Green Pea Cutlets and other tasty tiffin recipes

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.

Amita Manral sent in this recipe for Green Pea Cutlets:

Ingredients:

5-6 boiled potatoes

1cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup boiled or frozen (defrosted) green peas

1 cup grated coconut

1 tsp mustard

4-5 curry leaves

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp chillie powder

1/4 tsp sugar

2 tsp coriander (dhania) powder

Oil to fry

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves to garnish

Method of preparation:

Mash the boiled patoes; add the bread crumbs and salt, mix well and set aside.

For the stuffing, heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil and add the mustard, curry leaves, grated coconut, green peas, masalas, sugar, salt and coriander. Saute for 5 minutes and turn off the flame.

Now break off small bits of the potato-crumb misture and roll into a small ball each. Flatten slightly, put a small amount of stiffing in the centre, fold up the edges and roll and flatten again.

Heat the oil in a pan and shallow fry the potato tikkis.

Your green pea cutlets are now ready to eat -- they go well with tomato ketchup and green chutney.

Feeling adventurous? Here's how to prepare Chinese Idlis by Reshma Tanwani:

Ingredients:

4-5 left-over idlis
1 chopped onion
1 small chopped capsicum
2 chopped green chillies
Juliennes of ginger
1 tbsp soya sauce
A pinch of ajinomoto
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Method of preparation:

Slice the idlis into small pieces.
In a pan, heat the cooking oil and add the onion, capsicum, green chillies and juliennes of ginger. Saute a little.
Next, add the soya sauce, ajinomoto and salt.
Mix well and add the idlis.
Toss the idli pieces in the mixture prepared.
Your Chinese idlis are ready to eat.

And finally, Sandhya Venkat contributed this Avocado Salsa Sandwich recipe:

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup chopped red onions
1/4 cup chopped, de-seeded tomatoes
1/4 cup orange pepper
1/4 tsp butter (plus a little more to spread on the sandwich)
Salt and powdered black pepper to taste
4 slices of whole wheat/multi grain bread

Method of preparation:

Peel, pit and mash the avocado. Add the chopped tomatoes, onions, orange pepper and mix well. Next add the salt, powdered black pepper and butter and mix well.
Spread this mixture on two bread slices and top them off with the other two. Now brush the outer surfaces of the sandwich with butter and grill until toasted golden-brown on each side.
Wrap your sandwiches in foil immediately and you're ready to head to work.
Here's a tip -- you can omit butter entirely from the recipe if you like and you can replace the orange pepper with red, yellow or green. Happy eating!

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!