Here are tools and strategies we used:

1.Plastic magnetic alphabets

We had the ritual plastic magnetic alphabets on our refrigerator door. Bee would toddle her way to the colorful alphabets and point to them. We would say out the alphabet name–no phonics at this point.

2. Paper and pencil

We wrote  individual characters in a notebook and associate the name with the form.

3. Alphabet song

We started singing the alphabet song to reinforce the alphabet

4. Elmo alphabet song on youtube.

Lots of patience and repetition over months. We had small sessions of less than 10 mins 2-3 times each week when we are all in the mood.

1. Learning-friendly atmosphere

Surround the kids with various tools conducive to learning. Have a small bookshelf for your kid.  Have books with attractive illustrations. Have plenty of paper and colors. Kids gravitate to colors, music and hands-on approaches to learning.

2. Time

Chose a time of the day for the learning session when the kid (and ideally you too) are fresh and well-rested. Make sure kid is energetic and in a frame of mind ready to learn.

3. Place

Have an area set aside for study, ideally a table and chair so that kid can sit upright and focus.

4. Duration

Keep it short. A 10 minute learning is adequate for starters. As the kid starts enjoying the session she/he will want to make it longer by themselves.

5. Patience, patience, patience

Learning to read a new language is difficult–try learning to read in a foreign language yourself, that will help you have more patience. If the kid is not responding to your method, do not react during the session. Stay calm when the kid refuses to receive the instruction. Revisit your approach offline.

Ingredients

• Radish 2 bunches
• Onions 1/2 cup, chopped fine
• Garlic 4 pods
• Tamarind paste 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder (optional) to taste
• Turmeric 1/8 tsp
• Sambhar powder (or spice powder of choice) 1/2 tsp
• vegetable oil 2 tbsp
• mustard seeds 1/4 tsp

Procedure
1. Remove roots and leaves from radishes. Wash the radishes, and slice them 5mm thick.
2. Heat the vegetable oil on medium heat in a pan.
3. Add the mustard seeds and let it splutter.
4. Add the garlic and fry it.
5. Add the onion and let it cook till it becomes transcluscent.
6. Add the radishes and saute for 2 minutes.
7. Dilute the tamrind in 1/2 cup water. Add the tamrind water to the sauteed vegetable mixture.
8. Add the powders and cook on low and partially covered till the radishes are cooked.

Ingredients
Rice mixture:

• Long grain white rice 1 cup
• Water 3 cups
• Yogurt    1 cup
• Lemon juice    1 tbsp
• Asafoetida/hing    1/4 tsp
• Cilantro, chopped 3 tbsp
• Grated carrot/cucumber    1/4 cup
• Salt to taste

For tempering:

• Oil          1tsp
• Mustard seeds 1/4tsp
• Urad dal      1 tsp
• Mor Milagai (curd chillies) 4

Procedure:
1. Cook the rice.
2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients from the “Rice mixture” section. Add water to get desired consistency (around 1 cup).
3. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when the seeds stop spluttering fry the curd chillies.
4. Add Urad dal and wait till it browns.
5. Add the tempering to the rice and stir.

Serve cool.

Ingredients:

• Butternut Squash: peeled, de-seeded and cut into 1 cm cubes 3 cups
• Dessicated coconut/fresh coconut: 1/2 cup
• Jeera/cumin: 1.5 tbsp
• Black pepper: 1/2 tsp (or more according your taste)
• Vegetable oil: 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp
• Thuver dal/Pigeon Peas: 1/2 cup
• Salt 1/2 tsp or to taste

Procedure:
[1] Bring 1 cup of water to boil along with the salt. No more salt will be added to this dish beyond this.
[2] Add the cubed butternut squash pieces.
[3] Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 6 minutes.
[4] Pressure cook thuver dal for 3 whistles (1:3 dal:water proportion).
[5]  (If using dessicated coconut)Boil 1 cup of water and pour over the coconut. Let it sit for about 3 minutes. Filter the water out.
If you wish you can add the jeera to the coconut at this stage.
[6] Add jeera(if not added earlier) and pepper to the coconut and grind into fine past with 1/2 cup water.
[7] Heat oil and add mustard seeds to it. Once it splutters add to the cooked squash.
[8] Add the dal to the squash.
[9] Add the masala to the squash.
[10] Add water to get desired consistency (1 and 1/2 cups)to the dish. Cook for 5 mins on medium for flavors to blend.

