Vegetable Teppanyaki Soba noodles (Japanese-style stir fried buckwheat noodles)

Yakisoba noodles are healthier version among noodles and are made with Buckwheat flour or a combination of buckwheat and wholemeal wheat flour. Teppan-style Yakisoba noodles is a stir-fry version of Yakisoba and usually made with cabbage, carrots and/or meat. The recipe below is for vegetable Yakisoba noodles with an optional sauce for adults. You can add chicken/prawns/pork according to your taste to make your favourite meat yakisoba. Again the sauce given here is not very spicy, but, adjust it according to your taste. This is quick and easy stir-fry that is bound to satisfy the whole family. It is colourful and thus captivates children's attention as well. You can add other stir-fry veggies to it as per your wish. But, I have found that keeping the veggies and meat to a minimum works best with children. They do not feel overwhelmed by those and they tend to enjoy the balance of veggies & noodles and hence the dish more.


You will need:
Yakisoba noodles - 2 servings (prepared according to package instructions)
2 shallots thinly sliced length wise
2 inch ginger peeled and grated
3 cloved of garlic grated
1/4 cabbage shredded/julienned
2 carrots shredded/julienned
2 stalks green onions chopped
3 tbsps oil (preferably sesame seed oil)
3 tbsps crispy fried onions crumbled (optional)
2 tbsps low sodium soya sauce
salt and black pepper to taste

For the sauce (optional for adults):
2 tbsps chilli sauce
2 tbsps sesame oil
1 tsp soft brown sugar
50 ml cup dark soya sauce (approx 1/4 cup)
salt to taste (be careful with salt since soya sauce is pretty salty)

Chicken/Tofu-Noodle soup (great for flu/cold)

Nothing comforts and makes us feel that everything is going to be fine soon like Chicken-Noodle soup. It is the universal go to food for those of us who get down with flu/cold. With the cold and flu running rampant in our house I decided to make this soup for both Naz & Anjalie and make a veggie option of Tofu-Noodle soup for myself (yes, I am still a veggie). We instantly felt great! The chicken-noodle soup has become synonymous with cold/flu treatment that there is a whole new scientific debate about whether it can cure cold. Read here.

Quick Egg noodles

When I am in a rush I usually make this one. On few occassions when I have had a really tiring day at work I make this quickly and serve with salad and call it dinner. You can change it according to your taste or make it more elaborate to suit the entire family.

You will need:
1/2 a packet of egg noodles/fresh spaghetti pasta
stir-fry veggies of your choice (chopped into bite size pieces)
150 ml of veggie/chicken stock
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (optional)
salt and black pepper to taste

Other options if you have more time:
Veggies of your choice, mushrooms
strips of cooked chicken breasts/soy chunks/ quorn pieces