If you relish non-vegetarian dishes, chances are that your kids will love them too! But to make a traditional Indian non-vegetarian dish for kids would mean that you'd have to tone down on the chilli that you so love eating.
At my house, we love preparing traditional chicken and fish meals including fish tikka and Andhra chicken curry with reduced chilli spice, so that my four-year-old niece can also enjoy it with us.
However, we do add a few more steps in the preparation, just so an essentially spicy meal is well cooked and remains healthy for a young child. Plus, the protein from the chicken and essential vitamins and minerals from the spices, make Andhra chicken curry a wholesome meal.
So before we move on to the 5 easy steps to make Andhra chicken curry (meal) for kids, here are a few things you'll need.
Ingredients
- For marination: chicken pieces (1/2 kg boneless), ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, salt turmeric, red chilli powder
- Poppy seeds (1 cup) or cashew nuts (10)
- Garam masala: Bay leaf/curry leaves, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, oil, garam masala powder, cloves, jeera
- Finely chopped onions (3)
- Mint leaves
- Green chilli (4 or less for kids)
Here are the five basic steps we use to prepare the perfect Andhra chicken curry for our
Method
#1 Marinate the chicken
The first step is to marinate the chicken. Usually in the north, people marinate the chicken with spices and add curd. But here, you have to marinate the chicken with ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric. All of these spices together work on improving immunity and also improve digestion.
Once all the spices and the juice has been added, set it aside till you will need it or give it 20-30 minutes to rest.
Continue reading to check out the rest of this delicious recipe that your kid is sure to love.
#2 Prepare tadka
Most Indian dishes are incomplete without a tadka. Even if you prepare dal for your little one, you should prepare the way you'd eat it (sans or with very little chilli spice), this would habituate a palate similar to yours.
- Now to prepare the tadka for this dish, heat some oil in a pan. Add and saute bay leaf (or curry leaves), cumin, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom.
- Add finely chopped onion till it turns golden brown
- Add ginger garlic paste and cook the mixture till the raw smell of onions disappears
- Add tomato (if you like)
#3 Cook chicken
Once you have prepared the tadka, add the marinated chicken to the pan. Fry the chicken and all the other ingredients already inside the pan for about 2-3 minutes on high flame. It will ensure that the chicken is cooked properly.
You can also add some garam masala and chopped mint leaves to the mixture. Add about 200 ml of water and cover the pan. Let the chicken cook for another 5-10 minutes on low flame. Continue checking to see if the chicken is cooked properly and is soft and tender.
#4 Add cashew nut paste
Now this step ensures that the curry has some gravy element. For this process, simply grind 10 cashew nuts into a paste and add that paste to the chicken in the pan.
Remember, cashews are one of the lowest-fiber nuts are are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. So they help in maintaining good bodily function.
#5 Serve with rice or roomali roti
This dish is now ready to be served. Our recommendation is to serve this to your kid with either rice, roomali roti or chapatti.
Andhra chicken curry is a complete lunch meal for kids that not only helps him get necessary protein through the chicken but also essentials vitamins and minerals through the spices. So do try this at home and enjoy a wholesome meal with your kid.
Read: The one Indian staple that must be a part of the Indian diet
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