Kid-Friendly Cabbage Recipes

Cabbage is one of the vegetables that kids do not like to eat. Read on to learn about the different ways of cooking and serving cabbage to make your kids love eating it. Here are some kid-friendly cabbage recipes.Parents aim to make sure their kids get varied sources of nutrition so that they get all the different but necessary vitamins, minerals and nutritional components. This is why a well-balanced diet, that includes many different vegetables, fruits, pulses and proteins that fulfil the various dietary needs a growing child has. But often, kids are very picky and choosy over what they may agree to eat. If they refuse to eat a certain vegetable or fruit, it leaves a deficit in their diet of the nutrients that food would have provided. This is why parents try to break picky eating habits in children and try to encourage them to eat many different types of food, and even try to sneak in foods that are off-putting to the child in other dishes. Parents will agree that even though cabbage is a rich source of vitamin K, vitamin C and riboflavin, it is not easy to make kids eat it. Many parents must have tried some recipes and served cabbage in different ways to their kids. Some might have succeeded while some might have failed. But we will try to provide you with recipes that have mostly succeeded in having children eat cabbage.The biggest reason children dislike cabbage is the unpleasant odour that it usually has. While adults may have gotten desensitized to the smell or odour of the vegetable, children are often sensitive to it. It also leaves an aftertaste that children may not be familiar with or grow aversive to. Unlike other vegetables, such as carrots or cucumber, which have a naturally sweet taste, cabbages in their raw form are slightly bitter. To summarise, eating cabbage may not be a very pleasant experience for kids, which is why they may not be excited to eat it, or like it. The following recipes try to combat some of these problems to make eating cabbage something your children may appreciate.Well, here are some recipes that you can try and serve in intervals and make your kids eat the vegetable rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre. You can even pack some of the recipes in your kids lunch boxes.Interesting Cabbage Recipes for KidsHave a quick look at the 5 kid-friendly cabbage recipes, which will make the nutritious vegetable also delicious so your kids will be eager to try them out instead of being put off by cabbage.1. Cabbage parathaCabbage paratha is, like other parathas, a paratha that is stuffed with a filling made of cabbage. It is nutritious and makes for a very good breakfast, helping your child start the day on the right food (pun totally intended). You can use either cooked or raw cabbage in the filling and serve the parathas with yoghurt, chutney or any other kind of sauce.The ingredients you will need for this recipe, cabbage parathas is -Cabbage - gratedCottage Cheese (Paneer)Chilli powderChat masalaSalt to tasteOilWheat flourThe preparation of this recipe is as follows-Mix the wheat flour and water to make the dough. Knead the dough well so you have a soft dough to work with. You can add a little bit of salt and 2 tsp. of oil if you want to make it even softer.Cover the dough (preferably with a wet cloth unless there is a lot of natural humidity in the air) and keep it aside for at least 30 minutes.If you want to cook the grated cabbage, you need to heat some oil in the pan and add cabbage to it. Saute the cabbage by adding a little chilli powder and salt for a few minutes, until the cabbage becomes soft but don’t let it stay on the stove for too long, it will become mushy. Put the flame off and add salt and chat masala to it according to the taste of your children.Once the cabbage stuffing is cool enough, you can add grated cottage cheese to it and mix well. The paneer also helps it bind when you do the next step, which is to make small balls of the stuffing. If you skip the paneer, you can add the stuffing to the dough with a spoon too.Roll the dough into balls. Flatten the dough ball and push your thumb in to make a cup out of the dough and add the stuffing. Don’t put too much stuffing in, it will spill out when you roll the paratha. Once an adequate amount of stuffing is inside the dough cup, pinch the cup on the top closed, and seal it. Then roll the dough with the filling between your palms to even out the surface and then slightly flatten the dough ball. Add a little flour on the dough ‘peda’ as well as the surface you are about to roll the paratha on, and roll it out so it is even and flat.Slightly press and roast it on the frying pan by adding one tsp. of oil on both sides of the paratha.You can serve it hot with ‘Dahi’ or yoghurt, tomato ketchup or chutney. You can even smear a little bit of butter on top of the paratha to make it yummier.2. Cabbage RaitaRaitas are a great dish to cool down with during the summer. Curd is an amazing ingredient, as it keeps your stomach cool and helps combat acidity and other indigestion issues. It is great for your children as it will help them chill after a day of exertion and playing outside during the summer.The ingredients you will need for this recipe, cabbage raita is -Cabbage leaves – 2 to 3Curd – 1/2 cupChilli powderSugarRoasted and powdered cuminCoriander leavesSalt to tasteThe preparation of this recipe is as follows-Cut the cabbage leaves into fine pieces. Take yoghurt in a bowl and