Packing Husband's Hearty Lunchboxes: Dishes From My New Cookbook

This past week has been one of the busiest weeks in our lives as I launch my brand new cookbook. So, I decided to pack Dom some hearty lunchboxes to help keep him energized through the week. Cooking is my love language, and packing my husband’s lunchbox is my little love note to him every day. Even during this busy week, I wanted to pack him a couple of dishes near and dear to my heart from my cookbook as a way of thanking him for the efforts we put in to make this happen.

This week, I’ve packed the following hearty lunchboxes:

Monday: Veggie Stir Fried Noodles with Soy Glazed Chicken
Tuesday: Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly served with Rice and Blanched Spinach
Wednesday: Spicy Beef Scallion Stir Fry with Rice
Thursday: 10 Minute Spicy Noodles with Fried Egg and Blanched Spinach

A collection of Tiffy's hearty lunchboxes packed for her husband, feautring dishes like soy glazed chicken, scallion beef, and more.

Monday: Veggie Stir Fried Noodle with Soy Glazed Chicken

Monday’s lunchbox only took 20 MINUTES to put together! I first made a super quick veggie noodle stir fry, one of my dad’s favorite noodle recipes. I kept it simple with bean sprouts, which gives it a nice little crunch. This recipe is so versatile, you can also use any other veggies you have in your fridge. For the noodles, I used Kai Dong’s QQ Noodles, and added some golden shallot oil, scallion sauce, and soy sauce to make it extra aromatic and flavorful. I definitely snuck a few bites of noodles myself while packing this lunch!

Veggie Stir Fried Noodle Ingredients

2 servings of Noodles (I used QQ Noodles)
2.5 tablespoons Golden Shallot Oil
3 tablespoons Four Season Scallion Sauce
2 green onions, cut into 1.5 inch pieces, separate green and white part
1 cup of bean sprouts
1 tablespoon of soy sauce

This Vegetable Stir Fry Noodles recipe is a FEATURED RECIPE in my FREE EBOOK – Available with every Kai Dong purchase!

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Cook the noodles per package instructions
In a pan, add Golden Shallot Oil and the white sections of the green onion. Saute on medium high for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
Next, add noodles and toss well. Make sure the noodles are soaked in the golden oil.
Drizzle on Four Season Scallion Sauce and soy sauce. Saute for 1-2 minutes before adding in bean sprouts.
Saute for another 1-2 minutes, then add the rest of the green onion. Saute on high for 1 minute.

For those who like a little spicy, you can use the spicy noodle recipe below as well!

Spicy Stir-fry Noodles

Welcome back to episode 5 of realistic dinner, featuring ingredients I already have in the fridge. Today we are making Spicy Stir-fry Noodles in 20 minutes! Seriously so delicious, and you can make these easy Spicy Stir-fry Noodles with any ingredient you have in the fridge. If you dont like spicy food, you can skip the chili oil, and these stir-fried noodles will be just as delicious! You got to give this easy 20-minute recipe a try, I promise you won’t regret it!

Get the Full Recipe & Ingredients

I topped the noodles with soy glazed chicken that I made at the same time. I always have chicken thighs in the freezer. For me, this is the perfect Monday lunch to pack before my weekly grocery shopping trip. The thick glaze sauce made from soy sauce, honey, garlic, and five spice sticks to the chicken so well, it keeps it nice and moist until lunch time. To save time, you can also make this for dinner a day ahead to pack some hearty lunchboxes for the next day.

Soy Glazed Chicken Ingredients

2 Chicken Thigh (boneless with skin)
3 tbsp of Corn Starch
3.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce
2.5 tbsp of Honey
1.5 tbsp of Minced Garlic
0.5 tbsp of Five Spice Powder
Salt & Pepper

Soy Glazed Chicken

Soy Glazed Chicken is the perfect weeknight dinner that takes only 20 minutes. All you need is a few simple ingredients to make delicious Soy Glazed Chicken that is crispy and juicy at the same time! Get your rice ready because you will want to drizzle the addicting sauce all over your rice and vegetable.

Get the Full Recipe & Ingredients

Tuesday: Classic Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly with Korean Blanched Spinach

Tuesday, I decided to make a hearty lunchbox classic from my cookbook: Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly! This is such an iconic Taiwanese bento, and it’s a hit every time. The pork is cooked until perfectly fork tender, full of earthy flavor of cinnamon and star anise. With a few extra drizzle of the braised pork juices on top, Dom can finish ANY AMOUNT of rice. With this pork belly recipe, you can also reuse the sauces after taking out the pork, and use it to braise some firm tofu and eggs.

Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly Ingredients

2.5 lb Pork Belly
4 thin slices of Ginger
10 cloves of Garlic (smashed)
2 Green Onion
1 small Cinamon Stick
4 Star Anise
5 Red Whole Chili
¼ cup of Soy Sauce
¼ cup of Dark Soy Sauce
4.5 tbsp of Brown Sugar or Rock Sugar
3 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine (optional)
¼ cup of Water

Cover of 'TIFFY COOKS' cookbook featuring Tiffy Chen, smiling while holding a glass of boba tea with both hands. The cover showcases a variety of Asian dishes, including bao buns, noodles, and rice dishes artfully arranged on a wooden table. Text on the cover reads '88 Easy Asian Recipes from My Family to Yours' and highlights Tiffy Chen as a 'Social Media Sensation and Creator of TIFFY COOKS.

