Learning Cantonese Is Much More Fun in The Kitchen
I mentioned in my last post that my daughter has been refusing to have Cantonese time. But the power struggles don't just end there. Any time I ask her to do something, she pushes back against the request. This is putting a strain in my relationship with my daughter, and is tiring me out.
A couple weeks ago, my husband went on a sudden business trip and I felt like I was at my wits' end. My best friend came to help out and have dinner with us. She suggested a taco dinner so my kids could make their own tacos (and a mess!). My daughter took great interest in the various toppings on the table and really enjoyed scooping them into her own taco. She looked so happy and was on her best behavior that evening. This taco dinner reminded me of something that I read in one of the parenting books and forgot - give kids choices!
Since then, I've been thinking up dishes that my daughter can help to make - and more importantly, something that she can decide on the ingredients. Cooking with her can cost more time and make a big mess - but it's all worth it. So no matter how tired I am, I now make sure that she is the chef at least once every week. She looks so proud in her little apron, and there seems to be less power struggles and temper tantrums. I thought we would also spend a little time upping our kitchen ready Cantonese vocabulary too. So I have made these A3 poster and flashcards to teach her the Cantonese words of some basic kitchen tools.
Here are some of the dishes we've made and the list of ingredients kids could choose from.
Ice Lolly
雪條 (Jyutping: syut3 tiu4)
You can get an ice lolly maker 雪條模 (Jyutping: syut3 siu4 mou4) from IKEA for this. You can fill the maker with:
- juice
- yoghurt
- coconut water
- fruit (e.g. blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, pineapple, mango)
Currently, my daughter's favorite combo is:
Mango juice + natural yoghurt + blueberries + sliced strawberries
Pizza
薄餅 (Jyutping: bok6 beng2)
If you have time, you can make the pizza pie crust from scratch. Here's a simple recipe from BBC Good Food. If you're lazy like me, you can just spread passata or tomato puree on pitta bread. Or better yet, get a ready made pizza pie crust. Then you can provide these toppings for the little chef:
- meat (e.g. salami, smoked chicken)
- fish (e.g. tuna, smoked salmon)
- vegetables (e.g. paprikas, tomatoes, mushrooms, black olives, artichokes)
- cheese (e.g. mozarella, parmesan, Gouda cheese)
My daughter's favorite combo is:
Black olives + mushrooms + salami + cheese (lots of it!)
And here are some other ideas I'm trying later:
- Baked potatoes 焗薯 (Jyutping: guk6 syu5): Like pizza, your child can choose their favorite toppings. A little tip: Lots of grated cheddar cheese and sour cream!
- Mini pizza quiches: Your child will enjoying beating the eggs and scooping their favorite ingredients into each of the mini quiches.
- Yoghurt parfait 乳酪芭菲 (Jyutping: jyu5 lok3 baa1 fei1): Give your child a "fancy" plastic wine glass, and let them layer their own yoghurt parfait with a variety of fruit, granola, yoghurt, etc. This can be a great Sunday breakfast.
Do you have other simple recipes that kids can make by themselves? Share in a comment.
