The foreign community in Japan have expressed approval and love in Japanese cuisines and this is apparent to the unending tourist visits and expats that had embraced Japan. The rich and nutritious Japanese cuisine is something that is not difficult to follow through. However, no matter how much we (the adults) loved it, we may not be able to say the same thing to our kids.
Japanese Child-Friendly Food to Try
Foreign kids have a different palate when it comes to Japanese cuisine which is understandable. It may be even hard to impress your little ones most especially to the foreign food introduced to them, but these 4 Japanese Child-Friendly foods might be the key to their taste buds and of course, also getting that nutrition as well. What are they? Read this article to know!
1. Tamago Sushi
Toddlers will find this irresistible! Plus, this is mommy approved. No matter what country or culture you are in, eggs are just one of the safest foods for kids, plus it is highly nutritious. A hard-boiled egg mashed into the soft rice will be one way to prepare it, but a tamago sushi would delight a child for it’s cute and “toy-like” appearance. Also wrapped with nori on it, which is one of the superfoods in Japan, tamago sushi is a knockout to your kid’s plate.
2. Noodles: Ramen, Udon etc.
Soft texture of noodles, the tasty broth, Japanese noodle dishes will keep your child’s attention and fill their tummies. Usually made of wheat, water and salt, noodles is one of the dishes a child is easily fascinated with and fun to eat due to the fact that it is long, tasty and soft-fluffy texture for their growing teeth. It may not be as nutritious as tamago sushi, but it isn’t that bad either. Just make sure not to feed them instant noodles. Let them try noodles occasionally as an alternate meal.
3. Oyakodon
If there is another food that is also healthy for toddlers, that would be chicken. Oyakodon translates as “Parent and Child Donburi” which makes sense because it is one of the least foods everyone would hesitate to eat. Oyakodon has soft egg and chicken with delicious soup and simmered to perfection. This makes it easily a child-friendly food for egg and chicken is mainly a rich and nutritious food.
4. Anpan or Sweet Red Bean Bread
Desserts are no doubt the easiest to feed to our little ones. I mean, who’s kid isn’t, right? And yet we want what’s best for them. Good thing you can make them eat anpan due to its delicious red bean paste inside, which is undoubtedly sweet and Japanese love it. Anpan is packed with carbohydrates, fiber, fat from the bread and protein from the red beans. Just don’t let them feed too much of it due that it is also high in calories.
Conclusion
Getting our kids to eat nutritious food like vegetables is a pretty tough task. However, it is not impossible to do so. Often when kids pick up what their parents are eating and they follow through. Also, you can try to sneak in these vegetables through rice meals by mincing them and topping it with healthy seasonings and sauces to get them to eat it. We only want what is best for their growth and thus, we do everything for them. And in the end, all the hard work will be just worth it for their growth.. Any nutritious food in Japan your child enjoys eating? What are they? Share it with us in the comments below.
References:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/tags/kid-friendly/
https://www.oyakata.com.pl/en/japanese-cuisine/4-japanese-dishes-for-children
https://livejapan.com/en/in-hokkaido/in-pref-hokkaido/in-sapporo_chitose/article-a0001179/
https://www.listenandlearn.org/blog/10-child-friendly-japanese-dishes/