Day 12 of Lockdown: Here’s a meal plan for you to try while you’re at home

Congratulations as you've survived almost two weeks of lockdown. It is really important to stay at our homes during this difficult time and practise social distancing all the time even though we really want to get out of our homes. While you're at home, keep yourself busy with different activities and if you enjoy cooking, we have some good recipes for you to try. 

Breakfast meal - Dry Fruits Paratha

Dry Fruits Paratha is whole wheat flour paratha stuffed with dried fruits. It is a unique dish and super easy to make.

Dry Fruits Paratha Recipe:

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

1. 1/4 cup Almonds
2. 1/4 cup Cashew nuts
3. 2 tbsp Pistachios
4. 1 tbsp Chironji
5. 2 tbsp Raisins Finely chopped
6. Salt To taste
7. 1/4 tsp Black pepper powder
8. 2 tsp Fresh coriander Finely chopped
9. 1/4 cup Boiled potato
10. 2 cups Whole wheat flour
11. Ghee/ oil For frying

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add whole wheat flour and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl. Add water to it as required and knead the dough until it is soft and done.
2. Cover the dough and keep it aside.
3. Now take almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios and Chironji in a mixer and grind it into a smooth powder.
4. Now add the raisins, salt, black pepper powder, coriander, boiled potato and green chilli into a bowl and mix well 
5. Make small dough balls and roll them into 3-inch circles.
6. Put a small amount of the dry fruits filling in the centre of the circle and put its ends together.
7. Now, sprinkle a little flour on it and roll it into 5 or 6-inch circles
8. Heat a tawa and fry the paratha on it using ghee on both sides. Cook it until it turns brown
9. Press the paratha continuously using the back of a ladle so that it becomes crispy.
10. Serve hot with raita or a side dish of your choice.

Lunch Meal - Lauki ki sabzi and roti

Dudhi sabzi or lauki sabzi is easy to make Indian dish commonly made in Indian homes.  Lauki is known as bottle gourd in English. 

Lauki ki sabzi recipe:

Preparation time: 10 minutes 

Cooking time: 15 minutes 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

1. 2 tbsp oil
2. 1 tsp cumin seeds
3. 1 onion - finely chopped
4. 2 tomatoes - finely chopped
5. 1 or 2 green chillies - chopped
6. 1-inch ginger - finely chopped
7. ½ tsp turmeric powder
8. ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
9. 1 tsp coriander powder – optional
10. 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) – optional
11. 3 cups chopped bottle gourd (laukil
12. 1 cup water for pressure cooking
13. salt to taste
14. ½ tsp garam masala powder
15. 2 to 3 tbsp  chopped coriander leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds to it. Let the seeds crackle
2. Now add ½ cup of chopped onions to it. Saute till the onions turn golden brown in colour. 
3. Add 1 tsp finely chopped ginger and 1 to 2 chopped green chillies to it and saute well.
4. Add 1 to 1.25 cups tomatoes. Mix it well and saute on a medium flame until the tomatoes soften and become mushy.
5. Cook till the oil starts to leave the sides of the cooker. Now, add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 pinch of asafoetida and 1 teaspoon coriander powder to it.
6. Sauté it for about a minute. In the meantime the tomatoes are getting cooked,   rinse, peel and chop the lauki and keep it aside. 
7. Add 3 cups of chopped lauki, mix and saute it for about a minute.
8. Add salt to it as per requirement and add a cup of water to it. Mix it properly.
9. Pressure cook the lauki sabzi for about 3 to 4 whistles on medium flame until it is cooked and becomes mushy.
10. Open the cooker after the pressure settles down. 
11. If you think the lauki sabzi is a little too liquidy then dry it by letting it simmer in the cooker without the lid. Switch off the flame when you get the preferred consistency.
12. At last, add ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and about 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves and mix it well.

Serve lauki ki sabzi hot with chapatis.

Dinner Meal - Tomato rice

The tomato rice is a little spicy in taste but rich in flavours. It includes ginger-garlic paste, black pepper and red chilli powder. Serve the tomato rice with papads or chips or onion tomato raita or boondi raita. 

Tomato Rice Recipe:

Preparation time: 30 minutes 

Cooking time: 20 minutes 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

1. 1 cup heaped basmati rice
2. water as required
3. 3 tomatoes, finely chopped
4. 1 onion, finely chopped 
5. 5 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
6. 1 green chilli - chopped
7. ½ tsp mustard seeds
8. 4 to 5 methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
9. ½ inch cinnamon
10. 2 green cardamoms
11. 2 to 3 cloves
12. 6 to 7 curry leaves
13. ¼ tsp turmeric powder
14. ½ tsp red chilli powder
15. ½ tsp black pepper powder
16. ½ tsp coriander powder
17. 1 tsp cumin powder (ground cumin)
18. ½ tbsp chopped mint leaves
19. ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
20. 75 cups water
21. 2 tbsp oil
22. salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

- To prepare

1. Rinse 1 cup basmati rice a couple of times in water and let it soak in water for about 30 minutes. Then, drain the rice and keep it aside.
2. Chop the tomatoes, onions and green chillies. Make the ginger-garlic paste by crushing it in a mortar pestle. Chop the mint and coriander leaves as well. Keep these things aside for later use 

- Cooking tomato rice

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a cooker and add ½ tsp mustard seeds and let it crackle on a medium flame. 
2. Add 4 to 5 methi seeds and saute for a couple of seconds.
3. Now add ⅓ cup finely chopped onion and ½ inch cinnamon, 2 green cardamoms and 2 to 3 cloves to it. 
4. Stir it well and saute till the onions turn golden brown in colour.
5. Add the ginger-garlic paste, chopped 1 green chilli and 6 to 7 curry leaves and saute for a minute.
6. Then add ½ tbsp chopped mint leaves and ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves and saute it for about a minute.
7. Next, add the finely chopped tomatoes and the spices including ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, ½ tsp coriander powder and 1 tsp cumin powder. 
8. If you don't want it to be very spice then add 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, ¼ tsp red chilli powder and ¼ tsp black pepper powder.
9. Stir it well and saute until the tomatoes become soft and pulpy. The oil will start to release from the sides. 
10. Now, add the soaked rice to this mixture. Stir it very well and saute it for about a minute.
11. Add 1.75 cups of water to the cooker and add the salt as per your taste.
12. Cover it and let it pressure cook for about 2 whistles on a medium flame. This will be cooked after approx 10 to 11 minutes. 
13. Remove the lid of the cooler once the pressure settles down on its own. Mix it well. Serve the tomato rice with chips or raita.

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if youre having trouble thinking of a dish to cook while youre at home and tired of eating the same kind of food every day, then dont worry as we have some of the yummiest food recipes for you to try at home during the ongoing lockdown.

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as we are all stuck in our homes in the wake of the 21-day nationwide lockdown, we advise you to make use of this time to pursue your hobbies and do the things that make you happy.