A coworker and I often compare notes about our children’s scowls at dinnertime. After lamenting about how much our cooking skills are unappreciated at the dinner table, she asked me, “Can you just find some recipes for easy, family-friendly meals?”

After I spent a long evening Googling “family-friendly meals,” I realized the idea is difficult to define. There’s a wide range of opinions on what constitutes “easy,” and when I added in the “family-friendly” factor, I quickly realized there is no consistent category. In my own house, I couldn’t find one recipe that all three of my children would eat.

What I ended up with was one observation: You are comfortable with what you know.

Since I’ve tried many kinds of food, when I try something new I usually have a context for what I’m eating. I may not have had a particular eggplant dish, for instance, but I know what eggplant tastes like. If I try an entirely new ingredient in a familiar dish, I have something to draw on.

A new dish prepared by someone with excellent taste is its own context. With enough of these experiences under your belt, you may not be quite so shy about taking a new leap.

Shoyu chicken is a common dish around these parts, and there’s not much that’s easier to make. I’ve seen a few versions that try to complicate the preparation, but you really don’t need to marinate the chicken or throw in extra spices. Good shoyu and plenty of garlic and ginger will do.

With this comfort dish serving as a base, I think most kids will tolerate the addition of some veggies soaked in sweet shoyu sauce, making it a one-pot stew. I suspect I could add a couple of handfuls of spinach, too, but that might be pushing my luck.

Try what works for you and yours. Maybe after this dinner, my kids will realize that daikon is something worth trying again.

That’s my goal. Palate expansion, one dinner bite at a time.

SHOYU CHICKEN STEW

By Mariko Jackson

• 1 daikon (about 2 cups worth)
• 2 large carrots
• 1 large sweet onion
• 6 chicken thighs, skin removed
• 1 cup shoyu (Kikkoman brand preferred)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1 thumb ginger, peeled and grated
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
• 1 bunch green onions, minced

Peel daikon and carrots. Slice daikon lengthwise, then cut into 1/3-inch moons. Slice carrots on bias in large chunks. Peel and cut onion in half, then into vertical slices.

Place veggies and chicken in heavy, large pot. A Dutch oven works well. Pour in shoyu, sugar and water. Add ginger and garlic, and over medium- high, bring to a boil, stirring as it heats.

Lower temperature to medium- low and simmer 30-40 minutes, mixing occasionally to make sure all ingredients are soaking up the sauce.

When everything is tender, remove from heat. Serve over hot rice with minced green onions on top.

A good accompaniment is thinly shredded cabbage, dressed with a bit of oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Serves 4 to 5.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Mariko Jackson blogs about family and food at thelittlefoodie.com. Her column runs on the last Wednesday of the month. Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.