Getting kids to eat breakfast is a tough job. Being a mother of two, I go through this ordeal every day. The breakfast, being the very first meal of the day, should ideally be balanced, with adequate amount of protein and veggies going into their system. Idlis with sambar or just plain phulkas with curd will definitely be boring for kids. What we can actually do is to give a simple twist to our traditional Indian breakfast recipes – in terms of flavor as well as its visual appeal.
A little effort is all that you need to lure them to eat healthy breakfast. And here are 15 such recipes that are perfect for young kids—it works for my 7 year old daughter who leaves for school at 7.30 am!
5 Time Tested Indian Breakfast Recipes for Kids:
Let’s have a look at the 5 Indian breakfast recipes for kids, which will offer you a variety of options:
1. Carrot Oats Dosa:
There are different ways of preparing this one. The one I mention here is a balanced meal, which contains carbs, proteins, and veggies, all in one place. The protein comes from the moong dal [split yellow mung bean] while oats provide the fiber and carbs part.
Ingredients:
- Moong dal – ½ cup
- Oats – ½ cup
- Carrots – 2, peeled, finely grated
- Salt – to taste
- Black pepper powder – a pinch
- Ground cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
- Chaat masala – ¼ tsp
- Asafetida – a pinch
- Coriander leaves – 1 tsp, finely chopped
- Sesame seed oil – for cooking
How To Make:
- Wash the moong dal until the water used for cleaning turns clear.
- Roast oats on medium flame until it turns slightly golden.
- Soak washed moong with roasted oats in fresh water for 30 minutes.
- Using a blender or food processor. Grind the lentils and oats mix to a fine paste.
- Add salt, black pepper powder, ground cumin seeds, chaat masala, and asafetida and stir it.
- Mix in grated carrots and coriander leaves. Adjust the consistency, so that the mixture becomes like a pancake batter.
- Heat a griddle, after brushing mildly with oil, on medium heat.
- Pour a large ladle full of batter on the middle of the griddle and spread out in concentric circles.
- Sprinkle a little oil, cover, and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or till the bottom portion turns golden brown.
- Uncover, flip over and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Serve hot with fresh curd with a sprinkle of chaat masala or alongside tomato onion chutney.
2. Paneer Burji Rolls:
This is my daughter’s favorite and she doesn’t make any fuss while eating it. It is a good choice for a kids’ lunch too.
Ingredients:
For the Dough
- Whole wheat flour – 1 cup
- Salt – to taste
- For Panner Bhurji
- Paneer – 200 grams, crumbled
- Onions – 2 ,medium, finely chopped
- Tomato – 1, large, finely sliced
- Green chillies – 2, split lengthwise
- Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp, finely chopped
- Kasuri methi – 1 tsp
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Dhaniya powder – ½ tsp
- Chaat masala – a generous pinch
- Garam masala – ½ tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Oil – 2 tsp
- Clarified butter – 1 tsp
How To Make:
The Dough:
- Knead the whole wheat flour with salt and make a dough by adding enough water.
- Cover and keep aside.
- Knead again and divide it into 10 portions.
- Roll out each portion to the maximum thinnest level.
- Cook on a preheated griddle and keep aside.
For the Filling:
- Add oil and clarified butter to a medium sized preheated deep pan or kadai.
- As the oil gets heated, add cumin seeds and allow it to splutter.
- Add onions and green chilies. On medium heat, sauté onions until turn deep golden brown.
- Add half of the chopped coriander leaves and give a quick stir.
- Add sliced tomatoes and cook until there is no more moisture left in the mixture.
- Add turmeric powder, dhaniya powder, chaat masala, garam masala, and salt. [You can adjust the spices according to your requirement. You can add cayenne pepper powder if your kid likes spicy foods.]
- Give a quick stir.
- Add kasuri methi leaves and cook for a minute more.
- Add crumbled paneer and cook for 2 more minutes on low flame, stirring intermittently.
- Adjust the seasoning, turn off the flame.
How to Proceed:
- Divide the filling into 10 equal portions.
- Take a phulka and apply ¼ tsp clarified butter atop it.
- Place the filling on one end of the roti and roll akin to Swiss rolls.
- Cut into pieces and serve hot alongside coriander mint chutney or dates chutney.
3. Stuffed Whole Wheat Pancakes – Whole Wheat Masala Dosa:
Kids love anything that comes with potatoes. Why just kids? All of us love potatoes! This one is a healthy twist to the classical South Indian breakfast recipe – Masala Dosa. I have used a combination of potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, and peas here for the filling. The dosa batter is made from whole wheat flour.
