Whenever I am interviewed about cooking for food poverty I always say that parents with little money can’t afford to take the chance of cooking something their kids may not like. They have to play it safe because if it goes in the bin there’s no alternative.
So, imagine my fury when I made a brilliant Biryani for my budget menu and my own kids refused to eat it.
.
Zoe and Joe’s food preferences vary enormously. Zoe loves lentils, Joe says, ‘Lentils taste like dust but I actually quite like the flavour of dust. So lentils are worse than dust.’ Joe likes eating fish eyes, Zoe eats snails. They would rather die than swap plates.
One thing they both love is rice so I knew I was on to a winner with my biryani. I used turkey mince instead of chicken fillet to keep the costs down and both Ged and I were amazed at just how good it tasted.
500g mined turkey thighs
450g basmati rice, washed thoroughly
1tbsp garlic paste
1tbsp ginger paste
200ml milk
3tbsp plain yoghurt
60g butter
Sunflower oil for frying
1 onion
The following spices
Cinnamon (stick or powder)
Paprika
Cloves
Fennel seed
Cardamom
You will need a large, lidded, ovenproof pan or pot and tin foil to cover.
Pre heat oven to 180c/350f/gas 4
Fry turkey mince in a little oil and butter until dry. Add minced garlic and ginger (or chopped garlic and grated frozen ginger).
Next add the salt and spices and mix in.
Add the yoghurt to the meat.
Add a little paprika (or turmeric) and cinnamon to the milk.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add rice and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse.
Grease the ovenproof pan with butter and layer the rice and meat mixture. Pour over the spiced milk.
You can dot the rice with sultanas or a few cardamom pods if you like.
Cover the biryani with foil, put the lid on and cover again with foil to seal.
Bake for 1 hour then turn off oven and leave to stand for 20-30mins.
Garnish with fried onions to serve.
So why did my children refuse to eat it? I found this cardamom pod on the side of Joe’s plate and asked, “Do you not like the rice because it has whole cardamom in it?”
Joe replied, “I like the cardamom. I just don’t like the rice.”
Zoe said she didn’t like meat mixed with rice, she preferred her meat separate. Joe agreed.
I snatched their plates, threw their dinner in the bin and slammed about the kitchen trying to think of something else to give them. No wonder mothers feed their kids with fish fingers or chicken nuggets ever night.
When I wrote EATING MY WORDS I did so on Thursdays as it was my only free day. Writing about all the fabulous food I had the opportunity to cook when I was a Private Chef inspired me to make a real effort to make something delicious for my family on Thursday evenings.
If I had a pound for every time I have thrown dinner in the bin on a Thursday; if I had a pound for every tear of frustration and guilt I had cried then I wouldn’t need a bloody book advance.
My kids are lucky that I could find something else to give them. Many of the families I’m working with are not so fortunate and if a few of those mums have thrown plates at the wall from time to time then I completely understand their frustration.
By the way, I’m already feeling guilty about writing this because my kids are great (I love the fact that they eat snails and fish eyes) but it was a momentary frustration that I think a lot of mums will recognise hence I had to write about it. Sorry kids. Love you.
Oh Boy! Do I recognise this. My ex had two boys, that he spoilt to an almost infinite point. (Not that your children – or the ones you are helping are spolt) Cooking for them was often a nightmare. My ex was loaded – so all he ever did was take them to restaurants, at the time they were 7 and 9. This’ll probably make your blood boil – it certianly did mine. Once, Nick (my ex) was run off his feet, and he dispaired that he had to go into Chelsea to buy a pair of black jeans for the 7 year old. I said ‘Don’t worry – I know his size, I’ll pop into Mark’s at my lunch break and pick some up’. His reply was ‘But, he wants Armani’! Keep up the good work. jx
Ha! When I worked for the bulimic model she had the most amazing professional pizza ovens. I made her kids fabulous pizza and they refused to eat it. “But it’s not a Spiga pizza!” they cried. Too much eating out. My Joe has Aspergers so food things can freak him out a bit which i have to take into account. Still can’t work out why the texture of mashed potato can make him throw up but he will happily eat fish eyes? The Biryani upset me because there was nothing offensive in it and it tasted delicious.