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.
Here's how to prepare Rainbow Rice by Ume Salma:
Ingredients:
- Mixed vegetables (1 carrot, 1/2 a capsicum, 1 potato and 1 green brinjal)
- 1 sliced onion
- 2 slices of pineapple
- 2 tbsp refined oil
- 1/2 a lemon
- 1/4 tsp chaat masala
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 cups leftover rice
- Salt to taste
- Cilantro (dhania) leaves to garnish
Method of preparation:
- Cut all veggies into cubes or slices.
- Mix veggies, salt and turmeric with a little water; microwave or steam for 2 minutes.
- Heat the refined oil in a pan and put in the sliced onions, adding the steamed veggies once the onions start to show a hint of browning. Cook for a minute.
- Add diced pineapple, salt and chaat masala.
- Fry for a little while and add cooked rice.
- Squeeze half a lemon onto the rice. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a simmering flame for another 5 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro.
- Your Rainbow Rice is ready to eat or pack into your dabba.
Next up is this Tomato-Capsicum Curry recipe from Solaiappan:
Ingredients:
- 6 ripe, large tomatoes
- 1 capsicum
- 2 medium-sized onions
- 1 green chillie
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- 4 tbsp cooking oil (or as required)
- Salt to taste
For tempering (tadka):
- 1/2 tsp split white urad dal (lentils)
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 4-5 curry leaves
Method of preparation:
- Chop the tomatoes, capsicum, onions, and green chillie and set aside.
- Heat oil in a deep pan and add the ingredients for tempering in the order given.
- Add onions and chillie and sauté till the onions turn golden brown in colour.
- Then, add tomatoes, capsicum, turmeric powder, and salt and sauté for two minutes more.
- Cover the pan with a lid for 2-3 minutes. This makes the tomatoes turn into a pulp. Stir once and add salt if needed. Squash the cumin seeds between your palms and add to the curry.
- Serve hot. Best had with rotis, chappatis or rice.
Sunetra Sil sent in two recipes. Here is one for Rawa Fried Fish:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rawa (semolina)
- 500 gms of Sole/ Promfret/ Prawns/ Ghol Fish, in thin slices or pieces
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 tsp crushed ginger
- 3-4 crushed kokum leaves (optional)
- 2 tsps red chillie powder
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 3 tbsps oil
- Salt to taste
Method of preparation:
- Mix the garlic, kokum leaves and ginger. Wash the fish and marinate it in this mixture.
- Add the lime juice, salt, turmeric and red chillie powder. Set the fish aside for 30 minutes.
- Now empty the rawa into a plate (you can also use rice flour as a substitute). Take each piece of fish, one at a time and coat with the rawa in the plate.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the pieces of fish, carefully turning them so that they cook evenly on both sides.
- Serve the fish with lemon wedges.
And here is another for Moong Dal with Bottle Gourd:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups moong dal (split mung beans)
- 1 entire bottle gourd (lauki or ghia), peeled and cut into small semi circles of 1-inch thickness
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 green chillies
- 1 small piece of shredded ginger
- Salt
- Sugar
- Oil/ ghee
- Coriander to garnish
Method of preparation:
- Take a heavy-bottomed vessel and heat on the stove. Add the moong dal and stir it till it turns golden-brown in colour.
- Pour the dal into another utensil and wash thoroughly with cold water. Once washed, place the dal with water on the stove once again and let it boil for 25 minutes.
- Add the pieces of peeled bottle gourd to the dal and boil till it gets soft. Alternatively, you can use a pressure cooker and after three whistles you'll know the dal is boiled.
- Place a deep pan on the stove. Add the ghee or oil, heat. Add the cumin seeds, green chillies and stir for half a minute. Now add the dal and stir well.
- Let the dal simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and it'll be ready. Add chopped coriander to garnish. Serve with plain boiled rice.
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!