Enjoy  with rice or rotis!!

Ingredients:
For Quinoa-Rice

• Basmati rice     3/4 cup
• Quinoa             1/4 cup
• Vegetable oil    2 tsp
• Black pepper    1/2 tsp
• Herb of choice    1 tsp
• Water        2.25 cups
• Salt to taste

For Veggie ribbons

• Carrots        2
• Beet        1
• Spinach     2 cups
• Oil        2 tsp
• Black pepper    1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Garlic, crushed    1 clove

Procedure:
For Quinoa-Rice
1. Rinse the rice and quinoa and presoak for 30 mins together.
2. Strain off the water.
3. Heat a pan with the vegetable oil.
4. Add the herb (I used dill) and pepper.
5. Add the strained rice-quinoa mixture and saute for 2 mins.
6. Add the water to the above mixture and bring it to boil.
7. Turn the heat to low and cover. Cook for 12 mins.
8. Mix is the salt.

For Veggie ribbons:
1. Peel the skin off the carrot and beet.
2. Peel the carrot and beet into ribbons (just like peeling the skin, except in this case you are creating peels from the flesh of the vegetable).
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan on medium flame.
4. Add the black pepper and crushed garlic.
5. Reduce the heat and stir in the spinach.
6. Saute for 2 mins and add the carrot-beet ribbons.
7. Saute the veggies for another 3 mins.
8. Add salt.

Notes: Hummus goes very will with the above combo.

Ingredients

• Barley 1 cup
• Broccoli crowns 1 cup
• Vegetable stock 3 cups
• Oil 1 tbsp
• black pepper    1 tsp
• Garlic, crushed 1 tsp
• sliced onions 1/2 cup
• soy sauce 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Bring the vegetable stock to boil and add the barley to it. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 30 minutes. Barley should be cooked by then.
2. Heat oil in a saute pan on medium.
3. Add the garlic and let it brown.
4. Add the onions and let them brown.
5. Saute the broccoli.
6. Add the powdered pepper, soy sauce and salt.
7. Add the cooked barley.

This is my humble attempt at the beautiful and extremely tasty Kasmiri Dum aloo. I was unable to procure a couple of the key ingredients (kashmiri red chillies and cockscomb extract). However it was extremely tasty and well worth the distinct taste. The dish requires effort should be attempted in leisure.

Ingredients

• Fingerling/baby potatoes 3/4 lb
• Peanut/frying oil for frying 2 cups
• Vegetable oil 2 tbsps
• Red/yellow onion. thinly sliced 1/2 cup
• Turmeric 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder 1 tsp
• Black cardamom 4
• Green cardamom 4
• Cinnamon sticks, 2″ 3
• Saunf powder 1 tsp
• Dried ginger powder 2 tsps
• Garlic, mashed/paste 2 tsps
• Yogurt 1/2 cup
• Water 1.5 cups
• Salt to taste

Procedure:
Cooking the potatoes
1. Bring 1 quart of water to boil with 1 tsp of salt.
2. Add the fingerling potatoes and reduce heat to medium and let it boil partially covered for 15 minutes.
3. Pass the potatoes through a strainer and pour cold water over it to stop the cooking.
4. Let the potatoes cool for 15 minutes. (start making the gravy while they cool)
5. Peel the potato skins.
6. Preheat peanut oil to 360 degrees farenheit.
7. Fry the potatoes in batches of 6-7 for 3 minutes. Check temperature of oil after each batch. If the oil cools down, let it warm up to 360 degrees.

Making the gravy
8. Heat 2 tbsps of vegetable oil in a pan and fry the onions till they turn brown.Remove from heat and let   it cool
9. Squeeze out the oil from the fried onions and blend it into smooth paste with the yogurt.
10. Bring 1.5 cups to boil in the heavy bottomed pan.
11. Add turmeric, chilli powder, ginger powder, saunf powder, garlic, green and black cardamons and cinamon sticks. Reduce to medium low and let it cook for 10 minutes.
12. Add the blended onion-yogurt paste. Add the fried potatues and let it cook on medium low for 5 minutes.