Cooking Thai Food: A fun family activity to do with the children

Introducing your children to Thai Cuisine

We love cooking with our two girls, 7 and 9, they feel so grown up when we let them chop up carrots and peppers. It gives them confidence and teaches them some real world skills. I wish I could say it gets them eating new foods, but even with our delicious sauces, convincing them to try some new vegetables is always too much to ask. I’m sure if you’re reading this you know our pain all too well.

Nevertheless cooking with children provides some much needed Quality Time (away from their screens): Strengthens family bonds and is just great fun for everyone!

I asked them a couple of days ago what recipes do they think other children would enjoy eating using our cooking sauces. They answered almost without much consideration three dishes. These were Pad Thai, Sweet n sour chicken and “that nice curry you do, the yellow one that’s not spicy” which translates to Thai Yellow Curry! 

These three child-friendly Thai recipes using our handcrafted sauces are perfect for family cooking sessions. These simple dishes involve chopping meats and vegetables, and even the fun of eating with chopsticks!

 

Thai Food For Children | Recipe 1:

Thai Sweet and Sour Chicken

Our sweet and sour chicken is a delightful mix of flavours and colours, making it a hit with kids. The combination of juicy chicken and crunchy vegetables coated in our tangy sweet and sour sauce is simply irresistible.

Ingredients for Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry:

• Chicken breast
• Red and green bell peppers
• carrots
• tomatoes
• Pineapple (Fresh or tinned is fine)
• One 380ml jar of Mae Ja Sweet and Sour sauce
  

 Preparation:

1. Slice chicken breast into strips
2. Peel and chop carrots
3. Chop bell peppers into square pieces about 1" square
4. Chop or drain pineapple chunks and set to one side

 

Cooking:

1. Add a little cooking oil to a medium to hot wok or frying pan and allow time for the oil to heat up

2. Add the chicken breast and gently cook until the meat has sealed and started to brown around the outside a little.

3. Add the peppers and carrots, followed by the full jar of Mae Ja Sweet and Sour sauce

4. Stir in together coating all of the ingredients with the sauce, Reduce the heat to medium and allow time for these ingredients to cook thoroughly

5. Add the pineapple chunks and stir in, bring off the heat and keep stirring until the pineapple chunks are coated in sauce, don't allow too much time for the pineapple to cook, we wouldn't want it turning into pineapple curd!

6. serve in a colourful bowl with a large serving spoon and enjoy with a side serving of Egg Fried Rice or Jasmine Fragrant Rice

 

 

 

Thai Food For Children | Recipe 2:

Pad Thai

Pad Thai is a fun and interactive dish for kids, especially when they get to eat it with chopsticks! Our Pad Thai Kit makes it easy to prepare this classic Thai street food at home, ensuring a delicious and authentic experience.

This one may need a little more patience and kitchen skill so perhaps not one for very young children, but still Pad Thai is a not spicy dish so can be enjoyed by everyone of all ages.

 

Ingredients:

• Chicken, Prawns or Tofu
• 1 White cabbage
• 1 Large egg
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Leek
• Peanuts (optional)
• Mae Ja Pad Thai Kit
  

Garnishes (Optional)

• Lime
• Spring Onion
• Dried Chilies 
• Coriander

 

PREPARATION

1. Prepare the whole packet of rice sticks by soaking them in a large pan of lukewarm water straight from the tap for at least 2 hours allowing the water to cool down naturally. Once the soaking has finished, the rice sticks should be nice and soft. Drain all the excess water using a colander or sieve and set to one side. For the best results we recommend soaking in cold water overnight.

2. Prepare the Carrot, Cabbage and Leek by creating very thin noodle like shreds of each vegetable. The best tool for this is shown below, This can also be done using a sharp knife with some fine knife skills. Just make sure they are nice and thin so that they will cook quickly (Within 5 minutes). Set the prepared shredded vegetables to on

   

3. Slice any meats into thin strips and set to one side. Pad Thai is a very quick dish to make once the cooking starts, so you really don't want to have big chunks of meat in there because it won't have time to cook throughout.

