Apart from supporting healthy growth and development, eating right helps children focus and learn better. But don’t just prep meals with lots of veggies and greens! It’s equally important to cook up dishes and snacks that the kids will surely love and crave for.

In the time of COVID-19 when homeschooling is a safer, more practical approach to education, work up a meal or snack plan with an ingredient both Pinoy adults and kids love: chewy sotanghon or glass noodles.

Quick Chicken Sotanghon

Start with the Filipino version of chicken noodle soup. Chicken sotanghon is a soup dish with chicken strips and sotanghon noodles in a comforting broth made more flavorful with carrots, cabbages and more. Here’s how you make it.

Ingredients

• 680g chicken breast
• 1 pc. chicken broth cube
• 2 packs (45g) Mega Prime Choices Vermicelli Noodles
• 1.5L water
• 1 pc. dried bay leaf
• 105g cabbage, shredded
• 1 pc. carrot, julienned or cut into thin strips
• 50g scallions, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 pc. onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. garlic, roasted
• Fish sauce and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup annatto water
• 3 tbsp. cooking oil

Directions

1. For the chicken, boil water in a cooking pot. Add bay leaf and chicken breast. Cover and boil in medium heat for 20 minutes.
2. Remove chicken from pot, shred and set aside. Save the chicken stock.
3. In a separate large pot, heat oil and saute garlic until light brown. Throw in onion and celery. Cook until onion softens.
4. Saute shredded chicken for 2 minutes. Then pour chicken stock and let boil. Stir in chicken broth cube, annatto water and sotanghon noodles. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add carrots and cabbage and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Season with fish sauce and ground black pepper. Sprinkle roasted garlic and chopped scallions, and toss.

Pancit Sotanghon Guisado

Kids prefer the soupless version of chicken sotanghon? Try another Filipino classic for merienda: Pancit Sotanghon Guisado!

Ingredients

• 1 pack (45g) Mega Prime Choices Vermiceli Noodles
• 3 tbsp. oil
• 1 medium white onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup cabbage, shredded
• ¼ cup baguio beans, sliced
• ¼ cup carrot, cut into strips
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 tbsp. annatto oil
• ½ cup chicken breast, boiled and sliced
• 2 cups chicken stock
• salt and pepper, to taste
• fried garlic chips, for garnish
• calamansi, to serve

Directions

1. Soak sotanghon noodles in a bowl of water until softened, then drain.
2. In a pan, heat oil and saute onions and garlic. Add cabbage, beans, carrots, and celery, followed by annatto oil.
3. Pour in chicken strips with the stock, and bring to a boil.
4. Add in soaked noodles and toss to blend with the sauteed mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, stirring occasionally until all the liquid has evaporated.
5.  Serve with fried garlic chips and calamansi.

Beef Ampalaya with Sotanghon

Ampalaya or bitter melon is a good source of nutrients such as fiber, vitamin C, folate and vitamin A. But, as its name suggests, it has a bitter taste that not all can tolerate! With Beef Ampalaya with Sotanghon, this bitterness is softened with savory beef and subtly sweet tomato sauce. Check out the ingredients and steps.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups water
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ kg ampalaya, seeded and sliced into thin strips
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 2 tbsp. garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup onion, sliced
• 150g beef, sirloin, cut into thin strips
• 1 pc. beef bouillon cube
• 1 pouch (200g) tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar, white
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 ½ cups water
• 1 pack (45g) Mega Prime Choices Vermicelli Noodles

Directions

1. Soak ampalaya in salt and water for 10 minutes. Rinse, drain and set aside.
2. Saute garlic, onion, and beef. Add bouillon cube, tomato sauce, sugar and water. Boil, cover. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add sotanghon and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, add ampalaya and cook for another 3 minutes or until tender.

Read more recipes with Mega Prime Choices Vermicelli Noodles and enjoy more #pinaSARAP moments with all Mega Prime products available on MEGA online store, Shopee and Lazada!