This recipe is given by my TCM doctor, to help soothe my children’s cough.  He said that it can be drank even you do not have cough, it generally nourishes the lungs.  You can use red apple or Chinese pear (not the European pear, see here for photos).  The chuan bei mu (川贝母), North and South Almonds (南杏, 北杏) can be purchased from any Chinese medicine shop, such as 福华，正中平，shops at Hong Lim, (Singapore) and any neighborhood medicine shops.

Ingredients (serve 2 cups)

1. 1 Apple or pear (梨)
2. 1 Chinese tablespoon chuan pei mu (Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae, 川贝母) (about 1/3 liang, or 13 grams)
3. 1 ½ Chinese tablespoon north almonds (北杏)
4. 1 ½ Chinese tablespoon south almonds (南杏)
5. 1 Chinese tablespoon rock sugar
6. 3 bowls water

Method

1. Remove the skin of apple or pear, cut into quarters and remove the core.
2. Wash the almonds.
3. Wash the Chuan Pei, and lightly crush it with stone pestle or anything hard (like the handle of your cleaver).
4. Put all ingredients in pot with water, and bring to boil.
5. Once boiled, lower to small fire and simmer for 1 hour (very low heat to prevent drying up of contents). 
6. Sieve and drink the water. (about 1 ½ bowls left)

Here is a picture of how chuan bei mu (川贝母) looks like

This is quick and easy and a nutritious meal for toddler.  Sesame and cheese has high content of calcium. Good when you are to busy to cook porridge for them.   Also good for adults, high in fibers.

Ingredients

1. 5 tablespoon Quaker quick-cook oats (not instant cook oats)
2. ¾  bowl water
3. ½ tablespoon condense milk (Sweetened)
4. ½ teaspoon black sesame powder (optional)
5. 1 piece of kid’s cheese (or any cheese you like)

Method

1. Boil water in a pot, add in the oats and simmer for 5-10 mins until thickens and smooth.
2. Off flame, add in condense milk and sesame powder and mix thoroughly.
3. Serve in kids bowl. Top up with cut cheese pieces.

Ingredients (serve 2 bowls)

1. 2 tablespoon Miso paste
2. 2 bowls water
3. 1/2 tube or block of soft bean curd
4. 2 sticks of dried wakame (japanese seaweed)

Method

1. Soak wakame till soft. Rinse briefly to remove any sand or dust. (Very fast)
2. Cut bean curd into small cubes (1/2 cm)
3. Boil 2 bowls of water, add in bean curd and wakame to light boil and simmer for 5-10 mins.
4. Put in Miso paste and off fire and keep it cover for 10 mins.
5. Open and stir, serve hot.

Note: Some Miso paste is indicated as Dashi paste (I’m not very good at Japanese, but it is written as だし (dashi) and not みそ (miso).  Dashi paste are miso paste where other ingredients, usually Konbu (kelp) or fish, added to make the soup tastier.  It’s ok to use plain miso or dashi, although dashi is tastier.

Suitable for vegetarian if vegetarian dashi is used.

Nutritious for toddlers too, since miso is pack with nutrients, but I was told not to boil it.

Ingredients

1. 1 handful of white rice (or about 1/8 cup using the measuring cup from rice cooker)
2. 1 bowl boiling hot water
3. Small handful of Chinese spinach (苋菜)
4. 1/8 of a tofu block (about 2 tablespoon)
5. 1/8 of a shallot
6.  small bit of ginger (aprox ½ cm size)

Method

1. Prepare the porridge base with the shallot and ginger. (See here or here).
2. Pick only the leafy part of the spinach (a little tender stalk is fine). Wash and cut into small pieces suitable for the age of your toddler.
3. When porridge is done, add in spinach and cook for another 5-10 mins.
4. Cut the tofu into small cubes about ¼ cm size (like those usually in miso soup).  Add into porridge and allow to simmer for another 5 mins.

Ingredients

1. 1 handful of white rice (or about 1/8 cup using the measuring cup from rice cooker)
2. 1 bowl boiling hot water
3. 1 thin slice of pumpkin
4. 1 tablespoon minced lean pork (toddlers best not to feed animal fats), or chicken
5. 1/8 of a shallot
6.  small bit of ginger (aprox ½ cm size)

Method

1. Prepare the porridge base. (See here or here)
2. Cut away the skin of the pumpkin and cut into very small pieces (less than 1 mm, by slicing thinly, then cut into thin strips and then cut again into small pieces)
3. Minced the pork really fine.
4. Add into the porridge the pumpkin and allow to cook for another 25 mins.  Add in the minced pork as described in here.
5. Continue to cook for another 10 mins.
6. Serve warm.

for older toddler, you can chop the ingredients more coarsely.