Making a meal out of Junk Food

Instant Noodles with chicken broth - For chicken broth recipe you can follow this link:

                                                                                              Chicken Broth Recipe

I know, I know... Junk food is not good for health and kids should not be allowed to make a habit out of it. But what about instant noodles? I have seen even the most organic of all moms making an exception in this case, mostly due to the immense pressure kids have the ability to create on their moms' nerves! I have to admit the truth here... all kids LOVE instant noodles! Even the most fussy ones. So why not use this opportunity and use the noodles to camouflage the healthy  nutrients which the kids are adept at turning away?

Here are some of the tried and tested techniques and recipes which give me some peace of mind that my little one had had a healthy meal after all!

1. Create a base sauce:
There is a huge variety of healthy sauces that you can make to which you can add noodles to create a square meal. Ayaan's favorites includes a basic white (Bechamel) sauce and Alfredo Sauce. To make white sauce, simply take 2 TBS of butter, add about 2 tsp of semolina (instead of allpurpose flour to add more fiber), cook till it is fragrant and add about a cup of milk, bring to a boil and add a slice of cheddar cheese. Add boiled noodles. A hearty healthy meal is ready!

2. Top it!
Make the noodles as per the packet instructions (I just put them in the microwave with a cup of water for 5 minutes and let them stand for another 3 minutes and they are super soft and yummy!). Add a shredded slice of cheddar or mozeralla or a TBS of cream cheese, stir and voila! calcium rich noodles are ready in minutes.

3. Substitute water
Use milk or chicken broth instead! A tip regarding chicken broth, if using the broth boil noodles separately, strain and then add a cup of broth and bring to a boil. Due to high fat content of broth, the noodle might not get fully soft to a consistency appropriate for a baby.

4. Hidden Treasures
Add boiled carrots, peas, beans, chick peas, shredded chicken, pulses (yellow split lentil is best for kids; Daal Moong), oats, rice, chunks of toasted bread and whatever your child may fancy. If the child is fussy or too young, puree the above before adding to the noodles (Tip: keep the noodles a bit soupy so that they can absorb these ingredients). Roast the grains a bit before boiling them to add more flavor. Also when boiling pulses, add whole spices, minced garilc and a pinch of turmeric to make them extra tasty.

5. Change the game
Take the noodles to another level by turning them into a tasty chowmein with chicken and chopped vegetables. Marinate some chicken with a TBS of soy sauce, lemon  juice, black pepper, white pepper and salt. Stir fry the chicken, boiled noodles and chopped vegetables in some butter (each ingredients separately) and combine them to create a tasty and hearty meal. You can also boil some noodles, put them in a baking try, add half cup of milk, shredded cheeses, mix together and bake for 15-20 minutes at 180 C till the mixture is bubbly and golden.

These are some the ways Ayaan takes his noodles... If you have more creative ways to make instant noodles healthy and nutritious do share! Bon appetit!