Tasty tiffin recipes: Chatpate Chole and more

We've been flooded with responses and as part of an ongoing series, present three lunch recipes that you can carry in your dabba.

Prerna Kumar from Indore sent in this recipe for Chatpate Chole which takes only 15 minutes to prepare:

Ingredients:

• 1 small cup whole grams
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 chopped tomato
• 2 tbsp channa masala
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• Red chillie powder to taste
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric powder to taste (if desired)

Method of preparation:

• Soak the grams overnight. In the morning, pressure cook for 20 minutes on a low flame.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil of ghee in a pan and fry the chopped onions and cumin seeds till the former are golden-brown and the latter crackle.
• Next, add the chopped tomatoes and fry evenly for a minute.
• Add salt, coriander powder, chillie powder and turmeric.
• Coat the boiled grams in the channa masala and add to the pan, frying for 2-3 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped coriander. Your lip-smacking chole (dry) is ready -- it can be easily carried to the office in your tiffin and can be eaten with bread, chapattis or parathas.

Next up we have a 20-minute Bread Upma preparation for two, contributed by Kavita K Morparia:

Ingredients:

• 4-5 slices of bread
• 3 tbsps curd
• 1 tsp mustard
• 4-5 curry leaves
• 2 green chillies
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp chillie powder
• 2 tsp coriander (dhaniya) powder
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2-3 tbsp water
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Method of preparation:

• Break the bread slices into small crumb-like pieces using your hands.
• Sprinkle water on the pieces, so that the bread becomes soft.
• Heat the oil in a kadai and add the mustard and turmeric powder.
• Next, add the green chillies, curry leaves and bread.
• Add the remaining masalas -- chillie powder, dhaniya powder and salt.
• Add the curd and mix well.
• Bread Upma is now ready to eat -- garnish with coriander leaves.

And finally, we have this quick recipe for Lemon Rice from Nisha Singh:

• 2 cups rice
• 2-4 (depending on the juice) lemons
• 2 tbsp peanuts
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp chana dal
• 1 tbsp urad dal
• 10 red chillies
• 5-7 green chillies
• 2 tbsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp jeera
• 1 small bunch of curry leaves
• 1/2 cup oil
• Salt

Method of preparation:

• Cook rice and set aside (if the rice is boiled the day before, it will be quicker to prepare for your tiffin).
• After it has cooled, add a little oil, turmeric, salt and mix well.
• Next, squeeze the juice from the lemons and add it (according to taste) to rice and mix well.
• Heat the remaining oil in a pan, add chana dal, green chillies, urad dal, peanuts, red chillies, curry leaves, mustard and jeera and fry.
• When the ingredients turn brown and the mustard starts to splutter, add the mixture to the rice and mix well. Your Lemon Rice is ready.

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