I like big bowls and I cannot lie.
Bowls for breakfast, lunch & dinner.
I’ve never been the thaali gal. While I do enjoy the occasional sadya, I like my everyday food in a bowl where everything touches everything else and I can make it as soupy as I want. So whether I’m eating dal-chawal, biryani, oats, a salad, noodles or pasta, I happily serve myself in a bowl and plonk on the couch to eat.
Because let’s be honest, plates are annoying unless you’re eating something dry. All your food spreads to the edges and you spend your mealtime just gathering it together. And if you aren’t eating at a table (seriously, who is?), your mealtime ends up becoming a precarious balancing act so you don’t spill soupy noodles on your couch.
When the pandemic was at an all-time high and I’d been working from home for what felt like forever, I treated myself to a pasta bowl. I’d been eating instant noodles for lunch almost everyday and this pasta bowl was my way of inspiring myself to cook more wholesome meals for myself.
My definition of wholesome might be very different from yours. But I gave myself the challenge to simply start by adding protein to all my lunches. Then I started adding a vegetable on the side. This elevated my lunch from just a bowl of noodles to noodles with protein and veggies.
Of course all credit doesn’t go to the bowl for my change in eating habits, but it helped. If you’d like to take a look at this magical bowl, hit the button below.
Here are some of my all-time favourite lunch bowls:
Egg Fried Rice: I cook some extra rice every now and then so I have leftover dried out rice in the fridge when it’s time to cook lunch. Now all you need are a couple of eggs and some spring onions to whip up a quick meal. Here’s the recipe I follow >
Momo-Noodle Lazy Bowl: As its name suggests, this meal for days when you just can’t be bothered. Cook up some instant noodles and while they’re cooking, cook a few frozen chicken momos. Put them together. That’s it.
Honey Garlic Chicken & Herb Rice: The best part about this is that the chicken does not need marinating. I made this with leftover rice that I’d toss in a little butter and dried oregano. Voila, herb rice. I swear by this recipe >
Noodle Salad: This one’s great for warmer days. Toss together cold cooked noodles with some sliced carrots, onions and peppers. Season and cook a chicken breast. Slice it and serve over the noodle-veggie mixture with your favourite dressing.
Matar Paneer & Rice: If you have a jar of my onion tomato gravy base in your fridge, putting together a homely matar paneer won’t take you longer than 20 minutes. Serve over some rice and with a dollop of curd on the side for a very satisfying meal.
Cacio e Pepe: Sometimes you need a cheesy pasta fix in the middle of your workday. Since the sauce for Cacio e Pepe is made with pepper, cheese and pasta water, you can get your cheese fix without fussing around with a roux.
Are you a bowl person or a plate person? Tell me in the comments. And if you’ve enjoyed this post, do like it and share it with your friends.
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