Easy fried rice for toddler

When he saw this, he was so excited about it, he said 'so cute!' (in canto)

Fried rice is my boy's favorite lunch. Actually, not right, it's MY favorite meal to prep as his lunch. It's easy, incorporating whatever I've got left in the pantry or in the fridge and it is still nice even if not served warm.

Here's a very simple and easy recipe for fried rice for my toddler boy:
This recipe makes two little portion

• 2-3 cloves garlic, roughly minced 
• 1/2 small onion, roughly minced 
• 1/3 medium sized carrot, chopped into tiny cubes 
• Some greens eg beans, kailan, peas etc 
• 1/2 chicken breast, cut into small cubes, marinated with pinch of salt, pepper and liquid amino 
• 2 bowls of cooked rice (cooled down) 
• Seasoning eg salt, pepper powder, liquid amino etc 

Instructions: 

1. Preheat wok with 1-2 tbsp cooking oil, I use a choice of rice bran oil or grapeseed oil. 
2. Stir in garlic and onion, and fry until aromatic and onion turns translucent. 
3. Stir in carrot and chicken. 
4. When chicken is cooked through, stir in cooked rice. Season with your choice of seasoning. 
5. Ready to serve! 

*Sometimes, if there aren't much ingredients or there aren't any meat in the fried rice, I would also add in egg. 

Easy vege stew rice

My mommies network of friends would rejoice when they see me preparing rice dishes for my little boy. Out of convenience and my own 'lazziness' I always prepare pasta for my little boy, so I seldom share on recipes for rice dishes. Recently the mommies in Healthy Food for My Baby facebook group has been talking about how they fried rice or prepare rice stew using some prepared vege puree. So I decided to try it with my rice stew this morning. Interestingly, it did turn out nice. It made the rice stew extra creamy and very fragrant. There were leftover after I packed them in the thermal container for my boy's lunch, so I also packed the balance for my lunch. 

I love cooking my rice dishes for my boy this way. It makes it soft and a little mushy. My mom dislike it, probably my hubby wouldn't like it cos they like their rice dry with good bite. I hope my son likes it this way. I am not sure yet, cos so far he hasn't shown much preference for neither dry cooked rice or rice simmered in stew or stock. 

Recipe 

• 4tbsp super rice grain (which I prepared by mixing together brown rice, millet, quinoa, red lentils and amaranth), soaked for overnight in the fridge. Soaking makes it easier to cook and to be absorbed. 
• 1-2tbsp rice bran oil (for cooking) 
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced 
• 1/4 onion, finely minced 
• 1/4 medium carrot, finely cubed 
• 3cups of chicken and vege stock 
• 3tbsp roasted vege puree (for recipe, please refer here)
• Seasoning of your choice (I used a little liquid amino by Bragg's)  

Instructions: 

1. Heat up the wok with rice bran oil. 
2. Stir in garlic and onion. Fry for about 1-2min. Stir in cubed carrot, fry for another 2min. 
3. Stir in soaked rice grain. Fry for another 2min. 
4. Pour in stock and vege puree. 
5. Simmer for about 20-40min or until all the liquid are absorbed. 

Cheese baked rice w/ fish

I get crazy when comes to stuffs I like to do. I love baking. I love cooking, especially for someone who appreciates the food I make, ie my little fella. The little fella spends his day time at the nanny's, ie during my work hours.  After 5pm, I fetch him home and we have about 1 hour plus to spare before we go over to my in-law's for dinner. Even though it's just a short 1 hour plus, I made some purple sweet potato hee pan (or kikaku) with fresh purple sweet potato puree and soymilk, you gotta check out this recipe that I innovatively made up last minute, cos I was running out of everything in my kitchen, yet still determined to make them, and I've also made cheese baked rice with fish for the little fella's dinner. All this while I thank God that I'm blessed with a little boy who doesn't mind waiting for me while I 'passionately' prepare his food. He would sit still for at least 20 to 30minutes when given something he enjoys eating or playing with before he starts wondering the house looking for new 'toys'. Oh, he's now 17month old.

 

 

 

 



This cheese-baked-rice was quite easy to prepare, most of the stuffs were readily prepared in advanced, when it was near dinner time, I just had to assemble all and baked in the oven for about 20-30min, which was a perfect recipe for me, cos I had spare time to assemble all while waiting for the hee pan to proof.

Homemade tomato sauce (can be prepared in bigger portion and kept frozen):

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 sweet potato, purple (or replaceable with pumpkin)

Steam all till sweet potato turns soft. Puree all, together with the water that gets generated from steaming. If sauce is too thick, add a little water to thin it down.

For the cheese-baked-rice

• 1 piece of white fish fillet, about 50g
• 2 florets of broccoli
• 1/2 cup of cooked rice
• 3tbsp of homemade tomato sauce (see above for recipe and instruction)
• 2tbsp grated Cheddar cheese

To assemble:

1. Preheat oven to 180deg C.
2. Place cooked rice in a ceramic dish. Top with chopped broccoli.
3. Cut fish fillet into little piece and arrange on top of broccoli.
4. Flood with homemade tomato sauce.
5. Top with generous amount of grated Cheddar.
6. Bake for 20min till cheese turns golden brown.