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!

This baked fish fillet recipe is suitable for any type of white fish, although I would prefer boneless ones like these sutchi fillet that I have used.  Dory fish fillet is a great choice as well.

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1:  Marinate fish fillet with salt and ground white pepper.  Set it aside for half an hour before cooking.

Step 2:  Place fish fillet in an oven-proof dish lined with aluminium foil.

Step 3:  Drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over fish fillet.

Step 4:  Spread minced garlic on the surface.  Sprinkle mixed herbs and black pepper evenly over fish fillet.

Step 5:  Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius or 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 6:  Bake the fish for about 15 minutes or until the minced garlic turns brown.  Check if the fish is cooked with a fork.  If it flakes easily, it is ready.

Note:  Do pay attention while the fish is being baked as the baking time may differ slightly for your oven.  The thickness of the fish will also determine how long it takes to be cooked.

This recipe is simple, healthy, tasty and easy to make.  Boneless fish fillets are a good choice if you are preparing for your kid’s lunch box too.

Almost 25 years of age!

My mum kept these in her kitchen cabinets all these years and when I got married, she gave it to me as part of the dowry.  Haha.  Isn’t it amazing?

Although it may look like any simple lunch box and water bottle, but they bring back fond memories for me.  We got this lunch box and water bottle for my first year of school.  I remember we went to a now-defunct Japanese department store to buy them.  At that time, Made In Japan products were pretty expensive but I liked them so much that we got them all the same.

The square lunch box is really very small and I remembered all I could fit in was a slice of peanut butter bread or some cornflakes.  I also remember an incident where this cute lamb water bottle leaked and my whole bag of books became wet as a result.  I was really scared then, being so new to school so I think I cried buckets.  Haha.  Fortunately, my teacher did not scold me but comforted me instead.  She even helped me lay the books out in the sun to dry.

Looking back, it’s really embarrassing right?  But kids will always be kids and at that age, I did not know how to handle the situation, except to cry and look pathetic.  And now it has become something that we always laugh at when we recall our childhood days!