What to make for an office lunch box is a big headache every day. And because of the lockdown, we have become out of touch too. But do not worry. I will share some healthy, nutritious, quick, and easy lunch box recipes to ease your life. Check out all my office lunch box recipes here.
STORY TIME
I give a lot of attention to what to carry for lunch in the office. Even when I was living alone, I used to prepare a full meal for myself – dal, sabzi, roti, and salad. I mostly make Indian vegetarian or vegan recipes for our lunch box. When I got married, my excitement level to pack lunch boxes for both of us doubled. I love this morning job. Usually, making dal and sabzi is my department and making roti is Jatin’s department. So, don’t judge my paratha or roti-making skills. I am out of touch 😀
Today’s menu is a simple aloo tamatar ki Tari wali sabzi (Potato Curry) & spring onion ke parathe (spring onion flatbread). Aloo Tamatar ki Sabzi is one recipe that is super quick to make. It is easy and perfect for a busy morning. I make it mostly when there is nothing at home or when I can’t decide what to cook. And it is Jatin’s one of the favorite recipes. He gets very happy and excited when I make this sabzi for lunch. This sabzi tastes very good with some curd or boondi raita.
I even made spring onion parathe with this sabzi. I always try to include some kind of greens in our meals. Like in our last lunch box recipe, I shared beans aloo sabzi.
Also, spring onion is healthy and adds a nice flavor and crunch to these parathas. You can even make chapati (roti) or plain parathas with this sabzi. But I would suggest trying these delicious spring onion parathas.
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PREP AHEAD!
It is always a rush when you have to leave for the office in the morning. And then we tend to ignore the most important thing – our meals. Now we also have the option to buy food from the cafeteria or any restaurant. But, nothing can match the satisfaction and fulfillment of a home-cooked meal. With home-cooked food, you also know what is going inside your body. And don’t worry, with a little bit of preparation, making lunch box for office can be made easy.
Here are a few things which I follow:
1 – Meal Planning
This is such a Time Saver. I am doing it for years now and my life becomes so much easier when I know what to cook every day. I don’t prepare anything for the entire week but I make sure to plan my meals for the entire week. Obviously, it changes depending on our mood and appetite. But when I have the weekly meal plan list ready, I know what to buy from the grocery stores and I know what to cook the next day.
I don’t make an elaborate plan. Just mention the weekly meals in my Google Keep. Try this. Trust me, it will ease your life.
2 – Preps a day before
When your meal planning is done and you have the groceries for the week, you can simply check a night before about what you need to cook tomorrow. If there is any preparation that may take some time, do it before going to the bed. You will feel such a relief the next day.
Cut Veggies: If there is an elaborate chopping of veggies needed for any recipe, I try to do that the night before. For example, if I am making beans aloo, I cut the beans beforehand and store them in an air-tight container and refrigerate them. It makes the job much easier in the morning. But in this recipe, you don’t need to do any chopping. Just need to roughly cut tomatoes and potatoes. It can be easily done in the morning. I am telling you, this sabzi is a savior in busy mornings.
Soak Lentils: For dals (lentils), I always prefer soaking them for 30 minutes. It ensures faster cooking and better absorption of nutrients. I mostly wake up early so I soak them in the morning. But, if you don’t have time, soak them before going to the bed.
Knead the dough: If you prefer roti or paratha for lunch, I would suggest kneading the dough a day/night before. It saves a lot of time in the morning. I mostly don’t need to worry about it since Jatin takes care of it 🙂 It is his department. So, one extra tip – divide the work. For spring onion paratha, I would suggest kneading the dough the night before. It not only makes the work much easier but also develops more flavor.
HOW TO COOK TARI WALE ALOO TAMATAR?
There are a few methods of cooking Tari wale aloo tamatar ki sabzi:
1 – Instant Pot
I have an Instant Pot and I make this sabzi in it. It makes the job very easy since I can just set the cooking time and keep doing my work without any worry to switch it off. It gets off once done. This sabzi needs just 5 to 6 minutes of pressure cook time. What can get easier than this?
More Instant pot recipes are – Dal Makhani, Pindi Chole, Punjabi Rajma, Sabz Dum Biryani.
2 – Pressure Cooker
The pressure cooker is available in mostly all Indian households. It also cooks this sabzi in no time. You just need to take care of the water level and the cooking time. Adjust the water depending on how thick or thin you want your curry. And then close the lid of the pressure cooker. Cook on high flame for 1 whistle. After a whistle, switch off the flame and let the pressure release on its own. Once that is done, garnish with coriander and your Tari wali sabzi is ready to be served.
If you feel, dal is watery or too thick, adjust the water accordingly next time.
3 – Pan or Pot
When we moved to Germany, we didn’t have any cooker or Instant Pot for a very long time. We cooked this Tari wale aloo in a pot or pan for months. I won’t lie, it is time-consuming. But can be done. Just cut potatoes slightly smaller in size. It ensures faster cooking. Adjust the water according to the thickness of curry you prefer. Close the lid and let it cook on simmer till potatoes are well cooked.
IS THIS RECIPE VEGAN?
Yes. Of course.
This sabzi and spring onion paratha, both are vegan and totally plant-based recipes. I don’t make paratha in ghee but use cooking oil instead. As I said, this sabzi tastes good with some curd on the side but if you are vegan, you can use plant-based curd too. I prefer soy curd.
If you want more vegan recipe suggestions, try our Thai green curry, vegan banana walnut muffins, vegan dal makhani.
MORE RECIPES TO TRY
Now you are all ready to make this delicious meal for your office lunch box. It is quick, easy, and very tasty. So, grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make a happy meal for yourself.
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Happy Cooking 🙂
Love from us
Richa & Jatin
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