This is a very simple tofu dish you can try.

Ingredients (Serves 4 adults):

• 100 – 120 g of minced pork
• 250 -300 g soft/ silken tofu, cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 small carrot, diced into small cubes
• 1 stalk scallion (spring onion), washed and chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup corn starch mixture (2 tablespoons corn starch mixed with 1/3 cup water)
• 3 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• Ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon hua tiao chiew (chinese cooking wine)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1:  Marinate minced meat with 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce and a dash of pepper.  Mix well and leave it aside for about 30 minutes.

Step 2:  Heat up the cooking oil in the fry pan or wok.  Add minced garlic when oil is hot.

Step 3:  When garlic starts to brown, add in the minced meat.  Stir fry till it is cooked.  Add in the diced carrots and scallions.  Stir fry for another 30 seconds.

Step 4:  Add oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons of light soy sauce, hua tiao chiew and a dash of pepper.  Stir fry again to mix well.

Step 5:  Add in water and cover the fry pan with a lid.  Allow the stew to cook for 1-2 minutes.

Step 6:  Remove the lid and add in the silken tofu cubes.  Ladle some sauce mixture over the tofu cubes and cover the fry pan again for another minute to cook the tofu.

Step 7:  Finally, add the corn starch mixture slowly into the stew, stirring it carefully to keep the soft tofu cubes intact.

Does this look really easy?

I only took about 10 minutes to prepare the ingredients and 10 minutes to cook this dish.  In fact, if you are rushing for time in the morning before going to work, you can prepare the ingredients in advance.  Marinate the minced meat, chop the scallions and carrots the night before.  The next day, just take them out and cook!

Aren’t the colors beautiful?

For an even easier variation of this recipe, you can replace the carrots and scallions with half a cup of frozen peas/carrot/corn mix.

This dish is best served piping hot, so if you are bringing it to work, ladle them into a thermos food jar immediately to keep it warm.

For me, this tofu combo makes a simple all-in-one meal as well as it has meat, vegetables and tofu.  All I need is just a bowl of steamed rice to go along with it.  YUM…

Enjoy!

I love it so much still that every time we cook this, I can finish two portions.  LOL.

I also found out that almost every kid who tried this dish liked it very much as well.  It is not only colorful, but it’s healthy, tasty and filling.  If you have kids who are fussy eaters, try cooking this once and see if they like it.  Perhaps, they will ask you to cook it again the next day!

Ingredients (Serves 4 to 5 adults):

• 1 medium carrot, diced into 1 cm cubes
• 2 regular sized potatoes, diced into 1 cm cubes
• About 170 g luncheon meat, diced into 1 cm cubes
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional)
• Ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 5 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons water

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1:  Heat up 4 tablespoons cooking oil in a fry pan.  Deep fry the potato cubes, carrot cubes and luncheon meat cubes respectively.  Remove and set aside after they are cooked.

Step 2:  Heat up 1 tablespoon cooking oil.  Add the minced garlic.  When it is turning golden brown, add in the red onion slices.  Stir-fry for 1 minute till onion slices are soft and starting to brown too.

Step 3:  Put in the deep fried potato, carrot and luncheon meat cubes prepared earlier.  Add 3 tablespoons water.

Step 4:  Add the sugar, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce (optional).  Stir-fry for another minute, ensuring the ingredients are blended nicely.

Step 5:  Add a dash of ground pepper.  Stir-fry a few more times to mix well.

This is how it looks after it is completed.

It’s a well-balanced lunchbox dish as it is made up of a meat, vegetable and potato combo.  I recommend you to eat it with plain white rice.  Yummy.

It is good enough for me as a one-dish meal, but with another vegetable dish, my lunch box will be perfect.

Sometimes, home-cooked comfort food taste best, don’t you agree?

PS:  I am infatuated with luncheon meat, so there will be more luncheon meat recipes to come.  Hehe.

It is important to know at least how the food should be stored after cooking and the type of containers that are most suitable.  Basic food safety and hygiene procedures during the cooking process should also be kept to as well.  You wouldn’t want all the money you saved from bringing lunchbox meals to end up at the doctor’s right?  LOL.

Here are some tips to share with you:

For items that should be kept chilled, like salads, sushi, cold cuts, yogurt, milk, always transport them in an insulated bag with a cooler pack.

For hot meals, it is most convenient to transport them in a thermos flask.  Single thermos flasks are great for a single-dish soup meal.  But if you have two dishes and rice, there are also thermos flasks with three or four compartments to separate them.  Just take them out one by one and it will look like you are having a feast!

For simpler meals like peanut butter sandwiches, muffins, cookies, or roast chicken pitas, that does not require any heating up, you can store them in a normal plastic container.

For lunchbox meals that are cooked in advance, for e.g., the night before, you have to be extra careful though in handling your food for the next day.

• Make sure the cooked food is allowed to cool before storing in the fridge.
• If you intend to reheat the food with a microwave at your workplace, remember to store your food in microwave-safe containers only as normal containers may melt during heating and contaminate your food.  In the morning, transfer your containers from the fridge directly into an insulated bag (preferably with a cooler pack) so that it stays cool till your lunch time.
• If you intend to bring your food in a thermos flask, reheat them thoroughly at home before transferring them into the flask.  Make sure the cover is sealed well to keep the food warm.

When reheating food in a microwave, make sure the lunchbox is steaming hot before taking it out.  I usually do a “Defrost” for 1 minute, followed by a “Medium High” setting for 2 minutes.  If you suspect that the food is not hot enough, do reheat another minute.  If you see steam coming out of the food, it should be ready.

These are what I usually take note of while preparing my lunch box meals and so far everything has been fine (no tummy aches and visits to the doctor).  LOL.

Looks like I must be doing it quite right?

You can too!

A big welcome to my new blog, www.easylunchboxrecipes.com!

It’s a new milestone for me as this is my second baby.

Well, I’m sure you have some idea about what I’ll be writing on this blog, just by the name of it right?

Yup, this is the place where I am going to share lunch box recipes of different cuisines around the world.

Sounds yummy to you?

I’ll also make sure every recipe is easy to follow and quick to cook, and most importantly, suitable to be packed into lunch boxes.  Or dinner boxes if you work the night shift ya?

Alright, let’s get cracking, time for some cooking!