The subject of cooking was of course unavoidably discussed at length. It is interesting to find out that our cooking styles are quite different. She would tend to prepare and cook ahead for a few days whereas I almost cook every day, not only for dinner but also for lunch.
Have you all felt like you are running out of ideas, especially for lunch? For a stay at home mom, with hungry kids chasing you and demanding what’s for lunch around noon time, it could be very challenging. I suppose one could always just resort to have a quick sandwich, but sometimes even bread would be running out. And to be very honest, who would want a cold sandwich in the deep of winter?
Here is a quick and easy lunch suggestion for all of you. It is one of my favorites - easy, quick and comforting – ah, may be I should call this Comfort Food #2? Yes, this dish makes use of the go to chicken noodle soup when you have an emotionally or physically sick child.
Let’s call this macaroni in soup. Those who grow up in Hong Kong would certainly relate to this dish – macaroni is always prepared in soup. Mac & cheese? I never knew the dish until I got here.
Depending on how many people you are feeding, prepare enough portions of macaroni as suggested by the box. Whilst the macaroni is cooking, diced some ham or sausages of your choice, about half a cup for each person. Next I would look for some vegetables to put in the soup. In the picture, I used some water cress and cut them into inch length pieces. In another pot, prepare the chicken noodle soup as directed. If you are cooking for two, one can is perfect. Feeding four, two cans. But how about feeding three? I would only use one can, add more water and then add some salt and pepper to taste. Or if you prefer, may be add some chicken broth.
Bring the soup to boil and then add your vegetables. (Note for water cress – it must be added whilst water is boiling. If you put water cress into non boiling water, it will become bitter.) Mean while drain the macaroni and distribute them to the bowls of your choice. I always use wide Japanese style bowls. Sprinkle the ham or sausages on top, then add the soup. You can add some scallions or cilantro for garnishing. If you don’t usually eat water cress, just use some frozen mixed vegetables as substitute, trust me, that’s what I use most of the time. It makes preparing this dish even much simpler.
So here you are, eating macaroni does not have to be fattening with all the cheese and cream and flour. Why don’t you try some in soup? Send me a comment or two if you find this helpful in alleviating your burden in preparing lunch.
Very interesting detail about watercress May. I've never used watercress before, now I will try it. And will make sure I add it while the water is boiling.
ReplyDeleteWatercress is certainly not a vegetable that originates from Asia, as the Chinese name of it is called "western foreign vegetable". It is known to have many health benefits and I love to use it for hot pots - that calls for another blog.
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