Chicken soup for the quarantined soul

Lately I've been posting a lot of pics about my hubby and elder daughter enhancing their culinary skills. Some exotic, some basic and some quick fix recipes to make their adventures in the kitchen exciting. When a friend asked me what's cooking today, my immediate response was- chicken soup for the quarantined soul! Being confined to the house, with no school or playing outside, there's a lot of pent up energy in growing children. This lockdown was the perfect opportunity to get the kids to help out with housework and to prepare them for any such emergency in future! Hubby is a foodie and loves to cook. He always says cooking helps him to destress and calm down. He has his own set of knives which were specifically bought when we visited IKEA in Singapore a few years back. He loves to eat and cook non vegetarian fare, mostly. He was quite happy and excited when I told him that this time, father and daughter must learn basic Indian everyday cooking- rice, daal, chapatti, Sabzi.... So, they learnt how to knead the dough for and to roll out rotis and then cook it, how to wash and boil daal and how to temper the daal and Sabzi. The younger one also eagerly participated! In a typical household, the woman spends a lot of time in the kitchen and even before one meal is over, she starts thinking about the next one! "Aaj kya banau???" is the most stressful question which never seems to let the mind relax! Having your spouse and kids to help out with "Make your own burger/ sandwich/ pizza" ideas are interesting but a tad difficult nowadays. So, we learn to cook a wholesome meal with whatever we have! That's the idea here. While in quarantine, we have limited items in our pantry or fridge. More than ever before, we find ourselves thinking how to make simple food with the least ingredients, but also make it look and taste good. This is the right time to get creative with food and involve the family as much as possible , not just to eat together but also to cook together! It makes the children appreciate and value what's on his/ her plate. Also, they develop interest and confidence when they eat what they made themselves. If they take pains to cook the food, they won't waste or get fussy/ picky about it! We must not shy away and explain to the children why we can't be eating out or ordering food all the time. They need to be told what rationing is and how the mother manages to make a variety of tasty food with limited ingredients at her disposal. We have to use our available resources in the best possible way and avoid going overboard or wasting food! Egg- bread has been the daily breakfast in our house. Boiled, fried, scrambled, it doesn't matter! In the past few days, both eggs and bread have become exotic items. I feel like I haven't baked a cake in ages! My daughters, like most children today, have not seen anything like this lockdown and couldn't imagine life without pizza, pastas and burgers, prior to the confinement! Well, our generation as kids did understand what "rationing" meant. We also had very limited options other than 'Ghar ka khana'! Maybe that's why we are able to find comfort in sharing a simple home cooked meal with family, sharing jokes and humorous anecdotes with our children, learning more about each other, spending quality time and bonding with each other. Why chicken soup in these difficult times? Because for me, chicken soup is the ultimate comfort food- delicious, nourishing and you can add other ingredients to it for variety and taste. In such times it does seem like a bit of a luxury and a treat! Don't we all deserve a treat for being diligent and obedient citizens in times of crisis? Of course we do!!! Like the simple, delicious bowl of clear chicken soup which keeps us warm in the harshest winters, this unprecedented and unexpected quarantine has nourished the soul that somehow lost its depth and connection with the world around us..... The lockdown taught us lessons we will never forget, nor will our children forget the beautiful moments we have been blessed with!