Category Archives: Kids meals

Chinese chicken with egg fried rice

A chance discovery that our son likes egg fried rice led us to try a new Chinese marinade on them tonight.   Whilst the kids found it slightly sweeter than they are used to, the  marinade is quite tasty and can be tweaked to suit your own child’s palate.

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What do I need to make it?

  • 400 gms mini breast fillets
  • 1 baby onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 inch piece of ginger minced
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
  • 2 tsp dark soya sauce
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seed oil
  • Dash of salt to taste  if soya sauce is not enough

How much will I make?

10-12 fillets

How do I make it?

Place all the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl and adjust the seasoning before adding the mini fillets.   Refrigerate the marinaded chicken for a few hours before cooking.   Heat a sauce pan on medium and add a teaspoon of vegetable oil – add the chicken fillets and cook  on both sides till done.   Serve with french fries or a bowl of egg fried rice (recipe below).

Egg fried rice

What do I need to make it?

  • 1/2 cup cooked rice
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 tsp dark soya sauce
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seed oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

How much will I make?

Serves 3-4

How do I make it?

Heat wok and add vegetable oil to it.   First add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds before adding the beaten eggs.  Scramble the eggs by constantly stirring.  Once done add cooled cooked rice and mix well.   Add soya sauce, toasted sesame seed oil and adjust seasoning.  Serve hot.

Chicken tikka with pilau

If you want to introduce your children to spice – here’s a simple recipe for chicken tikka which has lots of flavour but none on the heat.  We served it to our kids with some peas pilau – plates came back clean so we assume they liked it.  We normally make pilau by sauteing some whole garam masala (green cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves and bay leaves), cumin seeds, onion and raw rice before cooking in a rice cooker.   We decided to try something different for the kids inspired by Chinese fried rice – we heated some ghee and added a pinch of cardamom powder, mace,  cinnamon powder, ground cloves and fried off a small sliced onion before adding a half a cup of frozen peas (heated in the microwave first).   After a couple of minutes we added half a cup of cooked rice with some salt – mixed everything together and then switched off the heat.

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What do I need to make it?

  • 400 gms mini chicken breast fillets
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 small piece of ginger minced
  • A pinch of cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, ground mace and ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp yogurt
  • 1 tbsp creme fraiche
  • Salt to taste

How much will I make?

8-10 fillets

How do I make it?

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and let the chicken fillets sit in the marinade for as long as you can.   Skewer the fillets and bake in oven at 200 degree Centrigrade for 30 minutes or till done – turn the skewers over half way through the cooking process.   Serve hot.

Stuffed chilli peppers

We used to make this stuffing for a melted cheese sandwich in our sandwich maker and decided to experiment a bit with it.  End result was a dish which took very little time to prep and was tasty and satisfying.   We have a few more ideas for stuffed pepper dishes which once tried and tested will be shared with you.

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What do I need to make it?

  • 6 long green chillies (non spicy variety – substitute with small bell peppers or long red peppers if not available)
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 10 sun dried tomatoes chopped
  • 4 tbsp black olives chopped
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 cup of grated cheese (mix of cheddar/mozzarella)
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp red chilli flakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste

How much will I make?

6 stuffed peppers (serves 2-3)

How do I make it?

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.  Make a slit along the length of the pepper.   Place stuffing inside the cavity till full.   Bake in a pre heated oven for 40-45 minutes at 190 degree Centigrade till the peppers are cooked through.  Serve hot.

You could add or delete ingredients to mixture ie. add pepperoni or ham and make a nice melted cheese treat for the kids.

Mediterranean chicken for kids

Here’s a quick recipe for some mini chicken fillets marinaded with Mediterranean flavours which so far has gone down well with our two fussy eaters.   We marinade enough to prepare over a few days by either pan frying it or baking it in the oven and serve it on its own with fries or as a filler for a wrap.   Our son loved the marinade to the point he actually enjoyed eating it on its own (we though it was amusing).  We’ve also found that by involving the kids in the preparation of a meal they seem more likely to enjoy it when it’s cooked.

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What do I need to make it?

  • 500 gm mini chicken fillets
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • Handful fresh parsley chopped
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp sumac
  • 3-4 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

How much will I make?

Normally 12-14 fillets depending on size

How do I make it?

Place the minced garlic and chopped onion in a mixing bowl.  Add the Italian seasoning, sumac, salt and pepper and give it a good mix.  Pour in the olive oil and lemon juice, mix and finally add the chopped parsley.   Place the chicken fillets in the marinade and refrigerate for an hour or more.   Heat a non stick pan and cook the fillets on both sides till they are done.   We make the same marinade for ourselves but add a teaspoon of crushed red chillies for a spice hit.   Hope your little ones enjoy it as much as ours do.

Coconut chicken curry for kids

If you’ve got fussy eaters as we do here’s a simple recipe for a coconut chicken curry which so far has worked wonders in getting both our little ones to eat without complaining.   We both love our spices and want our kids to start experimenting and appreciating food that’s cooked with flavourful ingredients and developing a varied palate (we are tired of the pasta,  fish fingers and chicken burger routine!).

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What do I need to make it?

  • 250gm mini chicken fillets chopped into bite size pieces (this tends to cook quicker than breast chunks)
  • 2 baby onions
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • Small piece of ginger
  • Small handful of fresh mint leaves and coriander
  • 1 tomato pureed
  • Pinch of cinnamon powder, clove powder, cardamom powder, fennel powder, nutmeg and mace powder
  • 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/4 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tbsp coconut powder
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • Salt to taste

How much will I make?

Serves 3-4

How do I make it?

First make a paste of the onions, garlic, ginger, mint and coriander.   Heat a small wok/kadai and add the coconut oil.   Add the cinnamon, clove, cardamom, fennel, nutmeg and mace powders – stir for 30 seconds before adding the paste.   Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes till the masala loses it’s raw smell.   Sprinkle the turmeric, cumin and coriander powder and stir for 30 seconds before adding the pureed tomato.   Continue cooking till the fat oozes out of the masala or it starts to dry out and turn brown.   Add the chicken and half a cup of water – cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes or till the chicken is done.   Stir in the coconut milk powder, adjust the seasoning and switch off the heat.   Serve with boiled rice or Indian bread of choice.