Cooking up a mini storm: This seven-year-old baker loves trying out easy recipes in the kitchen

Ishani enjoys her butter chicken pizza and spinach-banana smoothie that she whipped up with her mother’s help

Can the physical confines of a kitchen be clocked as a great poem? A poem that can mean different things to different readers and prompt a wave of ideas? For Ishani Basu, a bubbly child of seven, kitchen means a homey room where magic puffs up at the centre of muffins, rum balls and samosa pies. She helps her mother assemble dishes and always bargains for a larger portion of cake batter to lick off. When asked if baking is more than a pastime to her, the tween quips, "I have enjoyed baking ever since I was born." This writer melts into her guileless admission.

Nearly 12,000 km away in Toronto, 13-year-old Ahmed Allibhai loves to cook, read and play soccer. His food Reels communicate a love for simple recipes that mainly require South Asian ingredients. With Allibhai being followed by 13.8k Instagrammers, we wanted to put his quick medley of flavours to test. And who better than Ishani could have been the judge of that!

Ahmed Allibhai

The young reviewer tried making Allibhai's butter chicken pizza and spinach-banana smoothie. Ask her about the unrehearsed pizza party after school and she says, "I equally love pizzas and creamy butter chicken curries. The fact that the dishes would blend into one got me excited. I watched a couple of his Reels and began to put things together. My mother chopped the veggies for me and in no time, I had finished layering the bread base." While describing her mamma mia- moment, the second-grader recounts that her twist to the recipe was in adding some grated cheese on top and not directly on the base: "I wanted to see the cheese melt in the oven."

Sarah Stephanos, Ishani's mother who rarely falls short of matching up to her daughter's energy, reckons the recipes are hassle-free. "It's not just about the process, but also about the ingredients they involve. Nearly everything was available at home. I helped my kid find dishes she is naturally inclined to pick. The smoothie can be a nourishing meal for kids any time of the day. It went well with her slice of pizza, too," she shares.

The tween and her mother bond in the kitchen and rediscover fun every week. The easy recipes gave them another chance to bake happiness. "It doesn't just end with this trial. Ishani has discussed the idea with her friends and we might have a cook-off at home this weekend," Sarah adds.

Ahmed Allibhai's food reels
AGE GROUP: 7 years and above
TYPE: Easy recipes
PRICE: Free
RATING: 3/4
LOG ON: @chefahmedcooks on Instagram