A week from now, my twins will be turning 4. Watching them grow and turning into independent little boys has certainly been the most amazing part of motherhood for me. Not everything has been perfect though, and the challenges were numerous that came with twin motherhood. Having said that, if I had to talk about the rewards that I am reaping every moment, I could really shout from the rooftops about how lucky I am.
I could go on and on but that is not what this is about. We are here to talk about food so let’s get going! When I asked my boys what kind of food they would like me to cook (apart from the cake) I received so many answers and names of dishes. I experienced equal amounts of surprise and pride at how much they understood of food ..of something that means the world to me!
By no means will I be able to make all of that on their birthday so I decided to make and post a few of their favourite dishes through this week and the next. In doing so, I will also be addressing the question I get asked most ‘what do your kids eat?’ or ‘do they eat the desserts on your blog?’ Trust me, you are not going to see fish and chips or spaghetti bolognaise or even pancakes (that is pretty much the kids menu we come across in restaurants here). Though the twins have very different palates and preferences, their choice of food is quite refined for 4 year olds (which again is not uncommon with the present generation).
The older twin takes a huge liking to Asian cuisine, finger food and meat. The younger one has inherited my love for sweets…loves Italian and French cuisine and is a budding chef himself. The one common thing however is that both love fresh vegetables and fruits so I have never had to deal with ‘food battles’ at home.
I hope some of you will be able to find ideas that will help you make quick, nutritious meals with a few pantry ingredients and most importantly food that tastes and looks delicious.
The Tuna patties are extremely simple to put together. It is a handy recipe as it uses canned tuna, whole grain bread and a few fresh herbs. My pantry is always stocked up with canned Tuna which helps when I can’t make it to the grocer’s. Throw everything into the processor and you have the mix. Then all you do is coat them in sesame seeds and shallow fry. The sesame seeds not only give it a nice crunch but is a powerhouse of minerals. Now, this may be a kid friendly recipe but is extremely flavourful and if you want to make it for adults, you can remove a portion of the mix and add finely sliced chillies. The pictures you notice in this post are the ones I plated for my husband..the adult version with red chillies. Please feel free to leave them out or if you have a older kid who can tolerate heat, it is entirely your call. The sweet chilli sauce I use is ‘extra mild’ without heat and my kids love it. You can substitute it with tomato ketchup.
Tuna Sesame Patties
Makes 14
450 g canned Tuna (in springwater or brine), drained
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs, from a day old wholegrain bread (to make, just run a slice of bread through the food processor)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 inch ginger, peeled
A handful coriander, mint, basil leaves
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup white sesame seeds
Vegetable Oil for shallow frying
2 Red chillies (optional)
Cucumber salad, to serve
Sweet Chilli Sauce or Tomato Ketchup, to serve
Fresh herbs, to serve
Place the tuna, breadcrumbs, garlic, ginger, herbs and salt in the bowl of your food processor. This can be done by hand too if you finely chop the ginger and garlic and herbs. Process and once throughly combined, roll them into rounds with your palms and flatten them into the shape of a cake. If you are adding chillies add them before you make the patties.
Place the sesame seeds on a plate. Press the cakes on either side on to the seeds. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. In batches cook the patties till golden brown (about 3-4 minutes) on each side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Serve with cucumber salad and sweet chilli sauce.
Lucky you that your twins enjoy fruits and vegetables. I know of many kids who struggle to swallow both of it. I love the idea of what you did with tuna which I will certainly try out. Our Asian palates will enjoy the crispy and sesame fried patties. Sweet chili sauce is a bit mild for us, so we will dip in our fiery sambal belacan.
What a gorgeous presentation, Sonali!!!! I want to eat these patties.
Awww…Happy upcoming birthday to your 4 year old twins! I have an 8-yr old boy and I remember how incredibly hard it was at first having a newborn. I simply cannot imagine two at once. I really enjoyed reading a bit about them and wish them a very sweet birthday. I know it will be filled with great food and sounds like they know how to appreciate it. I wish my son was an adventurous eater or enjoyed greens but he does love fish. This is a delicious recipe!
Sorry! I’ve been under the weather and have not been keeping up with everyone’s blogs. Time flies by fast doesn’t it? Though while you’re in the throes of it, it seems like an eternity! Motherhood is hard but rewarding. It helps to be a good cook, and these patties look good enough for adults too. They are so perfectly shaped!
Nazneen
woah! this is so perfect!
Currently in southeast asia struggling to find things I can cook without an oven and the one stovetop burner, and limited groceries, and this is perfect! I have all of those in my kitchen now!