Ingredients:
For the Dosa:
- Whole wheat flour – 1 cup
- Salt – to taste
- Rice flour – 1 tbsp
- Semolina – 1 tbsp
For the filling:
- Mixed vegetables [potato, peas, carrots, cauliflower] – 1 cup, cooked, partially mashed
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Onions – 1, large, finely sliced
- Green chilies – 2 to 3 [depending on the spice level]
- Curry leaves – 5 to 6
- Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
- Chanal dal – 1 tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Cooking oil – 3 tsp
- Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
How To Make:
For Dosa Batter:
- Mix the flours well using a spoon.
- Add enough water to make a batter of pouring consistency.
- Add salt to taste and keep aside.
For the Filling:
- Wash the veggies thoroughly, sprinkle turmeric powder, add a little water, and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
- Uncover the cooker, take out the veggies, mash partially using a wooden masher and keep aside.
- Place a medium sized kadhai on medium heat.
- Heat the oil and add mustard seeds.
- After mustard seeds spluttering, add chana dal and curry leaves. Ssauté until the dal turns slightly brown.
- Add onions and green chilies and sauté until the onions turn golden brown.
- Add mashed veggies and salt and mix well for even distribution.
- Cook for a minute more, add coriander leaves and give a quick mix.
- Remove from heat and keep aside.
How to Proceed:
- Preheat a non-stick tawa on medium heat by brushing it evenly with a little oil.
- Pour a ladle full of dosa batter and spread out in concentric circles.
- Cook for a full 3 minutes on medium to high heat or until the bottom portion turns golden brown.
- Flip over and cook for 2 more minutes on low to medium heat.
- Once again flip.
- Take about 2 tbsp of the masala filling and spread on one side of the dosa.
- Using the spatula, roll the dosa like a Swiss roll.
- Turn upside down and cook for 30 seconds.
- Serve hot along with a chutney or ketchup.
4. Veggie Paneer Sandwich:
This one is a classic breakfast recipe that doubles up as a snack as well as lunchbox delight. Try it yourself!
Ingredients:
- Whole wheat bread – 12 slices
- Butter – for spreading
- Tomato ketchup – as required
For the Veggies:
- Potato -1, boiled, peeled, thinly sliced
- Carrot -1, boiled, peeled, thinly sliced
- Onion -1, medium sized, peeled, thinly sliced
- Tomato – 1, medium sized, thinly sliced
- Chaat masala – to taste
For paneer filling:
- Paneer – 200 grams, crumbled
- Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp, finely chopped
- Salt – to taste
- Black pepper powder – to taste
- Green chilies – 2, finely chopped
How To Make:
For Paneer Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, add crumbled paneer, coriander, green chilies, black pepper powder, and salt.
- Using a spoon, mix well to ensure even distribution of flavors.
For the Sandwiches:
- Sauté onions in about 1 tsp oil until golden brown and keep aside on a kitchen tissue to drain excess oil, if any.
- Melt butter and brush it atop all the bread slices.
- Divide the paneer into 12 equal portions and place one portion each atop 6 of the buttered bread slices.
- Sprinkle a little chaat masala atop it.
- Place the sliced veggies above paneer and drizzle a few drops of tomato ketchup on the veggies.
- Place one portion each of the leftover paneer filling above this and cover with a buttered bread slice.
- Preheat your sandwich maker.
- Place the bread slices in the sandwich maker, sprinkle a little butter or oil, and toast until both the sides turn golden brown.
- Serve hot with tomato ketchup and a spicy coriander mint chutney.
5. Mini Carrot Coriander Idlis:
Idlis as such make wonderful breakfast options. These steamed delights are quite often served with various types of chutney or a spicy mix lentil powder along with oil. Here I have made them into bite-sized breakfast options with the goodness of carrots and coriander. Make sure you serve them along with 6 almonds and a glass of milk for a complete meal.
Ingredients:
For Idli Batter:
- Idli rice – 1 cup
- Urad dal – 1/3 cup
- Salt – to taste
Others:
- Carrot – 2, medium sized, peeled, finely grated
- Onions – 1, medium sized, peeled, finely chopped
- Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp
- Red chili powder – ½ tsp
- Dhaniya powder – ½ tsp
- Salt – to taste
How To Make:
- Soak idli rice and urad dal separately for 3 to 4 hours after washing thoroughly in clean water.
- Grind rice with water in a food processor or blender until it becomes smooth.
- Grind urad dal with a little water. Add more water when required to make the batter fluffier.
- Mix both the batters and season with salt to taste.
- Keep aside for about 8 hours to allow fermentation.
How to Proceed:
- Saute onions in a little oil until it becomes golden brown.
- Add carrots, onions, green chilies, and coriander leaves along with the spice powders to the idli batter.
- Grease the mini idli pans with very little sesame seed oil.
- Add a tbsp each of the batter on each of the space in the plates.
- Steam for about 10 to 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the idli comes out clean.
- Serve hot with tomato ketchup.