From quick, healthy salads to desi meals, we curate ten-minute lunch recipes that are perfect for your daily cravings, and follow clean eating habits

We all know that breakfast gets the title of the most important meal of the day, whereas dinner gets the lowest. But what about lunches?

The Westin Pune Koregaon Park’s chef Ho Chi Ming advises, “When it comes to preparing lunches, it’s necessary to remember the availability and easy access of ingredients. Look for easy recipes that have few ingredients, and be ready with substitute ingredients as well. Another thing would be to look for leftovers, and improvise. Do not go for recipes with ingredients that have a one-time use in kitchen. If you’re looking to keep it under 10 minutes, these are some of the foods to be avoided: tougher cuts of meats, dehydrated vegetables and fruits, food recipes that call for more than five ingredients.”

Similarly, Chef Ramjilal Yogi recommends avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages as they are basically empty calories, packaged foods, and tinned or non-seasonal food items for lunch preparations. He suggests cooking in little water, and for as short a period of time as possible, to preserve all water-soluble vitamins, the Bs and Cs.

Here are recipes from the chefs for your lunch hour:

 

1. JACKFRUIT TOSTADA by chef Freny Fernandes

 

 

• Ingredients

 

1 cup jackfruit (raw, cut in cubes)

1 tomato

1 red onion

1tsp paprika

1 wheat tortilla

10gms feta cheese

Sriracha to taste

Salt to taste

One pinch pepper

 

• Method

 

• Lightly toast the tortilla on a pan or in the oven

 

• Chop onions and tomatoes, and saute with some oil

 

• Add paprika, salt, pepper

 

• Add jackfruit, and cook for 5-6 minutes until tender

 

• Layer the jackfruit over the tortilla, add Sriracha or any hot sauce of choice

 

• Sprinkle some feta cheese on top and serve

 

 

2. OUT OF THE BLUE BRUSCHETTA by chef Juliano Rodrigues

 

 

• Ingredients

 

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1tsp chopped garlic

1tbsp basil chiffon

1tbsp olive oil

1tbsp grated parmesan

1/3 cup diced cheddar cheese

6 psc toasted French baguette cut in roundels

Salt & pepper to taste

 

• Method

 

• Marinate diced tomatoes with olive oil, chopped garlic, basil chiffon, parmesan cheese, and rest for 10 minutes

 

• Then add diced cheddar cheese, and adjust seasoning

 

• Scoop and place neatly on roundels and serve cold

 

 

3. CHAAT CEVICHE by chef Himanshu Saini (Tresind Dubai)

 

 

• Ingredients

 

1/2 kg fresh mangoes

1/2 kg avocado

150gms tinned water chestnut

150gms boiled potato

1 corn on the cob

25gm sorrel

25gm Sango radish

50gm mustard cress

30gm pea shoot

5gm maldon salt flakes

100gm mixed root chips

10ml extra virgin olive oil

 

• For dressing

 

200ml yuzu juice

50gm onion chopped

25gm ginger chopped

5gm green chilly chopped

15gm preserved lemon

200gm honey

4gm black salt

10ml tabasco

 

• Method

 

• Start with the dressing first. Take chopped onion, ginger, and green chilly in a blender, and add enough water to blend it to a runny consistency and blend.

 

• Strain and collect the water for usage

 

• Finely chop the preserved lemon and keep aside in a mixing bowl

 

• Add honey, black salt, yuzu juice, and strained water to preserve lemon, and whisk to combine all the flavours

 

• Strain and refrigerate the dressing to keep it chilled.

 

• Roast the corn on direct flame and take out the kernels

 

• Cut potato in cubes, and fry in ghee to crisp texture.

 

• Cut mango, water chestnut, and avocado into cubes, and refrigerate

 

• Combine cubes of all the vegetables and fruits in four chilled serving plates

 

• Top up with roasted corn kernels, and pour the dressing equally in four plates

 

• Garnish with microgreens and mixed root chips.

 

• Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and maldon salt flakes. Serve chilled

 

 

4. BESAN PYAZ KA KARARA by chef Ramjilal Yogi (Le Meridien Gurgaon)

 

 

• Ingredients

 

200gms gram flour

1 tsp desi ghee

1 cup yoghurt

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard oil

½ tsp carom seeds

1 tsp coriander powder

Salt to taste

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp asafoetida

1 tsp ginger chopped

1 tsp garlic paste

1 cup water

 

• Method

 

• Take gram flour (besan) in a bowl, add salt and red chilli powder Mix it well

 

• Add a little water and mix it until small lumps are formed

 

• Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and asafoetida

 

• Add the lumps to the tadka (tempering) and roast properly until they turn brown

 

• Add more water to this to make a gravy (as per your need)

 

• Add turmeric powder and coriander powder

 

• Boil for five minutes

 

• Slowly add 1 cup blended curd, and stir in one direction until it boils

 

• Add chopped green chillies to give it an extra flavour

 

• For tadka, heat a pan and oil. Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Cool down, add red chilli powder and mix well. Spread over the Karare now

 

• Enjoy it with hot chapatis or roti ka choorma.

 

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