also persists when thinking of Saturday. On Friday my older daughter has an extra class after school . After finishing she run for her tuition class. So I prefer give some heavy tiffin to her.Both of my daughters are huge fan of Basmati Rice.But in West Bengal par boiled rice  is main staple which nutrition to in compare with non par boiled rice.In my monthly grocery I have to buy around 3 kgs of Basmati rice for occasional cooking.So I have decided to pack today Veg fried rice with anardana raita or pomegranate raita.

 Basmati rice hardly takes 10-12 minutes to cook. Can be cooked in open pan method ( which is easier you can check the rice) and other pressure cooker method which takes very less time only one whistle is enough.After cooking the rice swiftly spread it on a big plate or thali. Or the rice grains will stick to each other forming rice cake.
Cut beans, pea, carrot, capsicum,cauliflower florets into small pieces ,fry them in sunflower/soybean/rice bran/vegetable oil with garlic paste and a little salt.Keep aside Now add oil of your choice in kadai or wok , temper with whole jera or cumin, tej patta (bay leaf),teaspoon of sugar.Now on high flame add the rice ,fry it for 3-4 minutes add salt to taste and masalas like jeera or cumin powder coriander powder, chilly/pepper powder and garam masala powder.Lastly add all the fried vegetable and garnish with mint leaves and coriander .
Anardana raita or pomegranate is very easy to prepare. Deseed  the pomegranate .Take solid or hung 
 curd ( no whey)mix roasted cumin or jeera powder, chaat masala, pinch of rock salt , salt and all red juicy seed stir with spoon or fork vigorously , some of the seed will get burst and the raita will turn pink in colour now garnish with mint leaves and pack in air tight mini container.
For my older daughter's extra classes I prefer to give some dry food like cheese sandwich which tasty to eat and easy to make. take two slices of brown bread ( my preference) butter them lightly toast them the buttered side,now you can add cheese slice or smear cheese spread and again toast them until the cheese is melt. Cut into triangles wrap in, tissue to keep them soft 
and in a zipper tiny packet pack tomato ketchup and pack. One thing , my optional would be cheese spread because it is available in many flavour  like.garlic, pepper, pizza etc.


Thanks to all my readers for patiently reading this blog.
HAPPY COOKING !!