Well, I hope to make it up with this interesting recipe today.  It is really simple and there is no baking involved for these cakes!  No oven, no-preheating, only steaming required and I bet you should have all the ingredients already in your well-stocked kitchen.  LOL.

Ingredients (Makes about 20 small cupcakes):

• 4 eggs
• 160 g sugar
• 175 ml soda
• 200 g plain flour

Yes, that’s all the ingredients needed.  For soda, you can get ice-cream soda or 7-up.  If you wish to add a citrus taste, Fanta orange would be great.  I used Kickapoo, a local lime-flavored soda drink which taste somehow like Mountain Dew, for the fun of it.  Maybe next time I might try making them with sparkling Ribena for a grapey taste, or even Coca-Cola?  Haha.  As long as it is a sweet carbonated drink, I think it will still work the same.

Hey, doesn’t this sound fun already before we even start?  Get your kids to help in the measurements and blending.  I bet they will love it!

Instructions:

Step 1:   Crack all the eggs and put the sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Step 2:  If you are using a mixer, blend the mixture till it turns frothy and cream in color.  I used a whisk instead to beat the eggs and sugar manually.  It took me about 20 minutes.  Just a rough guide in case you do it by hand too.

Step 3:  Add your preferred soda to the mixture and mix well. Lastly, add in the flour bit by bit and mix well too.

Step 4:  Lay muffin paper cups on a muffin tray or in my case, I used individual muffin tins.  Fill the cup each to its brim with the mixture.

Step 5:  Heat up a steamer.  Place these cups to steam for about 6-7 minutes.

Step 6:  To check if the cup cakes are ready, prick one with a toothpick.  If the toothpick comes out not sticky, the cup cakes are cooked and ready to be eaten.

Step 7:  Place each cup cake aside to cool.  Repeat Step 3 again until mixture runs out.

Well, I hope this steamed cup cake recipe gives you another light meal idea of what you can pack for your kid’s lunch box.  Top it up with some cheese & ham or steamed vegetables for a balanced and healthy meal.

You can also pack these as an afternoon snack for Hubby or make them for picnic meals.

Hope you like it! 

Well, if you don’t eat sardines, just substitute them with tuna, it will work just fine.

I use microwave cooking for the sardine filling, so it’s really easy and something you can slap on if you are rushing for time.

Ingredients (Serves 2 adults):

• 230 g canned sardines or tuna
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli sauce (optional if you don’t like it spicy)
• Ground pepper

Instructions:

Step 1:  I usually debone the sardines (although the bones can be eaten) and shred them with a fork into smaller pieces.  Set aside in a bowl.  If you hate the thought of it, just use canned tuna.  No bones to fret about.  LOL.

Step 2:  To cook the chopped onion, I place them in a microwave-safe bowl.  Add in a teaspoon of cooking oil and mix well with the onion bits.  Put it in the microwave oven and set it on HIGH cooking for 2 minutes.

Step 3:   Combine the sardine with the onion bits.  Add tomato sauce, chilli sauce, sugar and a dash of pepper.  Mix well.  Put it back in the microwave oven and cook it on HIGH setting for another 2 minutes.  Now the sardine filling is ready!

And look at this bread we just baked with a bread maker, doesn’t it look soft and fluffy?

If you are keen on the bread recipe, just let me know and I will post it separately.  For this sardine filling recipe, any type of bread will do.  I recommend wholemeal or wholegrain ones for their goodness.  You can also use croissants, pitas, baguettes, ciabattas, etc.

Step 4:  Now spread the sardine filling between two slices of bread.  This is how it looks when cut.  See the onion bits?

The reasons why I add onion to this recipe is to remove the “fishy” smell of sardines and to add some crunch to the filling.  Don’t worry about it tasting raw because after cooking in the microwave, it should be soft like you just saute-d it, but in a “lazy” way.  LOL.

Besides these sardine sandwiches, do add a side dish to your lunch box as well for a balanced meal.  A salad or slices of fruits will be a good choice.  And yes, this goes well with yogurt too!

Actually, it is like a fruit salad too if you notice!

Ingredients of our Fruit Yu Sheng (Serves about 10-12 adults):

• 1/4 honeydew
• 1/4 rockmelon
• 2 chinese pears
• 8-10 strawberries
• 1 mango
• 1/4 pomelo (or 1 orange)

Ingredients for sauce marinade and garnishing:

• Juice from 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons lemon sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• A pack of Chinese shrimp crackers (or 1 cup of plain cornflakes)
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, preferably toasted
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped finely

Preparations:

Step 1:  Peel and cut the fruits into thin strips about 3 inches long.  For pomelo (or orange), peel and divide them into smaller sacs.  Place each type of shredded fruit on a round shallow plate side by side to make a nice colorful platter.

