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.

This is similar to the Malay version of Gado Gado or Tauhu Goreng. We need the same recipe to make deep fry bean curd (but half the portion will do) and I will repeat them here.

Ingredients

1. 2 block (10cm x 10 cm x 3cm) of bean curd (豆干), there are different hardness available in the market, get those that you like.
2. 1/2 teaspoon salt
3. Cooking oil for deep frying or pan fry
4. Handful of bean sprout
5. 1  cucumber
6. 1 tablespoon oil for cooking sauce

   For the sauce

1. 3 table spoon ketchup,
2. 2 table spoon chilli sauce
3. 3 table spoon sugar
4. 1 table spoon soy sauce
5. ½ teaspoon salt
6. 1 teaspoon corn flour
7. ½ cup water
8. 1 clove of garlic
9. 5-10 table spoon crush peanuts

Method

1. Process the cucumber to make it less bitter (see tips).  Split the cucumber lengthwise into half and then into quarters, and then remove the seeds by slicing it horizontally.  (removing the seed is optional).  Slice the cucumber diagonally.   Lay them on the bottom of a plate.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil, put in the bean sprout for 1 minute and drain dry.  Lay them on top of the cucumber in the plate.
3. Rub the salt (about ¼ teaspoon per block) on the bean curd, and leave it aside for 10 mins (allow the saltiness to season into the curd)
4. Deep fry or pan fry till golden brown. Cut each up into 4 to eight small pieces.  Lay them on top of the bean sprout.
5. Mix all the ingredient for the sauce in a bowl except the crushed peanuts.
6. Heat up sauce pan, add 1 tablespoon oil and chopped garlic and fry till fragrance and lightly browned.
7. Pour in the mixture and bring to boil until thickens.
8. Pour the gravy over the bean curd.  Top with crush peanuts.
9. Serve hot.

 Suitable for vegetarian

This is another really a simple dish.

Ingredients

1. 4 block (10 cm x 10 cm x 3cm) of bean curd (豆干), there are different hardness available in the market, get those that you like.
2. 1 teaspoon salt
3. Cooking oil for deep frying or pan fry

Method

1. Rub the salt (about ¼ teaspoon per block) on the bean curd, and leave it aside for 10 mins (allow the saltiness to season into the curd)
2. Deep fry or pan fry till golden brown.
3. Cut it up and serve with chilli sauce or tomato ketchup.

This is really a simple dish.

Ingredients

1. 1 block (10cm x 10 cm x 5cm) of soft bean curd (水豆腐), the softer the better
2. 10 shallots
3. 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
4. 1 table spoon dark soy sauce
5. 5 tablespoon cooking oil
6. ½ teaspoon salt

Method

1. Peel the shallots, slice and fry to light brown with the cooking oil. Set aside including the oil.
2. Boil a pot of water, and when it is boiling, turn down the flame to extremely small, just to maintain the temperature but not boiling, soak the whole bean curd block in the water to heat it up.  (important not to boil, as it might break up the bean curd).  5 mins will be sufficient.
3. Remove the bean curd, drain dry and place on a plate.  Rub the salt on the surface.  
4. Put the fried shallots on top of the bean curd, pour in the remaining oil, and pour in the light and dark soy sauce.
5. Serve hot.