This is another of my favourite dish. We always cook a big pot and eat this for both lunch and dinner. Hehe.
It makes quite a well-balanced dish for children as well as there is chicken, potato and carrot, an all-in-one solution if mummy feels lazy! 
Ingredients (Serves 4 adults):
- 200 g boneless chicken fillet, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 small carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
- Half a cup of water
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- Cooking oil
- Dash of ground pepper
For chicken marinade, you will need:
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- Dash of ground pepper
Instructions:
Step 1: Mix ingredients for chicken marinade in a mixing bowl. Put in the diced chicken fillet and mix well. Allow it to marinate for 1 – 2 hours. This is how it should look.
You can leave it to marinate overnight too. Remember to cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the chiller.
Step 2: Heat up a wok or pan with cooking oil. Fry the potato and carrot cubes till they are cooked. Remove and set aside.
Step 3: Remove the excess cooking oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the wok for the next step.
Step 4: Put in chopped garlic and when it starts to brown, add in the marinated chicken fillet cubes. Stir-fry till cooked.
Step 5: Transfer back the potato and carrot cubes, add in water and light soy sauce and stir-fry for another minute.
Step 6: Turn down the heat a little and let the stew simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add in a dash of pepper, mix the combo well for the last time and serve.
Just a few steps and you are done, isn’t it easy?
Of course, not forgetting to set aside some for my lunch box too.
If you are running out of ideas what to put between your sandwich besides the usual ham and cheese, try this!
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!
Do you like to eat prawns?
Besides prawn fritters, prawn omelette, you can also make a prawn stir-fry for your lunchbox! This is cooked in a blend of Asian sauces, and it has a slightly sweet taste which goes really well with the onions.
Ingredients (Serves 3 adults):
- 10 medium prawns
- 1 red onion, sliced
- Cooking oil
Ingredients for Asian dark sauce:
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/3 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions:
Step 1: Wash the prawns, trim off the feelers and legs, but keep the shell intact. Pat dry with a paper towel and set aside.
Step 2: Put all the ingredients for the Asian dark sauce in a separate bowl. Blend well. It is easier to prepare this in advance.
Step 3: Heat up a wok or pan with oil to fry the prawns. When cooked, remove them and set aside on another paper towel to drain the oil.
Step 4: Leave about 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok or pan for the stir-fry. Add in onion slices. Saute them till they are soft.
Step 5: Transfer the prawns back in the wok or pan and add in the blended Asian dark sauce. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes till the sauces are absorbed and coated evenly on each prawn. If you think the sauce is too thick, add in 1-2 tablespoons of water. It’s now ready to serve.
I kept a portion for Hubby’s lunchbox. How does it look? Try it if you have the time!
Alright, I may be a bit late for Yu Sheng (Lo Hei) now as Chinese New Year is officially over, LOL, but I finally got hold of my mum’s recipe. Shall post it here so that you can have Yu Sheng anytime of the year.
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!
Oh no. I think I gained a few pounds over the weekend. As I am sitting down to type now, I can feel those extra flab at the waist. LOL.
You know why? I have been eating non-stop for the past three days.
On Friday, we had a buffet dinner at our holiday chalet. I think it was 8 courses, including drinks.
On Saturday, we had a BBQ feast at the chalet too. We had crabs, satay, kebabs, fish, sotong, prawns, sausages, etc. BURP…Can you imagine how much I ate? Haha.
On Sunday, my cousin hosted a buffet lunch at her house. Another 8 course meal to stomach.
I think it’s time I detox a bit this week. Perhaps I will think of some light meals to make. But before that, I have a prawn recipe to share. It’s really late now though, maybe tomorrow!
