Each year I like to include one "cooking" craft so that the kids can get a taste for the country being featured. Indians cook with a lot of curry, but not really enjoying the curry flavor myself, I just couldn't go in that direction. Instead we made a tweaked traditional Indian dessert, Rasayana.
Supplies:
1/2 banana per child
coconut milk (usually found canned in the Mexican or Asian section in the grocery store)
shredded sweetened coconut
brown sugar
plastic knife/spoon/cup per child
paper plate
Approximate cost: $.60
Directions:
Peel banana and cut into slices with a plastic knife. Place sliced bananas into cup.
Drizzle with coconut milk (about 2-3 Tbsp). This is where I tweaked it a bit. Traditionally, you are supposed to let the bananas soak in the milk for at least thirty minutes.
Sprinkle with a small amount of brown sugar (about 1 tsp).
Sprinkle with a spoonful of shredded coconut (about 1Tbsp). Stir with a spoon and eat.
One of the boys said, "I GOTTA get this recipe," but his little sister almost gagged and had to spit it out. Good thing a trash can was nearby! I thought it tasted like Bananas Foster, but I couldn't even get my own son to try it. He couldn't get past the fact that it had coconut in it. It's definitely a personal taste issue, but the majority of the children enjoyed it. And the fact that they got to make it themselves made it more alluring.
Extra Activity:
Color a flag of India.
Color rangoli designs. These designs are used in India to welcome guests to your home. We printed our designs and colored them with markers, but if you have a large sidewalk area outside try doing some in chalk!
