For mothers of school-going children, one of the biggest challenges, besides getting them ready for school and keeping tabs on their assignment completion, is preparing an exciting lunch every single day. Well, children, after all, are fussy eaters unless the plate of food is presented in the most appealing manner. The comfort food of dal chawal is gone for the children of this time and age. What they need is food that is not only pleasing to the eyes but also something that will entice their changing taste buds. One of the tried and tested food items that can never go wrong with children is sandwiches and noodles. These two are always their favourite food items and are also easy to make at the same time. Place these in the lunch box and be assured of getting an empty, clean box at the end of the day.
If one was to look at the origin of the sandwich, it would end the search at John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. Lord Montague, also known as Lord Sandwich, was a British statesman and a gambler. It is believed that he invented the sandwich as a means of munching on food while gambling, so that he wouldn't have to stop the game to eat and that his hands wouldn't become all greasy as he ate. As for noodles, the oldest evidence is said to have been from 4,000 years ago in China.
Ingredients:
For curd sandwich:
- 1 cup Curd
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- ½ tsp Mixed herbs
- ¼ tsp Pepper Powder
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ½ finely chopped Onion
- 3 tbsp Sweet Corn
- ½ finely chopped Capsicum
- ½ grated Carrot
- Bread
- Butter
- 2 tsp oil
For Vegetable Noodles:
- 1 pack boiled Noodles
- 2 chopped Garlic cloves
- ½ sliced Onion
- 2 tbsp chopped Capsicum
- 5 chopped Beans
- ½ chopped Carrot
- 3 tbsp Tomato sauce
- 1 tsp Chillie sauce
- 2 tsp Vinegar
- 2 tsp Soy sauce
- 2 tbsp chopped spring onion
- Salt
Method:
Curd Sandwich:
- Transfer the curd to a bowl. To this, add mayonnaise, mixed herbs, pepper powder, and salt. Give it all a good mix.
- To this, add onions, sweet corn, capsicum, and carrots. Mix again.
- Now apply butter to the slices of bread. On top of one slice, spread a generous amount of curd and vegetable mix. If need be, trim the sides of the bread. Cover the slice with another piece and cut it into halves.
Vegetable Noodles:
- Over medium heat, place a pan. Add oil and garlic. Sauté well.
- Then add the onion, capsicum, beans, and carrot. Stir fry the vegetables until they become slightly translucent.
- Now add tomato sauce, chillie sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, and salt. Mix it with the vegetables and sauté for another minute.
- To this, add the boiled noodles and mix well again, making sure the sauces are laced with noodles well. Pack the lunch!
Sandwiches and noodles are the two items that can never go wrong with children. Especially in tiffin, when they open the lunch box, the surprise on their faces at the delicacies is unmatchable. The best part about these lunch box ideas is that they will be ready in no time and will be relished with a whole heart.