Quick Lunch - Spaghetti with Sardines

(clockwise - sardines, sugar, vinegar, mint leaves, onions, cucumber and curry paste)

Let it be known first that i am just like any guy who likes making a simple meal over the weekends. Some meals are just learned by observation.

When you are a student living far away from home for an extended time and your favourite meals are not available or eating out is bit too expensive, then making a simple meal at home, away from home is delightful. Sometimes there is always a need to substitute ingredients or spices that are not readily available.

Without further ado, let's start with a simple recipe for quick lunch which is meant for 4 servings. If not 4, please adjust the respective quantity accordingly.

Preparation time about 30 minutes or less.

Ingredients:
1). Soup Stock. Make enough soup for 4 servings ( plus 1 more to compensate evaporation). It could be from any source - from meat bones or just a stock cube of chicken or ikan billis (anchovies). In my case, the stock comes from boiling prawn shells (instead of throwing them away after shelling the prawns). May be by cooking the prawn shells, some traces of chitin-chitosan are present in the soup too! This element is known to bind dietary lipids and in a way it may help to reduce lipid adsorption. Thus the possibility of reducing plasma cholesterol and triglycerides by way of consuming soup made of prawns. ;-) ahem!

2). Spaghetti noodles. About 100 gm per serving (no kitchen scale?- then use roughly 100 strands/serving); Heat water (1.5 liters or using soft drink bottle to measure) until it boils; then submerge noodles in the boiling water; Use a spatula to push the stiff noodles until all of the strands submerged in the boiling water. Add a teaspoon of salt. One reason for this is to elevate the temperature a little above 100 Celsius to get cook a little faster. It's my own version based on chemistry that i know. Boil for about 5 minutes and turn off the flame. Instead of draining the hot water immediately, add 2 glasses of water to cool the boiling water and leave it stand there - letting the noodles to cook further while keeping them hot too - until other part of the recipe is ready. Stir and separate the noodles occasionally to prevent them from sticking.

3). A can of sardines (about 420 gm): Break up into pieces coarsely with a fork.
4). A cucumber: Cut into pieces into strips about 5 cm long by 2 mm width by 2 mm depth)
5).Onions -medium size: Cut into thin rings.

Others:
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon curry powder mixed with a little water (optional)
- salt to taste
- fresh chillies (optional)
- mint leaves

Method: Add the following to a pot - sardines and other ingredients except mint, cucumber, onions and chillies. When boiling, test it and make some taste adjustment, even a dash of gourmet powder will enhance the taste, if necessarily. Lower the heat. Meanwhile dish out the noodles and place in a suitable bowl or plates. Add soup and garnish with thin cucumber slices, onion rings, chillies and mint. Serve immediately.