Wednesday

Meal Plan 2: Around the World

Day 3 · Wednesday · India

Today at a glance. India, adapted for beginners. Three recipes, about 55 minutes of cooking in total, and dinner is the vegetarian one. Tonight you cook double the rice: half for dinner and half, chilled, for Thursday's lunch. You also need to make tomorrow's breakfast tonight (see the tip at the end). Every quantity below is for one portion unless the recipe says otherwise, in metric with UK names.

Breakfast

Breakfast

Mango and Yoghurt Bowl

5 minutesNo cooking3 ingredientsVegetarian

Ingredients (1 portion)

  • 120 g frozen mango chunks
  • 150 g plain Greek-style yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp porridge oats (about 15 g), for crunch

Method

  1. Take the mango out of the freezer about 10 minutes before you want to eat, or microwave it for 30 seconds, so it is soft enough to mash but still cold.
  2. Mash most of the mango in a bowl with a fork until it is a rough purée. If you have a stick blender, blitz it for a smooth bowl.
  3. Stir in the yoghurt until it is creamy and pale orange. This is the flavour of a mango lassi, the Indian yoghurt drink, in a bowl.
  4. Top with the remaining chunks of mango and the oats.

Why it is a healthy start

Yoghurt gives protein and calcium, mango gives natural sweetness and vitamin C, and the oats add fibre. There is no added sugar.

Swaps

Fresh mango when it is in season. A pinch of ground cardamom or cinnamon if you have some. Frozen berries or banana instead of the mango.

Shopping list for this recipe

Lunch

Lunch

Egg Bhurji on Toast

12 minutes1 panVegetarian

Ingredients (1 portion)

  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ onion (about 40 g)
  • 1 small tomato
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 slices wholemeal bread
  • Salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Peel and finely chop the onion. Chop the tomato into small pieces. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt and some pepper.
  2. Heat the oil in a small non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the onion for 3 minutes, stirring, until soft.
  3. Add the cumin and turmeric and stir for 20 seconds, then add the tomato and cook for 2 minutes until it softens and the juices have mostly gone.
  4. Pour in the eggs. Stir gently with a spatula for 1 to 2 minutes, until the egg is set in soft, spiced curds. Take it off the heat while it still looks slightly moist.
  5. Toast the bread while the eggs cook, and spoon the bhurji on top.
About the turmeric
Turmeric stains worktops, cloths and plastic. Wipe the spoon and any spills straight away.

Why it is a healthy lunch

Eggs bring protein, and the onion and tomato turn a plain scramble into a vegetable dish. The spices add a lot of flavour without extra salt or fat.

Swaps

Add a finely chopped green chilli with the onion if you like heat. Chopped fresh coriander on top. Serve it in a wholemeal wrap instead of on toast.

Shopping list for this recipe

Dinner

Dinner · Vegetarian

Tomato and Lentil Dal with Rice

10 minutes prep30 minutes cookingVegetarianExtra rice for tomorrow

Ingredients (1 portion of dal; rice for tonight and tomorrow)

  • 60 g dried red split lentils
  • ½ onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 cm fresh root ginger
  • 2 medium tomatoes (about 200 g)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 400 ml water
  • 120 g brown basmati rice (60 g for tonight, 60 g for tomorrow)
  • Salt

Method

  1. Put the rice on first. Cook all 120 g in plenty of boiling water following the packet (brown basmati usually takes about 25 minutes), then drain it.
  2. Rinse the lentils in a sieve under cold water until the water runs clearer.
  3. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, peel and grate the ginger, and chop the tomatoes.
  4. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 1 minute.
  5. Stir in the cumin and turmeric for 20 seconds, then add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes until they break down.
  6. Add the lentils, the water and a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes with the lid half on, stirring now and then, until the lentils have collapsed into a thick, soupy porridge. Add a splash of water if it gets too dry.
  7. Stir in the garam masala, taste, and add more salt if you need it.
  8. Serve the dal over half of the rice.
Saving tomorrow's rice safely
Rice that is left to cool slowly can grow bacteria that reheating does not remove. Spread the other half of the rice on a plate straight away, let it cool for no more than an hour, then cover it and put it in the fridge. Eat it by tomorrow, and heat it until it is steaming hot all the way through. Reheat it only once.

Why it is a healthy dinner

Red lentils are high in protein and fibre, cook without soaking, and fall apart into a creamy dal. The meal is vegetarian, low in fat and cheap.

Swaps

Stir in a handful of spinach at the end. Add a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of chilli flakes, or a spoonful of yoghurt on top. Use curry powder in place of the cumin, turmeric and garam masala if that is all you have.

Shopping list for this recipe
Do this tonight: tomorrow's breakfast
Thursday's overnight oats need to soak for at least 6 hours. Before bed, follow the recipe in the next chapter: it takes 5 minutes and you will have breakfast ready in the fridge.
Coming up tomorrow
Thursday heads to Korea and East Asia: overnight oats with apple and walnut, egg fried rice made with tonight's rice, and a beef bulgogi-style rice bowl.