The personality-shaping lunch

Former MTV VJ and chef Maria Goretti with her children, Zeke and Zene Zoe

For a child, growing up in a diverse country like India, where most families live outside their native cities, and are often a product of mixed cultures and religions, it can make for an interesting story. But, sometimes, it can also lead to the feeling of being a misfit. Kshama Alur and Akhila Das Blah's children experienced the latter, often also around their food choices. "My sons are often teased for being South Indian but eating meat," says Blah; while for Alur, her son was asked by his classmates at his school in Singapore why he ate idli with his hands.

The friends co-founded Indigrow Kids in 2019 to promote cultural learning at the earliest age possible for children to be exposed to each other's habits. Food was always a common thread, leading the pair to launch their latest campaign, What's in Your Lunchbox. The campaign brings together Michelin-starred chef Garima Arora, chef and author Chinu Vaze, celebrity chef Maria Goretti, chef Amninder Sandhu, television personality-chef Palak Patel and hospitality entrepreneur Aditi Dugar.

As part of the collaboration, each of these women has thought up a child-friendly recipe inspired by Indigrow's books and games. Sometimes, children think fast food is cooler than ghar ka khana. Through the campaign, the collaborators hope they can empower little ones to accept and own their culture.

"Children's brains are constantly making connections with things they see and feel, and we wanted to change the narrative of this idea of being different. At the end of the day, we're all similar in that we are different and don't fit into a mould," says Blah. Alur illustrates this with an example. "It's more interesting when a child draws a common thread between cultures by noticing something like a xiao long bao [Chinese steamed bun] being similar to a gyoza [Japanese dumpling], which in a way is also like a samosa!"

Norah Dooley, author of the Everybody series of books

This thought-provoking campaign inspired several prominent chefs and personalities across the country, who also shared similar experiences at home. For former MTV VJ Maria Goretti, having children helped her break down walls and ideas built in her mind while growing up. "Raised in a Catholic home as an East Indian, a community indigenous to Maharashtra but influenced by Portuguese culinary traditions, my ethnicity definitely confused a few people along the way. Whether it was Eid at a friend's house or Diwali with my uncle, it was normal to join every festivity. But the food at home was primarily East Indian made with bottle masala, whether it was prawn curry or mutton moilee with fugias. Today, however, I don't believe cultural lines exist as sharply, especially with food. Every year during Ganesh Chaturthi, my kids make it a point to take us pandal hopping. And my daughter loves to collect different modaks and teach us all about them. Initially, I admit that being a Catholic, I had reservations about touching the idol's feet. But seeing my kids not think twice about it made me realise that children are born believing that everyone is equal and beautiful. It's what they learn along the way that builds a story they eventually identify with."

Similarly, for chef Chinu Vaze, her Indo-Swiss daughter has been exposed to a range of foods and influences from the time she was born, not just at home but among friends and peers, as well. "We're based in Goa, which is very multicultural - in fact, it is rare to find a family here that isn't a mix of different ethnicities. However, there are times I want to teach my daughter a little more about her heritage and the food she eats." Vaze believes good food immediately brings back a fond memory with it, and many parents want to relive that with their children. The simplest way is to constantly keep them in touch with their grandparents or family members who haven't watered down their traditions. "With traditional recipes, storytelling is intrinsic. This gives the child a clearer picture of who they are and where they come from."

Norah Dooley, author of the Everybody series of books for children on discovering inclusivity through food, believes that at the end of the day everyone wants to fit in. "In every society, we see a hierarchical structure which creates a norm for everyone to follow. The moment you feel like you don't fit into the story the norm has created, you start feeling like a misfit or weird. And being weird is not valued. So, to create an inclusive environment, you need to start redefining what the norm is. With the simple act of sharing food [with other children] from a very young age, you create an intimate and communal way for kids to discover other communities with all their senses, at their own pace. Along the way, you may end up learning more about yourself from the children!"

Thandai chia pudding
This recipe by Chinu Vaze links beautifully with the festival of Holi and Mahashivratri, where the spiced nutty summer cooler thandai is a staple. It can be had as a drink or as a breakfast meal when set. Serve it cold in summer, and hot in winter (leaving out the khus khus)

Ingredients
500 ml coconut milk
20 almonds blanched or soaked overnight
1 tbsp watermelon seeds
1 tbsp khus khus or poppy seeds soaked in water
2 tsp saunf or fennel seeds
10 cardamom pods
10 black peppercorns
A pinch of saffron
Rose petals or rose water
2 tbsp sugar (or jaggery in winter as it's warm)
3 to 4 tbsp chia seeds

Method
In a saucepan, heat milk while stirring. Set aside some warm milk to bloom saffron. Peel almonds and cardamom. Grind almonds, watermelon seeds and khus khus with a little milk. Grind the remaining spices separately and tie them together along with rose petals in a muslin potli. Put the potli in the milk and bring to a simmer. Add the ground mixture of nuts and stir well. Add saffron and rose water (if not using petals). Turn off the gas and let it infuse for an hour at room temperature. At this point, you can drink it (strained or with the almond mix) or keep it in the fridge till you want to consume it, in individual cups. Add two tablespoons chia seeds and top it up with milk. Mix well and let it sit for a couple of hours or overnight.