Step 2:  Sprinkle the crackers, chopped peanuts and toasted sesame seeds on the fruits.

Step 3:  Mix lemon sauce, lemon juice and honey in a small bowl.  Taste.  If you like it sweeter, add more honey.

Step 4:  Drizzle this sauce marinade from Step 3 evenly over the platter.  This is how it should look (or close enough).

Before eating, just toss the ingredients evenly.

Basically this Yu Sheng recipe is made up of fruits, so you can add any type of fruits to the list, but I will advise choosing fruits that are not too soft yet sweet to make the dish taste better.

I hope you like it!

Unlike Chinese double-boiled soup which takes a long time to simmer, miso soup can be prepared in just 10-15 minutes and it’s so light that you can drink it anytime of the day.

Ingredients (Serves 3-4  adults):

• 3 tablespoons miso paste
• 3 cups water
• 150 g  soft tofu
• 100 g fresh enoki mushrooms
• Handful of dried kelp/ konbu (optional)

Instructions:

Step 1:  Fill stockpot with water.  Soak dried kelp in water for at least 1-2 hours to soften it.

Step 2:  Cut tofu into cubes.  Wash enoki mushrooms, remove the portion at the roots (about one inch) and separate them.  Cut enoki mushrooms into half length-wise.

Step 3:  Boil stockpot of water and kelp.  When the stock is boiling, transfer the tofu cubes and enoki mushrooms into the pot.

Step 4:  Cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add in miso paste.  Stir to dissolve it well.

Step 5:  Cook for another 2-3 minutes at lower heat.

There are different types of miso paste available in the market.  If you are vegetarian, just make sure you get one which is purely miso without any extra seafood flavouring.

Remember to transfer the soup while it is hot into a thermos food jar if you are bringing it for your lunch box.

Enjoy!

This is a no-frills recipe, and is very easy to follow.  If you like the aromatic blend of garlic and olive oil, you would probably enjoy the taste.  If you are cooking for your kids, you may want to add some sausages and ham to go along with the spaghetti in case they think it looks quite plain.

Instructions (Serves 3 adults):

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons garlic, chopped finely
• 300 g spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons fresh or dried english parsley flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1:  Boil water in a stockpot enough to cook the spaghetti.  When water boils, add a pinch of salt and drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil.

Step 2:  Put in the spaghetti and cook for about 7 to 8 minutes till al dente.  You can taste a strand of spaghetti to check on it.  If you prefer them softer, leave it for another minute or so.

Step 3:  Remove the cooked spaghetti and place them in a colander to drain of excess water.

Step 4:  Heat up the rest of the olive oil in a pan.  When oil is hot, add the chopped garlic.  Stir fry till garlic is fragrant.

Step 5:  Transfer the cooked spaghetti back into the pan.  Toss spaghetti with garlic till well blended.

Step 6:  Add lemon juice, salt, parsley flakes and ground black pepper.  Mix well.  Serve.

This is my simple and satisfying lunch.

Another all-in-one lunch box idea for the lazy you (and me).  I hope you like it!

Well, for these bread rolls, you probably have to make them the day before as it will take a few hours to complete.  But it is a very fun activity that you can involve your kids as well.  Allow them to design the bread rolls the way they like them to be and I sure they will look forward having their own masterpiece in their lunch box the next day!

Even me, the “old” kid, had so much fun.  My mum and I moulded the dough into different shapes just to see how it would turn out after baking.  I even created one “uniquely shaped” bread roll (see it below) specially for Hubby.

Ingredients (for sweet bread dough):

Part A

• 480 g bread flour
• 120 g plain flour
• 110 g sugar
• 10 g fine salt
• 20 g milk powder (can be substituted with bread flour)
• 4 teaspoons instant yeast

Part B

• 1 egg
• 300 ml cold water

Part C

• 60 g butter

Ingredients (filling for sweet bread roll)

• About 400 g of luncheon meat, cut into smaller pieces

Instructions:

Step 1:  Mix Part A ingredients in a mixing bowl till they are well blended.

Step 2:  Add Part B ingredients and knead to form a dough.

Step 3:  Add Part C butter and continue to knead until the dough looks smooth and elastic.  Cover dough with a clear film.  Let it prove for 50-60 minutes or until it doubles its size.

