As a stay-at-home dad, one of the challenges I face is how to make my son's meal interesting enough for him to finish whatever's in the bowl.

Barring the 'aeroplane coming in to land' ploy (or, in my case, 'Millennium Falcon requesting entry to Docking Bay 94'), another way to ensure that he cleans his bowl is to make the dishes exciting enough for him to want to eat.

Basically, my criteria are:

>> The food must be something that can be cooked in 25minutes or less;
>> It should look interesting; and
>> Where possible, the ingredients and food should be 'natural tasting' (without the addition of salt, pepper or flavour enhancers).

If I'm really stumped, I always rely on the ever-popular porridge mixed with X (insert your child's favourite filling here). But since my name is not Jamie Oliver, I can't churn out creative dining ideas at the drop of a chef's hat. (It usually revolves around 'What can I mix with mashed potatoes?')

So when I spotted these three books offering healthy and interesting meals that cater to children, it was obvious that I just had to check them out.

The good thing is that the books feature a fair amount of Asian-style cooking, as most recipe books for children tend to lean towards a Western diet).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FIRST FOODS
(Marshall Cavendish)
By Anna Jacob, Pauline Chen, Samantha Thiessen, Janie Chuaand Wong Yuefen
Price: $26 (w/o GST), available at all good bookshops

WHAT IT IS: As the title implies, this is the book to get if you want ideas on what to feed your child once he or she is weaned off formula or breast milk. In other words, this is a starter kit.

WHY IT'S HOT: Even though it's a recipe book, the first third or so is devoted to basic nutrition information 'to get you started', which is excellent if you're new to cooking for your child.

So you learn about the basic food groups, which nutrients and minerals are good for children, why trans fat shouldn't be on your ingredients list, and so on. Also included is a nutritional analysis that tells you how many calories, and how much fat and salt, each dish contains.

INTERESTING RECIPE: Mee Sua with Egg Yolk and Spinach (for babies nine months and older). I never liked mee sua because I always thought it was bland, but this is a refreshing take on an old classic. You can regulate the taste of this dish because you prepare the stock for the soup.

Making stock requires more than 25minutes but it's really simple. The basic ingredients are bones (pork, chicken or fish) and water. What I do is make a big batch and then keep it in the freezer to be used within a week.

Basically, you cook the mee sua for two minutes and set it aside. Then you 'scramble fry' an egg in a pan and set it aside. Bring the stock to a boil, put the finely-chopped spinach leaves (no stems) and mee sua in, and cook for another five minutes or so. Serve in a bowl with the egg on top.

The recipe includes chye sim as an alternative to spinach but I think spinach works better, and I added the egg into the stock (my version of egg-drop soup) instead of frying it (basically to reduce the oil content). Contains only 131 calories in total.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEED YOUR CHILD RIGHT (Revised Edition, Marshall Cavendish)
By Lynn Alexander, Yeong Boon Yee
Price: $35 (w/o GST), available at all good bookshops

WHAT IT IS: The subtitle claims this is the first complete nutritional guide for Asian parents. I'm inclined to agree as half the book is devoted to the benefits of a good diet.

WHY IT'S HOT: The book adopts a comprehensive approach. There are chapters on preventing obesity, special diets for children who are not feeling well, and the dos and don'ts of weaning. It's also heavy on Asian content, such as the chapter on traditional dietary beliefs (for example, 'heaty' or 'cooling' food), and a large selection of Asian recipes.

INTERESTING RECIPE: Chapati. I wonder why I've never tried it before as it's so easy to make. All you need is wholemeal or atta flour and water. The preparation takes a while (more than an hour) but it's a good reason for a 'let's-get-all-down-and-dirty' session with your child, who can help to stir the flour mixture, or roll the dough into flat, thin rounds. It's having fun with food, and why not?

There is no oil in the recipe so there's practically no fat, making it healthy, and it adds up to only 83 calories.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WILL YOUR CHILD EAT A TOMATO?
By Emily Tai
Price: $10.50.
Send cheque to Emily Tai Kim Mooi, Blk 520 Serangoon North Ave4 #07-172, Singapore 550520
For inquiries, call 9466-0119 or e-mail emilytaikm@yahoo.com.sg

WHAT IT IS: Despite its title, this isn't a cookbook strictly featuring tomato-based recipes or food ideas for children. It's actually a cookbook that features mostly Asian recipes.

WHY IT'S HOT: There's some interesting reading in these pages, including how to maintain a good complexion and a fairly easy-to-read section on the wonders of vitamins and minerals and why we need them.

NOTE: The recipes in this book are not targeted at babies and toddlers, but children aged four and above. I do have a gripe though. For a book that claims to promote 'healthy' food, there appears to be some questionable entries, such as the Crispy Fried Chicken - which is something I won't voluntarily feed my child until he's much older - or Braised Pork Belly, which is obviously high in the fat department.

Also, the author doesn't provide any nutritional analysis, unlike the other two books. But you do get a pop quiz at the beginning to test your knowledge about food nutrients.

INTERESTING RECIPE: Roast Duck with Plum Sauce. Okay, this is a 'cheat recipe' because you don't actually make the roast duck, you go out and buy it. But the addition of ingredients such as scallions, pineapple, carrots and plum sauce gives this well-known dish an interesting boost.