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 lunch box recipes here.
You must try this vegetarian rice recipe. It is easy, quick, healthy, and very tasty. Perfect for your office lunch box and also for dinner too. There is minimal chopping involved which is just perfect for busy mornings. Isn’t it? Also, it has rice and lentils both together in one recipe which makes it balanced and nutritious.
STORY TIME
This recipe brings back a lot of memories. My office colleague or a dear friend of mine used to bring this to the office every week. I had it for the first time from her lunch itself and I loved it a lot. She used to bring this with aam ka achaar (mango pickle) and the combination still makes my mouth flood with water 🙂 I wonder, how can something so simple can be so delicious. Whenever she used to bring this, I felt like exchanging my lunch box with her. Literally.
At that time, I was living in a hostel and there was no facility to cook my own food. That’s why I could never try when I was there. After that, I left the office and the city and started a new chapter of my life – Post Graduation. This recipe just vanished from my mind (or maybe saved in some corner of my brain). Now, when I started sharing lunch box recipes, I recalled this delicious meal. I had to try it and share it with all of you. In my first attempt, Jatin just loved this pulao. I didn’t expect that. But I was very happy. Since then we make it quite often.
You must try this recipe over lunch or over dinner. You are going to love it.
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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. But in this recipe, you don’t need to do any chopping. Just need to roughly chop tomatoes and onion. It can be easily done in the morning. I am telling you, this recipe is a savior in busy mornings.
Soak Lentils: For dals (lentils), I always prefer soaking them at least 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. This recipe needs chana dal which takes a lot of time to cook. That’s why make sure to soak the lentils the night before.
IS THIS RECIPE VEGAN?
Yes. Of course.
This chana dal pulao recipe is vegan and totally plant-based. Generally, some ghee is added in pulao at the end for some extra flavor but I don’t add it. Sometimes, I add plant-based butter once the pulao is cooked. It adds a nice touch to the recipe.
This pulao tastes good with some boondi raita on the side and if you are a vegan, you can use plant-based curd. I prefer soy curd.
If you want more vegan recipe suggestions, try our Thai green curry, vegan banana walnut muffins, Non-Fried Spring Rolls.
MORE OFFICE LUNCH BOX RECIPES
Now you are all ready to make this delicious meal for your Indian office lunch box recipe. It is quick, easy, and very tasty. So, grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make a happy meal for yourself.
If you like the recipe, please share the photo on Instagram and tag us too @marriedfriends. We love to see your recreation of our recipes.
Happy Cooking 🙂
Love from us
Richa & Jatin
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