To check if the dough is ready, test by pressing a finger on it lightly.  If the dough does not sink but shows a clear finger print mark, you can proceed to the next stage of separating them into individual portions.

Step 4:  Divide the dough into 60 g portions.  Shape them into balls and leave them to rest for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, you can prepare the luncheon meat filling.

Step 5:  Now the fun begins!  You can make the bread roll according to your liking.  The easiest way is to wrap the luncheon meat in the dough completely, or you can elongate the dough and coil them around the luncheon meat.

See what I did for the first tray?  I made a round one, an oval one, a “pillow” shaped one, and one that resembled a croissant.

Step 6:  Brush the surface of each bread roll with a little egg wash (egg yolk+water) and bake at 190 deg Celcius for 12 minutes.

Does my first tray of sweet bread rolls with luncheon meat look good?

I can’t describe to you in the picture, but the smell of freshly baked bread is just heavenly!

Besides luncheon meat, you can also vary the fillings for the bread roll.  Think of tuna?  Ham?  Raisins?  It’s up to your family’s preference!

For lunch box meals, just pack these sweet bread rolls in a normal bento box with a salad or some fruits at the side.  It’s a lighter meal, and an interesting alternative to noodles or rice.

Well, we made about 17 sweet bread rolls in total for this batch.  And this is the “masterpiece” I mentioned above that I gave to Hubby.  Can you make out what it resembles?  (Clue:  We usually call it a pile of …)

We both had a good laugh and he really ate it for breakfast next morning.  LOL.

Hope you like this recipe and have fun making your own home-made bread roll!

When I saw this recipe from my local newspaper,  I was so inspired to give it a go as it looks quite simple.  Crepes also make good lunch box meals as they can be reheated warm before eating and they taste just as good as they were just made.

This recipe below makes five French crepes for my 28 cm pan.  If you use a 25 cm pan, you could probably make six to seven crepes.

Ingredients for crepes:

• 200g plain flour
• 20g sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 300ml milk
• 50ml water
• 10g butter, melted

Ingredients for savory filling (you can modify the amount according to your preference):

• 3 slices of picnic ham, cut into strips
• 5 fresh mushrooms (preferably baby portobello, but I could’nt get them on the day and used white button mushrooms instead), sliced
• About 80g of cheddar cheese, diced

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Place the flour, sugar, salt and eggs in a blender.  Switch on the machine and gradually pour in the milk and water, processing until the mixture has a smooth consistency.

Step 2:  Pour the batter into a container, add the melted butter and stir until incorporated.  Refrigerate one hour before using.

Step 3:  While waiting for the batter to settle down, you can cut the ingredients for the crepe filling.

Step 4:  To make the crepes, heat a crepe pan or non-stick pan over medium heat until it is very hot.  This is important as how hot the pan is determines whether the batter gets cooked fast enough the minute it goes in.

Step 5:  Pour in about 70 ml of batter (I just use a medium sized soup ladle to approximate the amount), take the pan off the heat, and swirl the batter to cover the base of the pan and little up the sides.  Return the pan to heat and cook about one minute or until the edges start to come away from the pan.

Step 6:  Gently run a silicone spatula around the edges to loosen, then free the bottom of the crepe from the pan carefully.  If your batter is done correctly, the cooked crepe should come off very easily and not stick on the pan at all.

Step 7:  When the crepe is light golden brown at the bottom, you can flip it over and cook the other side for another 30 to 45 seconds.

Step 8:  When both sides of the crepe are golden brown, remove it to a large plate and make sure the pan is hot (go back to step 4 again) before you pour in the next batch of batter.

Finish making all the crepes and stack them up.  Don’t they look delicious?

Step 9:  It’s time to put the stuffing, so firstly saute the sliced mushrooms in a little olive oil and place them in a bowl.

Step 10:  Return one crepe on the pan and when it is starting to warm, sprinkle the cooked mushrooms, ham bits and diced cheese cubes on half of the crepe.  You can vary these ingredients according to your liking.

Step 11:  When the cheese starts to melt, use the spatula to fold the other side of the crepe to form a semicircle shape.  The melted cheese will hold the sides together.

Step 12:  Repeat for all the crepes you want to stuff with savoury filling.

You can keep one or two for dessert too, where you can drizzle honey, chocolate fudge or just strawberries and cream.  It’s up to your imagination!

This crepe recipe is great for a lunch box.  It’s easy to pack and can be warmed up.  For adults, two of these can make you really full!  Yes, I tried it on my Hubby and he could not stomach anything more than two.  Haha.  You can cut the crepe into quarters for your children to bring as snacks too, I bet they will love it!