Serve Noche Buena Like a Chef with the Laudicos

Chefs Rolando and Jackie Laudico

Parents of Orlando, 6, and Keona, 3

Owners, Chef Laudico’s Bistro Filipino, Bfast, and Patisserie Filipino

“Orlando likes fried rice so we combined two of their favorite ingredients: shrimp and rice. We always have leftover paella from catering, so it’s easy to make a fried rice dish with it. You can make this dish with any leftover rice you have - it’s basically a simple fried rice with lots of shrimp!”

 

My kids’ favorite food are: shrimp, eggs, rice, pasta, and noodle dishes. 

The healthy stuff we prepare at home are: steamed dishes like fish, and food that doesn’t require any frying. We avoid junk food and unhealthy products. Most of the cookies they eat are home-baked and oatmeal- and brown sugar-based, so they’re healthy. For snacks, we feed them a lot of fruits, yogurt, and milk products. We avoid processed and instant food. We don’t stock up on big packs of chips from the grocery—out of sight, out of mind. 

When pressed for time, the easiest thing to whip up is: leftovers made into pasta or fried rice! Shrimp and fish also don’t take a lot of time to cook. 

In the pantry, you should never run out of: eggs and milk. We think eggs are one of the healthiest, most complete foods. It has the good fats, the good cholesterol. Since kids’ brains, muscles, and bones are developing, eggs and milk are essential. Pasta is also very easy to prepare and has a long shelf life. Kids love eating noodles in all forms! They also like to eat cheese and fruits, which are very important.

We get our kids to eat their greens by: associating the vegetables with something familiar, something fun. We tell them that  broccoli are little trees or that Bugs Bunny eats a lot of carrots. Naaaliw sila. When they were small, we’d purée carrots and put it in spaghetti sauce. 

 

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If my kids wanted to eat the same thing over and over again, we’d: use the same ingredient and prepare it differently. If they eat only fried chicken, we’d grill it instead. Or we change the ingredient, but prepare it in the same way. Take the characteristics of fried chicken they like, say the crispiness, but fry fish or pork chop. Then tell them, “Do you know that you just ate fish?”

We get our kids to finish their food by: lessening the distractions, and not putting too much food on their plates. We’d rather put a little on their plates and when they’re done, offer them more. We never punish them about food or force them to eat as this will traumatize them. They won’t appreciate food. Analyze why kids don’t want to eat. Maybe they just had a snack, or maybe they don’t like the food.

The one thing we’d like to teach our kids about food is: to taste everything. Don’t be afraid to try. Try it once and if you don’t like it, don’t eat it. Kids’ eating habits start with the parents. Bata pa lang sila, let them taste everything. And if they really don’t like it, don’t force them. 

The most important piece of advice we can give on feeding your kids is: Make eating a fun and interesting experience, not a chore that makes them say, “I have to eat.” It’s a family thing! Involve your kids in the preparation, even in going to the grocery. Let them pick out the foods they like and want to try. Let them know the sources of food. This way, they see the cycle of food and what it’s for. 

 

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Leftover Feast:

Paella Shrimp Fried Rice

 

Ingredients:

1 cup small shrimps, peeled

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

3 tablespoons chorizo, diced

6 tablespoons white onion, diced  

3 tablespoons garlic, minced

6 tablespoons tomato, diced

6 tablespoons bell pepper (red or green), diced

3 cups leftover paella rice (or use leftover plain rice and add saffron threads)

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Season shrimps with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a hot pan. Sauté shrimps until just cooked; around 30 seconds to 1 minute. Take shrimps out of the pan; set aside.

2. Add remaining olive oil to the same pan then sauté chorizo, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and bell peppers for 3 minutes. Add rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top rice with the cooked shrimps. Serve hot. Serves 3.

SMART TIP:

You won’t need to season the rice so much if you are using leftover paella; it’s flavorful enough. You can also use other leftover rice dishes like risotto, Chinese, or Japanese fried rice - even garlic rice.

Photos by At MaculanganPhoto by Pat Martires (Main Photo)