Packing your child’s lunch in the morning does not have to be a chore.
If you don’t have much time in the morning or your child is a picky eater, there are delicious sandwiches for school lunches that will satisfy them. If you need inspiration for lunchtime meals, pack your child’s lunch with one of these simple sandwiches.
Filled with healthy veggies and finger-licking sauces, there are many sandwich variants all around the world. You can also easily customise this snack by experimenting with different ingredients and dressings.
Grilled yoghurt sandwiches
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
1 cup finely chopped green cabbage
¾ cup grated carrot (about 1 medium carrot)
½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 small green chili pepper (Thai, serrano, or jalapeño), stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
¼ cup lightly packed fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
¾ cup plain Greek-style yoghurt
½ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 slices white sandwich bread
4 tsp butter (salted)
1 tsp black mustard seeds
Tomato sauce or Indian chilli sauce, for serving (optional)
METHOD
In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrot, bell pepper, chili, and coriander. Stir in the yoghurt, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.
Place four slices of bread on your work surface and divide the yoghurt mixture evenly among them. Top the sandwiches with the remaining slices of bread.
Heat a medium frying pan or griddle over medium heat until hot. Add 1 teaspoon butter and ½ teaspoon mustard seeds. Let them sizzle for a few seconds, then place two sandwiches in the pan (on the mustard seeds) and cook until golden and crispy on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn them over, add another 1 teaspoon of butter, and cook until golden on that side, 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer the sandwiches (and any stray mustard seeds) to a plate and repeat with the remaining sandwiches. Serve them whole or cut into triangles, with tomato sauce or chilli sauce, if desired.
Recipe by Chetna Makan.
Katsu Sando
INGREDIENTS
2 slices white bread, lightly toasted
½ tbs margarine
¼ tsp mustard
1 piece of pork or beef brisket
Pinch of salt and pepper
½ tbs Japanese mayonnaise
1 egg
1½ tbs water
1 tbs plain flour
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
1 tbs Tonkatsu Sauce*
½ cup shredded cabbage
METHOD
Combine the mayonnaise, margarine, and mustard in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
Place the pork or beef on a chopping board and tenderise with a mallet. Shape the meat to the same size as the bread slice. Season meat with salt and pepper. Combine the egg and water in a medium mixing bowl and whisk. Add flour and mix them all together to make a batter. Dip the meat into the batter, then coat in the breadcrumbs. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the meat for about 8 – 10 minutes. Remove from the oil and place on kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.
Spread the margarine, mayonnaise, and mustard mixture thinly and evenly on both slices of the toasted bread. Place ½ cup of shredded cabbage on one slice. Drizzle the Tonkatsu Sauce on top, then cover it with the meat. Drizzle more sauce on top of the meat and cover it with the second slice of bread. Put a flat plate over the bread and place a weight on top for 5 minutes, so the bread soaks up the sauce. Remove the plate, cut it in half, and tuck it in!
*To make Tonkatsu Sauce, mix 8 tbs tomato sauce, 2 tbs soya sauce, 1 tbs brown sugar, 1 tbs Japanese sweet wine (mirin), 1½ tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, 1 minced clove garlic. Whisk and let flavours blend for 30 minutes before use.
Recipe by Chef Charne Wylie, from Capsicum Culinary Studio.