In India, children get free lunch at school

In countries like India and Sweden, lunch is free at school. This is especially good for families who are poor. But in some countries, students pay for their school lunch or bring food from home. In poor families, school meals may be the only meal a child gets in a day.

It's math class for the students in class 6 at the school in Takarma. Almost all the students at the school have parents who are involved in agriculture. It is February and they have just harvested. Now the ground is too hard, but as soon as it starts to rain the farmers will plow to sow again.

Most people grow rice, but wheat has become more common because many people want to eat bread.

Before lunch hits Rafiki Dewraj and Sandhya who both cycle to school every day.

- I eat noodles for breakfast, but my favorite food is cookies, says Sandhya.

- "I eat bread for breakfast," says Dewraj, who loves ice cream.

Classmates have already run around the corner for lunch. There will be rice and dhal and maybe another egg. Dhal is a stew of lentils, onions and spices that is served every day. The food at school comes from a warehouse that the government is responsible forr. The government also gives money to the school to buy local vegetables. After eating, students wash their plates. Then there is football or cricket before lessons continue.

Surprise your family with an Indian dinner

In parts of India and Nepal, dhal (or daal) is one of the most common dishes. It is a lentil stew eaten with boiled rice (bhat). It is completely vegetarian and easy to prepare.

Ingredients

Half an onion
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp garam masala (a spice mix)
400 g crushed tomatoes
1 dl water
250 ml coconut milk
2 dl dried red lentils
1 tsp salt

Proceed as follows

1. Chop the onion and fry it in the oil in a pan
2. Pour in garam masala (spice mix)
3. Pour crushed tomatoes, water and coconut milk into the pot
4. Add lentils and salt
5. Leave to simmer for 15 minutes
6. If you want more vegetables, you can add diced potatoes, beans or fresh spinach, for example
7. Serve with boiled rice and possibly a boiled egg.

This text was originally published on March 1, 2020.