Snotty Noses Happy Parents Raising Healthy Kids by Dr Orlena Kerek, Paediatrician

This is an easy pork vindaloo recipe. Cooking with kids is a great way to encourage healthy eating. Every month, I allow my children to choose a recipe. We shop for the ingredients and cook it together. This week, my son choose vindaloo, 4 chillies and all!

I thought it would be really difficult, but actually it was an easy recipe.

Teach Children’s Taste Buds

Introducing children to different spices is a good idea. We learn to like different tastes. If it is too strong for them, you can mix in some yoghurt. Actually, it wasn’t really that strong and everyone ate it without yoghurt. Even the twins who are two.

Give Children some Choice

Allowing children to choose what they eat is a great way to let them feel in control. We combine this idea with trying something new. The more variety children eat, the more likely they are to try new things. Plus, if they’ve chosen it and cooked it themselves, they are keen to give it a go.

Ingredients for Vindaloo

• 1 onion
• 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
• 600g boneless pork, chopped up small

For the paste:

• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 dried red chillies
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 6 cardamon pods
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 cloves
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds

In the sauce:

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 cms ginger, cut finely
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 500 mls tomatos
• 400 g potatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 tsp turmeric

Method for Vindaloo

1. Fry the onion.
2. Mix the vinegar with 1 table spoon of water and stir it into the pork. Set aside.
3. In a food processor, whizz up the cooked onion, cumin, chillies, peppercorns, cardamon, cinnamon, cloves and fenugreek to a paste.
4. Brown the pork.
5. Add the garlic, ginger and ground coriander to the pork and cook for a few minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes, sugar, potato, turmeric and spice paste.
7. Simmer for an hour.

Cooking with Kids

Galen who is nearly 7, stirred the onion and added all the spices into the paste. He mixed the pork when it was browning and chopped the potatoes. He added all the ingredients to the sauce.

He learnt about kitchen hygiene (having a separate board for meat and washing things carefully, including hands.) Next time he would like to cut the meat himself.

Giving children responsibility is a fantastic way to foster independence.

This recipe was a huge success and we’ll definitely be making it again.

31 Days of Kid's Kitchen

This post is part of the 31 Days of Kid's Kitchen series. Pop over to see what else is going on at Jennifer's lovely site Study at Home Mama. Check out her delicious Prosciutto and Parmesan Chicken. I know what I want Galen to make next!