We invited Get Ahead readers to share quick-fix office recipes with us -- easily-prepared foods that takes less than an hour to whip up before you head to work in the morning. We've been flooded with responses and as part of an ongoing series, present four lunch recipes that you can carry in your dabba.
S Saha sent in this recipe for Prawn Pakoras:
Ingredients:
- 200 gms peeled, de-veined and cleaned prawns
- 1 medium-sized boiled potato
- 2 tbsps boiled noodles
- 1 small onion, ground to a paste
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 sliced green chillies
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- A pinch of pepper
- Salt to taste
- 1 egg
- Bread crumbs
- Oil for deep-frying
Method of preparation:
- Mash the potato and mix it along with the prawns, onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, greenchillies, pepper, salt and cornflour in a bowl.
- Add the boiled noodles to this mixture and mix well.
- Taking small bite-sized bits of the mix, roll into round balls.
- Beat the egg and dip the small round balls of prawn mixture into it; then coat with breadcrumbs.
- Deep-fry till golden brown.
- Serve hot with ketchup.
Here's how to prepare Shahi Paneer Mushroom Kurma by Karen D'Souza:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 250 gms paneer (cottage cheese)
- 1 cup peas
- 1 cup julienned carrots
- 1 cup of julienned capsicum
- 2 cups sliced onions
- 1 tbsp jeera (cumin seeds)
- 1 tbsp jeera powder
- 1 1/2 tbsps turmeric
- 1 tbsp ajwain (carom seeds)
- 2 1/2 tbsps red chillie powder
- 1 1/2 tbsps sugar
- 1 cup fresh cream
- Salt to taste
- Ghee to cook
Method of preparation:
- In a pan, heat some ghee and add the jeera. Once it starts spluttering, add the onions. Sauté till the onions are browned, then add the ajwain. Continue to sauté till you can smell the ajwain cooking and then add all the other spices -- tumeric, chillie powder and jeera powder. The smell should be predominantly that of chillie powder.
- Next, add the capsicum and carrots. Toss with the onions for a minute and then add the paneer and the peas as well. Mix well.
- Now add the sugar. Place a lid on the pan and allow it to cook for 5 minutes, till the paneer is slightly brown at the edges and the veggies start looking soft and cooked. Now add the fresh cream. Only add as much as to get a creamy yellow curry.
- Replace the pan's lid and let the mixture come to a boil. Your Shahi Paneer Mushroom Kurma is now ready to eat -- garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy!
- Tip: The masalas must be cooked well and the curry must be yellow and creamy. Add extra haldi for the colour and cook a bit to adjust. If you find it too hot, temper it with sugar. Don't use ketchup.
Sowmya V Rao sent in two recipes. Here, she explains how to cook Neer Dosa (Rice Dosa) and a sweet mango accompaniment:
Ingredients:
For the dosas:
- Dosa rice
- 1 cup grated coconut (optional, but it makes the dosas soft and tasty)
- Salt
- Oil
For the mango accompaniment:
- Mangoes
- Jaggery
- 1/2 cup grated coconut
- Elaichi (cardamom)
- Oil
Method of preparation:
- Soak the dosa rice for 2-3 hours. Then, along with the coconut, grind the rice finely. Batter should be thinner than the regular dosa batter. Add salt to taste.
- Heat a griddle (tawa) and grease it with oil. Then pour the batter onto the tawa and cover it with a lid for a few seconds, till the dosa is formed.
For the mango accompaniment:
- Wash and skin the mangoes, then cut into small pieces.
- Grind the grated coconut with elaichi finely. You can also add only the milk from the coconut, which makes it tastier. Add jaggery depending on your taste.
- Serve with the neer dosa.
And here is Sowmya's recipe for Sweet Pumpkin Idlis:
Ingredients:
- Sweet pumpkin (1/4 kg)
- 1 cup idli rava
- 1/2 cup coconut
- Jaggery
- Elaichi (cardamom)
- Ghee
Method of preparation:
- Peel and grate the pumpkin.
- Roast idli rava in a pan till golden brown.
- Make syrup from the jaggery -- take 2-3 pieces of it in a pan, add a little water and boil for few minutes.
- Add powdered elaichi, syrup, grated pumpkin, coconut and idli rava and mix well.
- Grease an idli stand with ghee and pour the batter into it. Steam in a pressure cooker on a medium flame without using the whistle for 20 minutes.
- Pumpkin idlis are now ready. Serve them when cool with ghee.
Do you have any quick-fix preparations that you'd like to share with us and other readers? It has to be something appetising and easily whipped up (in under an hour). Simply mail in your tiffin recipe ideas to getahead@rediff.co.in and we'll publish them right here on rediff.com
Channel your inner chef and help people economise without compromising on their meals!