Curious about my SUPER TENDER SOY SAUCE BRAISED PORK recipe?

This recipe is one of 88 Easy Asian Recipes in my cookbook, which is NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon! Featured in Food & Wine, ABC’s Good Morning America, and People Magazine!

BUY NOW!

hearty lunchboxes packed with glistening taiwanese braised pork, korean blanched spinach salad, a heaping helping of white rice topped with sesame seeds

To prep for the rest of our busy week, I also made a large batch of my Savory Flavor Korean Spinach Salad, or Sigeumchi Namul, to keep in the fridge. I’ve been really focused on maintaining a healthy, balanced diet recently, and spinach is full of vitamins (K, A, and C), minerals, and antioxidants our body needs. This vegetarian side dish takes 10 minutes to make, and only has 2 steps: blanch the spinach, and add the seasonings: garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, green onion, and sesame seeds. It’s a perfect balance to the rich braised pork in today’s lunchbox.

Savory Korean Spinach Salad (Sigeumchi Namul) Ingredients

1.5 lb of Fresh Spinach (with the stems on)
4 cloves of Garlic minced
3 tbsp of Soy Sauce
3.5 tbsp of Sesame Oil
1 stalk of Green Onion chopped
2 tbsp of Sesame Seeds crushed

Korean Spinach Salad (Sigeumchi Namul)

Here are two types of healthy and delicious Korean Spinach Salad (Sigeumchi Namul) that take less than 10 minutes to make and can last in the fridge for a whole week! We are making two flavors today, one spicy and one savory; both flavors taste good with everything and are super simple to make. Make Sigeumchi Namul in bulk once a week, and you got vegetables ready to go for the rest of the week!

Get the Full Recipe & Ingredients

Korean Spinach Salad served as a side dish

Wednesday: Hearty Spicy Scallion Beef Stir-Fry Lunchbox

It’s the middle of the work week, so I decided to kick things up a notch with some spice. I made one of my favorites: scallion beef stir fry. Who doesn’t need a little extra energy to get through hump day? So, I typically pack beef during the middle of the week because it’s a heartier protein. This Stir Fry Beef is so loaded with flavors, I always pack a little extra rice on the side too. Today, I used thinly sliced steak. The trick to cutting them so thin is freezing them for 10 minutes before you start cutting!

A showcase of hearty lunchboxes containing spicy scallion stir fry beef with a healthy helping of white rice topped with sesame seeds

Scallion Beef Stir Fry Ingredients

1.5 pounds of Beef Steak of your choice, cut into thin slices
8 cloves of Garlic minced
3 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine (optional)
1.5 tbsp of Corn Starch
1 tsp of Baking Soda
1 Egg White
6 stocks of Green Onion cut into 1.5-inch pieces
2 tbsp of Oyster Sauce
3 tbsp of Soy Sauce
2 tbsp of Sugar
¼ cup of whole Dried Chilli

Find my SPICY SCALLION BEEF STIR FRY recipe In My NEW Cookbook!

This recipe is one of 88 Easy Asian Recipes in my cookbook, which is NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon! Featured in Food & Wine, ABC’s Good Morning America, and People Magazine!

BUY NOW!

Thursday: 10 Minute Spicy Noodles with Spinach and Fried Egg

I stayed up quite late on Wednesday editing videos, so I was feeling a bit low energy Thursday morning. I needed a recipe that was speedy to make, and easy to clean up. So, I decided to make my 10 minute spicy noodle, featuring ALL THREE of my Kai Dong Sauces, plus the Kai Dong Handcut noodles. I topped this with the blanched spinach salad we made earlier this week, and a quick fried egg. It’s one of the simplest hearty lunchboxes this week!

hearty lunchboxes packed with 10 minute thick saucy noodles, a korean blanched spinach salad, and topped with a perfectly fried egg drizzled with some soy sauce

I struggled to find the right Taiwanese flavors i knew and loved growing up in more Western areas. Determined to share these familiar flavors, I created Kai Dong’s vegan-friendly sauces and noodles, made from all natural ingredients with no preservatives. With ALL Kai Dong Purchases, I’ve also included a free recipe ebook. These recipes showcase how I personally cook with the products I create, including this 10 minute noodle recipe. I hope this ebook inspires new ways for you to utilize these familiar flavors!

Perfect 10 Minute Noodle Ingredients

1 serving of noodles (I used Hand Cut Noodles)
1 1/2 teaspoon of Mama’s Chili Oil
1 tablespoon Golden Shallot Oil
1/2 tablespoon Four Season Scallion Sauce

Cook the noodles as instructed in package instruction.
In a bowl, combine the Chili Oil, Golden Shallot Oil, and Scallion Sauce and mix together. Adjust the ratio based on your own liking.
Drain noodles and add them into the bowl. Mix and make sure all the noodles are coated in the sauce.

Share Your Favorite Hearty Lunchboxes!

Can you guess which one was my husband’s favorite lunch box this week? What is YOUR FAVORITE from this week’s hearty lunchboxes? I’d love to know hear about the ones you’ve packed as well, so leave a comment for your favorites!