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 three lunch recipes that you can carry in your dabba.
We start off with this tasty Vegetable Pulao preparation contributed by Anubha Sawhney:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 small diced onion
- 1 chopped potato
- 1 small chopped tomato
- Green chillies
- 1/2 tsp red chillie powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- Salt to taste
Method of preparation:
- Soak the rice in water for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Next, heat the cooking oil in a pressure cooker and add the jeera; once it starts crackling, add all the chopped vegetables.
- Also add all the spices -- red chillie powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt.
- Next add the water (2 cups -- always remember, the quantity of water should be twice as much as the rice to be cooked).
- Finally, add the rice and close the pressure cooker, allowing it to cook till the first whistle goes off. Once that happens, turn off the gas and leave the rice inside for the next five minutes.
- Open up the cooker -- your Vegetable Pulao is now ready to eat or be packed into your dabba for the office.
- Here's a tip -- you can substitute the rice with cracked wheat (dalia) and also add more veggies like carrots, peas and beans to suit your taste.
Ritu Abraham sent in three recipes -- here is one for Mixed Vegetable Rawa Idli:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup wheat rawa
- 1 cup yoghurt/ curd
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 2-3 finely chopped green chillies
- 3/4 cup diced, mixed vegetables
- 2-3 coriander leaf stems
- 1-2 tbsp oil
- Salt
Method of preparation:
- In a pan, pour in the oil and roast the rawa lightly; then remove from the stove and transfer it into a bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the rawa and mix well. Leave the mixture to stand for about 30 minutes.
- Grease an idli stand with oil and pour the mixture into it.
- Allow the mixture in the stand to steam on a medium flame for about 10 minutes or till the idlis are ready.
- Serve with any chutney of your choice.
Ritu's next recipe is for Pasta Fruit Salad:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups pasta
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 cup mixed, diced fruit (any of your choice)
Method of preparation:
- Boil the pasta with a little salt to taste; add a spoon of oil while it is boiling to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Then strain out the water and leave to cool.
- Mix the mayonnaise and mixed fruit -- add to the pasta, toss well and your salad is ready!
And if fruit salads are not to your taste, here is Ritu's third contribution -- Mixed Lentil Salad:
Ingredients:
- 1 bowl whole mung beans (green moong)
- 1 bowl white beans (lobiya)
- 1 bowl brown cow peas (lal lobiya)
- 1 bowl chickpeas (channa)
- 1 1/2 cup diced cucumber, tomato, onion and boiled potato
- 2 tsp sliced green chilles
- Salt to taste
- The juice of one lemon
Method of preparation:
- Soak the lentils overnight.
- Steam all the lentils using a pressure cooker -- after one whistle, allow the lentils to cool.
- Add the diced vegetables, green chillies, salt and lemon juice -- your salad is ready to eat.
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!