Like most of you, our family enjoyed the traditional comfort foods of Thanksgiving yesterday. But, for one member of our family the foods and smells, etc. were all new. It was the very first time in her life that Penny ever ate turkey.
She was scared to try many of the other traditional foods. However, she has just recently decided that she can eat mashed potatoes if they are garlic flavored. This year I decided to add some familiar ingredients that she might like to the stuffing. I used shiitake mushrooms and the juice from soaking them along with chicken broth. I also used scallions (small purple onions) and cilantro, which are commonly used in Thai cooking. We do try to keep our kitchen cupboards and fridge stocked with some comfort foods of Penny's and Mom's favorite Japanese foods, since she lived in Japan for six and a half years. Fortunately, Penny likes most of Mom's Japanese food, too. Anything with seafood is a hit! We keep rice in the rice cooker at almost all times. The short-grain Japanese style rice grown in America is fine with all members in our family. Brands like Nishiki and Kokuho are good. And for special occasions, once in a while I cook sticky rice using the traditional Issan (Lao) way of steaming it in a bamboo steamer. The reason I don't do it all of the time is that you must soak it for at least six hours beforehand and then it doesn't keep for more than a day afterwards. The other short-grain rice, however keeps well. If you wrap up single portion sizes in saran wrap after cooking it in the rice cooker and then place them in the freezer, it's very convenient to take a pack out of the freezer and pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes....and, Wala! Perfectly steamed rice for one person! Depending on what region of Thailand your older child might be from they may have very different comfort foods. Penny is from the Isaan area of Thailand where the food, language and culture and traditionally Lao. So, when we went to Bangkok she didn't like all of their food there. And they seemed to have limited palates at the Girls' Home. So, don't assume that all Thai food will be their favorite or even familiar to them. Foods that have been very high on the likes list of our daughter include: chicken (and now turkey), eggs, rice, "gelbong", green onions, mushrooms, hot dogs and sausages, seafood and seaweed. Just like any human being, food is associated with certain tastes, smells, memories and important events in our lives. So, if you can get to know and understand, appreciate and provide these comfort foods for your child, that will translate as LOVE to them.
She was scared to try many of the other traditional foods. However, she has just recently decided that she can eat mashed potatoes if they are garlic flavored. This year I decided to add some familiar ingredients that she might like to the stuffing. I used shiitake mushrooms and the juice from soaking them along with chicken broth. I also used scallions (small purple onions) and cilantro, which are commonly used in Thai cooking. We do try to keep our kitchen cupboards and fridge stocked with some comfort foods of Penny's and Mom's favorite Japanese foods, since she lived in Japan for six and a half years. Fortunately, Penny likes most of Mom's Japanese food, too. Anything with seafood is a hit! We keep rice in the rice cooker at almost all times. The short-grain Japanese style rice grown in America is fine with all members in our family. Brands like Nishiki and Kokuho are good. And for special occasions, once in a while I cook sticky rice using the traditional Issan (Lao) way of steaming it in a bamboo steamer. The reason I don't do it all of the time is that you must soak it for at least six hours beforehand and then it doesn't keep for more than a day afterwards. The other short-grain rice, however keeps well. If you wrap up single portion sizes in saran wrap after cooking it in the rice cooker and then place them in the freezer, it's very convenient to take a pack out of the freezer and pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes....and, Wala! Perfectly steamed rice for one person! Depending on what region of Thailand your older child might be from they may have very different comfort foods. Penny is from the Isaan area of Thailand where the food, language and culture and traditionally Lao. So, when we went to Bangkok she didn't like all of their food there. And they seemed to have limited palates at the Girls' Home. So, don't assume that all Thai food will be their favorite or even familiar to them. Foods that have been very high on the likes list of our daughter include: chicken (and now turkey), eggs, rice, "gelbong", green onions, mushrooms, hot dogs and sausages, seafood and seaweed. Just like any human being, food is associated with certain tastes, smells, memories and important events in our lives. So, if you can get to know and understand, appreciate and provide these comfort foods for your child, that will translate as LOVE to them. 
2 comments:
What a great little post!!! Sounds like you're becoming an expert on all food Asian!!
Your Thanksgiving sounds delicious! I think it's beautiful that you are working so diligently to provide love for Penny through food because I truly believe that it really is a powerful feeling especially for children. That's a great tip about freezing the sticky rice. I will have to try that!
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