  

COOKING

1. Add a splash of cooking oil to a large hot wok and allow it to heat up

2. Add the large egg and protein of your choice and stir fry together in the sizzling hot oil
   (Approx.30 seconds)

3. Pour in the whole 300ml jar of Mae Ja Pad Thai Sauce quickly followed by the soft rice noodles. Stir fry together allowing the noodles to soak up the pad Thai sauce
   (Approx. 1 minute)
   
   

4. Add the shredded cabbage and carrot and stir fry together
   (Approx. 30 seconds)

5. Add the peanuts and continue to stir fry together,
   (Approx. 15 seconds)
   
   
6. Finally add the shredded leek and stir fry everything together, Allow time for all the vegetables to cook and the meats to be cooked. 
   
   
7. The dish is complete once you have taste tested the vegetables and meats and can confirm that they are thoroughly cooked
   
   
8. Serve in a large presentation plate and garnish with a couple of sliced limes, coriander, dried chili flakes and sprinkle the top of your delicious Pad Thai with finely chopped spring onions for a burst of colour.

 

 

 

 

 

Thai Food For Children Recipe 3:

Thai Yellow Curry

 

Our Thai yellow curry is very mild and perfect for introducing kids to the wonderful world of Thai curries. It’s a creamy, comforting dish loaded with tender meat and vegetables, all brought together with our very own brand of deliciously mild Thai yellow curry sauce.

Ingredients:

• Meat of choice (chicken or pork)

• Assorted vegetables (new potato, carrot, onion)
• Mae Ja Yellow Curry Sauce

 

Preparation:

1. Slice meats into thin strips
2. Peel and chop vegetables

 

Cooking:

1. Add a little cooking oil to a medium to hot wok or frying pan and allow time for the oil to heat up

2. Add the strips of meat and gently cook until it has sealed and started to brown around the outside a little.

3. Add all of the chopped vegetables, followed by the full jar of Mae Ja Yellow Curry Sauce

4. Stir in together coating all of the ingredients with the sauce, allow time for these ingredients to cook thoroughly, The longer cooking time the better, cook on a medium to low heat, just make sure the vegetables hold their form and don't turn to mush.

5. Serve in a bowl with a large serving spoon and accompany with Egg Fried Rice or Jasmine Fragrant Rice 

Tips for Cooking Thai food with children 

• Safety First: Always supervise children in the kitchen and teach them about safe cooking practices as you go along

Use handy tools wherever possible. We find using these Kiwi vegetable peelers not only lots of fun to use, but safe also. They create really useful fun shapes like these star carrot slices and also the noodle like strips for use when cooking Pad Thai and other recipes

Age-Appropriate Tasks: Assign tasks suitable for your child’s age and skill level, like washing vegetables for younger kids and chopping for older ones.

Make It Fun: Turn cooking into a fun activity with colourful aprons, themed music, and playful presentation ideas. Keep your cool, cooking can be stressful even for adults by themselves, anticipate there will be mess and possibly tears, this is how memories are made. Enjoy your afternoon and enjoy eating together once everything is done!

 

 

Mae Ja Thai Cooking Sauces

Our sauces are designed to make cooking authentic Thai food at home easy and enjoyable. All of our sauces are expertly and crafted and seasoned to perfection, you don't need to add anything else, Simply open, add your favourite ingredients and enjoy

 

Perfect for busy families with children looking to create delicious meals without the hassle. From sweet and tangy stir fry sauces to mild and creamy curries, our sauces cater to a variety of tastes.

TIDY UP TIME!!

Go and put your feet up, fill the sink with loads of warm bubbly water and leave them to it... if you dare :)

Not only cooking is great fun, but the clean up can be enjoyable also, plenty of warm water and loads of soapy bubbles usually does the trick. 

 

We hope these recipes inspire you to cook with your kids and enjoy the delightful flavors of Thai cuisine together. Don’t forget to visit our online shop to get your hands on our Thai cooking sauces and kits. Share your cooking adventures with us on social media using the hashtag #maejathaifood

Happy cooking!