“There’s something different about you!” bellowed a smiling colleague I hadn’t seen in a while as I stepped on to the ward. “Have you been hitting the gym? Or eating more?” The awkward pause that followed confirmed it was the latter. So began my 2017. Towards the end of 2016, I had fallen into bad habits and was surviving on a diet consisting mainly of milk chocolate and hula hoops. Without any time to devote to packed lunches, I was forced to seek out healthy and filling food in NHS canteens; as scarce as empty beds are on the wards. Things didn’t improve over the festive period with the abundance of sweets, cheese and paté. Still, I wasn’t quite prepared for the boost my inevitable January self-loathing was given a few days later by the bombshell, from the NHS BMI calculator, telling me that I needed to lose 18.7kg to be my ideal body weight. 18.7kg. That’s basically an entire child I’m carting around all day.
It is time for a change then – of diet, but even more so of habits. And top of the list is lunch. I’m not sure why I stopped making home-made noodle pots but, rediscovering them now, I have realised they are the perfect work lunch. Just add hot water and you have a satisfyingly filling meal without the afternoon food coma that can accompany stodgier choices. They do take a bit of prep, but I usually make three or four at a time and keep them in the fridge until needed. They’re infinitely customisable, too; I have made them with the leftovers from a roast dinner: scrapings of gravy from the roasting tray and a handful of chopped onion, mange tout and chilli. The only thing I need to do on the day is remember to actually take one to work. Lentils are another tool on my quest for a healthy, filling lunch. Ubiquitous across India, they appear in all manner of different dals, from coconut infusions in the south to the rich, slow cooked dal makhani of the north. This particular recipe will be familiar to Bengalis; it’s a variation of the everyday dal eaten in many households. Much to the bewilderment of my parents, I couldn’t stand it as a child. There really isn’t much to hate; it’s a simple, nourishing dish, usually served with rice as an accompaniment to all manner of more exciting vegetable, fish and meat dishes. Just as I am unable to explain my childhood disdain for it, so too am I the craving I have for it now. Perhaps it’s that its simplicity is a perfect antidote to the excesses of winter. Or maybe it is that every nutty spoonful brings a smile to my face as I remember all those times my parents tried to coax me to try a little. Or maybe it just reminds me of home.
Noodle pots
You can use any jars you like for this, but I like the kilner ones as you fit a lot into them. Feel free to experiment with different meats and vegetables. Grilled aubergine makes a good vegetarian substitute for the chicken. Just remember that the hot water you add at the end only warms the meal so any meat that goes in needs to be fully cooked already.
Makes 4 jars
4 chicken thighs
1 lemon
200g mange tout
1 bunch spring onions
150g button mushrooms
1 carrot
200g cooked rice noodles
4 tbsp brown miso paste
4 tsp tahini
1 small piece of ginger
Coat the chicken thighs in a little oil, the lemon juice and a pinch of salt and roast for 20 minutes at 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
Slice the mushrooms and fry with a little oil for about 5 minutes until softened.
Finely slice the mange tout and spring onions. Cut the carrot into fine lengths of about 5cm.
To assemble, place a quarter of the noodles in the bottom of each pot, then 1 tbsp of the miso and 1 tsp of tahini, then a chicken thigh torn into chunks, the vegetables and finally a grating of ginger and lemon zest.
When you’re ready to eat, pour in boiling water, stir, then cover and leave for 1 minute before tucking in.
If you want to keep the vegetables extra crunchy, keep them in a separate plastic sandwich bag and add them to the jar after the 1 minute standing time.
Masoor dal
This dal normally has a watery consistency, more like a soup. If you’d like something firmer, use 100ml less water.
(Serves 4)
200g masoor (red) lentils
800ml boiling water
4 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp nigella seeds
3 dried red chillies
3 tbsp vegetable oil
In a small frying pan, fry the garlic on a medium heat with 1 tbsp of oil until starting to brown, about 6 minutes. (You may be sceptical about whether 4 cloves is a bit much, but trust me – it’ll work out.)
Add the turmeric and fry for 30 seconds then add in the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.
Rinse the lentils under cold water, then add to a saucepan with the boiling water, garlic, onions and salt. Bring to a simmer then cook with a lid on for about 20 minutes. The lentils are cooked when they start to break up.
In the same small frying pan as before, heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil until hot, then add the nigella seeds and chillies. Fry for about 30 seconds.
Stir the hot oil into the dal, taking care to stand back in case it spits.
Flatbreads
These can be made while the dal is cooking. Chapati flour is fairly easy to get hold of in big supermarkets, but you can use whatever plain white or wholemeal flour you already have.
(Makes 8 flatbreads)
200g chapati flour (or a 50:50 mix of wholemeal and white flour)
140ml water
¼ tsp salt
Mix together all the ingredients into a soft dough and knead for a minute. Form into 8 balls and dust with flour.
Roll out into little rounds about 5 inches across. (If you’re anything like me, they will look more like deformed rectangles – mutter to yourself that it’s not possible to get them perfectly round, then watch a YouTube video of an Indian mum doing it at the speed of light and feel slightly inadequate.)
Pop a skillet on to a hob and get it nice and hot. Cook each flatbread for about a minute on one side until it puffs up, then flip it over and cook for another 30 seconds.
Wrap them up together in a warm tea towel until ready to be eaten.
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