whip it to make a smooth paste-like consistency. Add the sliced/chopped cabbage to the yoghurt. Mix the chilli powder, roasted and powdered cumin, sugar and salt in a small cup and add it to the yoghurt and cabbage and mix it well. Chop the curry leaves into fine pieces. Scatter the finely chopped coriander leaves.Serve at room temperature or chilledThis dish will be a hit among children and adults alike, as it is a nice kick to even a boring meal. The cool yoghurt is rich in protein and probiotics, and very pleasant to taste. The cabbage adds to the health quotient of this dish, and the chilli powder etc.. mix brings out a good and refreshing flavour.3. Cabbage and PeasThe ingredients you will need to make this recipe, cabbage and peas are-Cabbage – finely choppedOnion – finely choppedGreen peas – 1/2 cupChilli powderCumin seeds – 1/2 tsp.Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp.Oil – 2 to 3 tsp.Salt to tasteTomato – 2The preparation for this recipe is as follows-Heat the oil in a pan. Once the oil is heated, add cumin seeds till it chatters. Next, add chopped onion and cook till its colour changes and it becomes translucent and soft. Then add finely sliced tomatoes and all the mix of all the powdered masalas, i.e chilli powder and turmeric powder along with salt to taste - to it. Cover the pan and let the tomatoes cook and soften for a few minutes. Uncover after some time, and add the finely chopped cabbage and green peas if the tomatoes have softened. Stir the contents in the pan so the cabbage and peas get an even covering of the ingredients added to the pan before, and then cover the lid. Let it cook, and keep stirring in between. Turn the stove off when the dish starts getting a little dry and the cabbage has softened. Serve with Rotis, parathas or with fried rice.This dish makes for a great curry or ‘sabzi’ that you can serve with Rotis or paratha. You can even serve it with bread, or use the curry as a filling and make a healthy sandwich. You could even make frankies with this dish as a filling, just add freshly chopped onion and roll it into a frankie. You can even use a little less than usual maida in the dough for the paratha to make it healthier. As you can see, this makes for a very versatile dish that you can pair with almost anything. Be a little creative and you can use this curry in many parts of your child’s diet to ensure the benefits of cabbage for them.4. Cabbage RollThe ingredients you will need to make this recipe, cabbage roll is -Cabbage – finely choppedOnion – finely choppedChilli powderChat masalaSalt to tasteWheat flourOilThe preparation for this is as follows -To make the stuffing or filling, heat 2 tsp. of oil in a pan. Once the oil is heated up, add the finely chopped onions and salt and chilli powder to it.When the colour of the onions changes and becomes translucent, add cabbage and stir on medium-high flame. Set the filling aside to coolTo make the roti for the roll or frankie, knead the wheat flour into a soft dough by adding a little bit of salt and 2 tsp. of oil and water. Set it aside for 30 mins, and cover it with a lid if you are in a moderate climate, or with a wet cloth if you live in a dry climate. After 30 minutes, break the dough into small chunks and roll them into balls. Take one ball and flatten it a little between your palms gently, once it looks like a ‘peda’, sprinkle some flour on the surface you will be rolling it on and some flour on the peda as well. Gently start rolling the dough so it makes an even circular shape.Roast the rotis on a non-stick pan without adding any oil. When the roti is done, add 1 tsp. of oil on one side and lower the flame of the gas.Now add tomato ketchup and chutney on the other (dry) side and spread cabbage we prepared earlier longitudinally. Sprinkle a little bit of chaat masala on top.Roll the roti and serve on a plate with ketchup or chutney according to the tastes of your child.This recipe makes a very good dish that you can pack for your child’s lunch, the roll is easy for them to eat and if the stuffing is not too much, it will be less messy than other dishes. It also makes for a good snack on the odd days there is a lot of time between meals and they feel like snacking but it is not yet time for their next meal.5. Cabbage SaladThe ingredients you will need to make this recipe, cabbage salad -Cabbage – shreddedCarrots – shreddedTomatoes – cut into small piecesPeanuts – roasted and groundedLemon juice – 2 tsp.Coriander leaves – finely choppedSalt to tasteThe preparation of this recipe is as follows-Take a large bowl and add the shredded cabbage and carrots, with the cut tomato pieces in it. Pour the lemon juice, sprinkle the salt and add the chopped coriander leaves and give the bowl a good few stirs until everything is mixed properly. Add the crushed roasted peanuts on top as garnish, and it is now ready to serve.This salad is an excellent companion to pretty much any meal. Especially if the main dish is something that is heavy or rich, this salad will help offset the richness with how light and refreshing it is.Cabbage has lots of health benefits. Try these recipes and if your child starts eating this vegetable, you will not have to worry about her weight and health. It will improve your child’s eyesight, brain and contribute to overall wellness.Which health benefits can be enjoyed by kids by consuming cabbage? How to include cabbage in the diet of kids? Which are the kid-friendly cabbage recipes? Discuss here.