“Get a child to get oyster mushrooms in this simple vegetarian Chow Mien? How about having it better by adding the super food, Quinoa, as well as liquid aminos, into his meals?”
My son loves the Chinese yellow noodle (Chinese alkaline noodle), usually being prepared in soup as fish balls noodle soup selling at most of the hawker centers, food courts and coffee shops in Singapore and other parts of Asia.
This thin yellow noodle would also commonly be cooked in fried noodle (Chinese Chow Mien) or the Mee Goreng (Indian fried noodle) style which easily found selling outside. Having that said, these fried noodles selling at the stores are usually over seasoned or spicy.
So, I would rather cook my own Chow Mien for son to enjoy. Yes, he indeed enjoyed this simple home cooked. Not much a fuss, you only need a few ingredients with minimal condiment to assemble this dish.
For a child who doesn’t eat mushrooms, eats it now, cooked with my recipe as the young one would not at all notice its existence in the favorite noodle dish. And of course, you may just change to any other sides you liked to the cooking, too.
To make son’s meals even healthier, I have always integrated instant Quinoa powder into my cooking for him, if it’s not the whole grains to be cooked in porridges. As I so believed in the health benefits brought by this superfood that I would simply try to add it into his diet.
Nutrition facts:
Quinoa, an up and coming superfood, provides high value of iron, zinc, antioxidant properties, small amount of Omega 3 as well as substantial amounts of few essential amino acids which are important for our body.
Reason in getting an instant Organic Quinoa in powder form is purely for convenience sake as It can be consumed without cooking. It’s meant for adding into beverages or direct consumption in your ways, and thus, I would only add it towards the end of the cooking process just to mix it well into the dish. I would even add some to my cold or warm beverages. Quinoa in various types are found in major supermarkets, organic stores and online stores. I do not have a specific brand to recommend at this point of time. Just got what I found in an organic shop. For your information and reference, only. :)
So, it’s optional to add Quinoa powder into this recipe. But if you asked me again in term of taste, I could share that it added hint of natural sweetness into the dish. Your noodle or rice might appear to be more grainy texture, with the powder not fully dissolved into the dish. Otherwise, it’s all only plus points. My son loved, or rather didn’t mind, the addition so far.
For a toddler’s diet, I would use a liquid aminos all-purpose seasoning sauce as well. Liquid aminos from soy protein is a healthy alternative to light soy and Japanese tamarin sauce with no table salt or preservatives added. Taste of liquid aminos is much lighter, in another word, less saltish flavor. I got it from organic food store, but I saw it at some upmarket supermarkets as well as NTUC Finest, too. No sweat, if you did not have this, use the usual light soy sauce with just half the required amount of liquid aminos in the recipe.
Anyway, it’s always good to know more.. For the simpler, just try this Chow Mien, if your child likes noodle, too!
Serves 1-2
Ingredients
50g of Chinese yellow noodle (熟面条)
Handful of oyster mushrooms (or mushrooms of your choice), diced
4-5 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon of liquid aminos sauce (or 1/2 teaspoon of light soy sauce)
1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup
Pinch of raw sugar
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Optional
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of Quinoa powder
Method
(1) Heat wok with oil over medium-low fire. Stir fry garlic and diced mushrooms until aromatic and slight browned.
(2) Add tomatoes and stir fry a little before adding noodle. Drizzle Worcester sauce around the edges of the wok to create sizzling effect. Quickly stir fry all ingredients to mix.
(3) Add ketchup and sugar. Stir fry to mix well. If noodle appears a little too dry, sprinkle some water. Add Quinoa powder, stir fry to mix. Heat off and serve warm.
**This recipe suits toddlers aged above 18 months.
Tips: Omit garlic for pure vegetarian diet.
* Not into vegetarian? Simply add shredded meat into this noodle dish.
* Liquid aminos is less salty with a tinge of sourish taste, to me, its taste is less pleasant than the usual light soy sauce. So, choose the flavor, as desired.
