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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
6 Min
13/11/2025
It’s the era of AI dominating everything, so why not use it this Children’s Day to your advantage? If your kid is into Indian cuisine, you can make an assorted platter of Indian dishes like naan and paneer butter masala. If not, you can decorate their thali with more global flavours. Make sure it has their favourite things in it, be it chicken, dessert or pizza. It will definitely make your kid’s day.
Creating a meal that is both fun and nutritious for children can be a delightful challenge, and flavours from the country and beyond can unite to make your child’s day. So, this article brings two thalis – a desi one with naan and buttery side dishes, and a global one with pizza and pasta, carefully adapted to suit young taste buds while introducing international flavours in a mild, approachable way. Each component of the thali has been thoughtfully selected to engage children.
If a desi thali conjures images of leftovers that last for days, then let us prove you wrong. This thali adapts the usual dishes for kid-friendly platters, making it convenient and creative.
Uber soft cubes of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) or chicken are simmered in a rich, creamy tomato‑cashew and butter gravy. This dish has a striking colour and its flavours will be comforting for children, who can easily scoop with naan or rice. The dish is often described as ‘lightly sweet and aromatic’, and a good choice for young ones who might shy away from strong spice.
Bite‑sized pieces of soft, buttered garlic naan (flatbread) designed for dipping into the main curry – making the experience interactive and fun for kids. Their pillowy texture and familiar bread format reduce food anxiety for younger eaters.
Little cubes of potato gently seasoned with cumin (jeera), offering a familiar vegetable prepared in an easy‑to‑pick‑up shape. Since plain potato chips are often among the most kid‑approved, this acts as a reliable ‘safe’ side dish.
A playful twist on the South Indian crepe (dosa) filled with melted cheese and shaped like a cone – combining novelty (cone shape) with high‐appeal comfort (cheese) to engage children’s interest and encourage them to try something slightly different.
A mild, lightly spiced basmati rice dish studded with small pieces of colourful vegetables (peas, carrots) – it adds visual appeal, gentle flavour and a lighter carb base that complements the richer gravy and fun items.
Mixed‐vegetable and potato patties (cutlets) formed into stars or circles – this adds both a vegetable component and the fun of choosing or seeing shapes. The familiar textures (potato and veg) and novelty of shapes help make the ‘vegetables’ part of the plate more appealing.
A yoghurt side dish made with tiny gram‑flour fried pearls (boondi) mixed into mildly sweet or neutral curd – provides a creamy, soothing contrast to the other items and adds an enjoyable crunch and texture.
A small version of the classic Indian syrupy milk dessert – sweet, warm, syrupy, and perfectly sized for children, so it doesn’t overwhelm them but gives a satisfying sweet finish and delights them.
With the internet as accessible as air these days, kids might want to have dinosaur nuggets, mac and cheese or even a specific type of cut fries. So, for this special day, a little extra effort goes a long way with your littler ones.
Soft squares of freshly baked pizza dough are topped with a mild tomato sauce and melted mozzarella cheese, then served warm in bite‑sized pieces. Designed for small hands, children are encouraged to pick up each piece and dip it into a little extra sauce or enjoy it plain. This dish taps into one of the most widely‑favoured children’s foods – pizza, and leverages the comfort of bread and cheese.
Pick colourful, playful pasta shapes (dinosaurs, stars, spirals) and coat them in a creamy, mild white cheese sauce reminiscent of classic mac and cheese. The novelty of fun shapes combined with the gooey cheese texture appeals to children’s preference for playful format and comfort food like mac and cheese.
Remind your kids, they are the stars by serving them star-shaped fries. You can pick other fun shapes too, or other silhouettes. To make the fries use less oil, you can air fry or bake them and lightly season them afterwards or before the cooking process. Kids tend to love crunchy food over mushy textures.
Tender, mildly seasoned chicken nuggets are threaded on small skewers to transform a familiar protein into a fun, interactive experience. Children can hold the skewer and pick off pieces, turning eating into a playful activity.
Warm pita bread cut into triangles is served alongside a smooth, mild chickpea hummus dip. The dip‑and‑scoop format invites engagement and offers a slightly different texture and flavour without overwhelming the child’s palate. It introduces a Middle Eastern element in a safe, accessible way and offers mild new textures and builds familiarity.
A Mexican-inspired salad that is great after the heavier pizzas and pastas. It’s a good side dish featuring sweet corn kernels, black beans, diced mild vegetables (cucumber or red pepper), dressed with a hint of lime or honey. The colours are what will draw the children and make them want to devour it.
Ending on a healthy note, a fruit kebab is a nice touch to this global thali. Take fresh, bite‑sized pieces of fruit like grapes, melon, berries and thread them onto mini skewers. The ‘rainbow’ effect of multiple colours (red, green, purple, yellow) offers a strong visual appeal, and the skewer adds a playful novelty.
This nutritious spread turns everyday dining into a fun meal for kids. By combining familiar favourites with mild international flavours, each dish encourages kids to explore new tastes while enjoying fun shapes, colours, and interactive formats like dips and skewers.