Advice please from dedicated spicy food eaters..................................

[Acinonyx]

We eat a lot of spicy food - mainly curries. This has led to dd not eating the same food as us (me especially) as we have it pretty spicy indeed (me especially). I occaisionally tried her with a touch of chilli and she wasn't keen. But I am so used to it - I can't taste it until it's pretty strong.

Some South Asian friends did tell me that their kids were on full strength by 3. DD is now 2.5, and I fear she will never be able to eat the same food and I will have to eat a lot of bland dinners if we all want to eat together.

Anyone else successfully introduced chilli into thier child's diet? If so how, and at what age?

Hi, we're the same, DH and I eat lots of spicy food and there's no way DD who is 4 could eat such hot food and nor would I want her to. I do end up making different meals for us but one thing I have tried which does seem to work is that i make my curry as normal ie hot and spicy, then I take a portion for DD, put it in a colander and wash it under the cold tap! Sounds mad I know but washing the curry seems to wash off a lot of the spice but still leaves some flavour and DD gobbles it down so it seems be a good solution for us!

we mix our kids same food as ours but add natural yoghurt or creme fraiche in volumes sutiable for age
DD is now 5 and had 95% yoghurt until age 3.5 and now she is nearly on full strength thai and indian dishes
ds2 is 9 mths and is on about 85% yoghurt for the spiciest dishes.

I haven't managed to do this so far. The hottest thing dd will eat is Korma even thuogh when she was much younger she would try spicy food albeit in tiny quantities (she's now 6.8)

But I suspect that your friends dc eat a milder version and with added yoghurt or cream.

Tbh I just cook separately and use Patak's Korma paste for dd (it takes 10 mins to cook a bit of chicken breast plus sauce). Maybe you could try milder, creamier curries with your dd?

You have to compromise when you have children.

Both great ideas (and I've applied both in the past to our dinners when I've really overdone the spices). I will try them - although another problem is that dd is very finicky about not having her foods all mixed together... (a whole other hurdle).

A mild Korma is another idea (not something I'd really fancy myself though - oh well).

DS is fuss about mixed food too, and also sauces. Whenever I've made a curry, I pick out the meat and place it seperately on his plate with, say, broccoli or some other vegetable, and tell him it's sausage. As long as he thinks it's sausage, he thinks it's delicious.

Oh dd loves sausage. Whenever she pretends to be eating - it's always sausage and chips (which she only has very occaisionally in cafes but people must think she lives on it).

I fobbed her off with vege sausages for a while - but then she finally objected and that was the end of yet another ploy to disguise healthy food...

I also add yoghurt (although am trying to avoid dairy due to allergies) and also mango chutney which is basically like jam.

If you are avioding dairy, try the soya Alpro 'cream' - it comes in a small tetrapack box like UHT milk (but tiny) and it is just like pouring cream. We use it all the time, my dh has high cholesterol. You can use it in cooking so long as you don't boil it. It is in tescos, not refridgerated.
We also use the Alpro soya custard - just like Ambrosia but non-dairy and we actually think it tastes better.

we have the same problem and have not managed to crack it yet - we really miss fresh chili in things like Stir fry and Curry. I sometimes make two version but it's a faff so more often than not I just make it non-chilied and then dh and I add dried chili flakes on top. We also make sure that we order something really hot when we get chinese takeaway. My dd's make a massive fuss if there is even a hint of anything hot - they were nearly in tears today after trying a ham and mustard crisp!

Jinglywoo, try 'washing' it! I swear it really works, I love using fresh green chillies in my cooking, dried chilli flakes are just not the same. When I say wash i mean rinse really, just to get a lot of the sauce and spices off the food, but it leaves a lot of flavour and a bit of spice (not that i've tasted it myself but according to DD!).

Am watching this thread with interest.

I am of Mexican-American origin and grew up eating very spicy foods.

But the girls are all Scottish and want bland hospital food.

[Sob!]

I end up making hot stuff for myself whilst the Scots all eat a diet meant for a gallbladder patient.

Yes - adding the chilli after cooking is just not the same, is it?

Expat - I always keep a bottle of chilli sauce in my bag in case I am ambushed by bland food.

KKM - here - have a snort of lime pickle....

i have bottles of chilli sauces in the house, in my bag, etc.

chilli flakes, fresh chillies, peppers of various sorts, etc.

i hate bland food. it's a major bone of contention with the ILs, because i just don't like to eat at theirs because the food's too bland.

i even have a bottle of Cholula in our car.

I don't get the washing thing - surely if you wash a curry it would no longer be a curry but just some chunks of meat and veg? Am I being stoopid?

Ah Expat - we married unwisely. Bland food - lousy climate...

DS, 6, enjoys hotter spices in small amounts that he can see he can just have a little bite of - for example, he will eat a small samosa which is quite hot, but would not be happy to be faced with a whole meal of hot food. Try small dishes / snacks as part of a thali style meal with lots of rice and milder dishes?

ohhh lime pickle is strong stuff. lovely on toast.

i have not experienced proper mexican food but did recently find a lovely recipe for tortillas made with flour,they were very good.

Lime pickle is the best. Very hot (mustard seed etc), but very fragrant. Someone should send you a jay, KM!

jar, of course, not jay...what kind of site is this!