Winter is around the corner, and we all enjoy having our lunch with our family in our garden or on our terrace. The taste of food enhances as we soak up the sunshine. Lunch during the winter is usually light and easy to make, as we are already quite lazy in the winter.
The first thing that should be done is to include fruits and vegetables like carrots, radishes, beets, and guavas in the diet. Have them as a mid-morning snack sprinkled with some fresh lime and chat masala.
Now comes lunch. For lunch, we’ll go with recipes that don’t require much hustle and are ready quickly. From this, we don’t mean that it should be all ready-made junk food, no! It has to be healthy, full of nutritional value, and of course tasty too.
Masala Idli
For idli batter, soak one cup of rice, 1/2 cups of urad dal, and one spoonful of fenugreek seeds overnight. Blend it all together, and tadaa! Your nice, creamy, and quick idli batter is ready. Take an idli stand and make your idlis with some ghee.
For the masala, heat some oil in a pan, add some finely chopped onion, cumin seeds, curry leaves, and some capsicum, saute all the vegetables, and then add a pinch of salt, red chilli powder, and chopped idlis. Give it a quick mix, and your masala idlis are ready to be served. Add some lime and freshly chopped coriander to enhance the taste.
Chana Dal Pulao
Soak chana dal overnight and rice half an hour prior. Take a cooker and add some ghee to it, then add dry spices. Now add soaked chana dal and rice to the cooker. To increase its nutritional value, add vegetables of your choice. You can add tomato, onion, capsicum, beans, and carrots. Add 2 cups of water and cook for 2-3 whistles on medium flame. And your chana pulao with vegetables is ready. Serve it warm with chutney and achar.
Grilled Chicken
Take 1/2 kg of boneless chicken in a bowl. Add ginger-garlic paste, lemon, salt, and crushed black pepper to it. You can add a pinch of red food colouring to make it brighter. Now marinate it for 2–3 hours and grill it in an oven or by simply using a grill pan.
Your quick and easy grilled chicken is ready. Eat it with salad and enjoy.
Enjoy these recipes with your family and friends this winter. Don’t forget to end your meal with some dessert. What about a nice warm bowl of gajar ka halwa?