There is a famous quote saying, ‘ Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper’. Let’s learn how to make an Indian Lunch menu for a week like smarty pants.
Cooking all three meals daily from scratch is time-consuming and can be tiring sometimes for working individuals. To make things easier, we just need some pre-planning. I prefer home cooking rather than store-bought for 2 reasons.
Cooking is my stress buster
I prefer fresh foods for my family.
So here I give you some pre-planning things I do to make cooking easier for the rest of the week. I learned this over the years of cooking and you can adapt it as per your requirements.
HOW TO PRE-PLAN FOR THE INDIAN LUNCH MEAL PLAN?
Keep the below things ready during the weekend. So the cooking for the rest of the week will be less chaotic and easier.
Ginger Garlic Paste – Homemade ginger garlic paste comes in handy when you make some curries.
Garlic – Peel garlic when you are free at the weekend or watch TV and store it in an airtight box in the refrigerator. It comes in handy when you make chutneys. It stays good for many days.
Shallots – You can peel shallots and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It stays good for many days that way we save food wastage.
Curry leaves – If you are like me purchasing curry leaves from the store, then once you buy, clean and air dry them by spreading them in a kitchen towel or tissue. Once dry store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Chopped veggies – You can chop vegetables like carrots, beans, pumpkin, and bottle gourd, and store them in freezer-safe zip locks or boxes for future use.
Equipment required for preparation
Mixer grinder– It is another important piece of equipment in any kitchen. In Indian Kitchen, we use this to grind chutneys to spice powders.
Food Processor – You may need this to chop or grate vegetables within minutes without hurting your hands.
Saute Pan – we need a saute pan in need to saute for stir fry.
Storage boxes ( freezer friendly) – You will need this to divide the batter and freeze it for later use.
You’re probably here because you’re looking for the perfect Instant Pot rice recipe, right? Rice is one of those foods that should be really, really simple to make, but things can go really, really wrong when you do.
Paruppu Podi| Paruppu podi for Idli is an easy, gluten-free, vegan accompaniment to have along with rice, Idli or dosa. Let’s see how to make this spice powder.
What ever heavy meals we eat, a simple dal with a hot rice and a dollop of ghee can be the most comforting dish in the world. Rich in protein and mild spices can be soothing for your tummy any given day.
This Baby Potato Roast is a simple, easy but delicious recipe. You need just a handful of ingredients from your pantry. This is Indian style of roasting potatoes
There are many variations of making Ennai Kathirikai Kulambu. The Recipe which I share here is our family favorite. We have to grind a special masala for this Ennai Kathirikai Kulambu. The masala comprises of many ingredients which are easily available at home.
Sweet Potato Roti / Sweet Potato Indian Flat Bread
Sweet Potato Roti / Sweet Potato Indian Flat Bread is an easy, fuss free, vegan flat bread.I made these as my way of making my kids to eat Sweet Potato.
Instant Pot Aloo Gobi is an easy and versatile curry to make for a quick dinner. This curry is vegan, gluten-free and loaded with the goodness of vegetables. It is best paired with hot rotis or simple jeera rice.
Chettinad Cuisine is the most renowned and popular cuisine of Tamil Nadu, South India. Making this Chettinad chicken curry in Instant pot makes the whole process a lot easier. When the curry is ready, serve with roti, chapati or rice.
This is one of my favorite sambars. This is Palakkad style( Kerala, India) sambar with roasted coconut. Usually, this is a must on any special occasion. This sambar is had along with cooked rice but I love to have with idli or dosa.
Kollu or Horse gram is a legume which has a lot of health benefit. It is full of vitamins and proteins. It has been traditionally had during winters to keep the body warm and to cure cold
Stuffed okra fry is a delicious Indian dish that features okra (also known as ladyfingers) that are stuffed with a spicy filling and then fried until crispy. This goes well with any rice or even roti.
Instant Pot Dal Makhani or Kali dal is made with Whole Urad Dal, Rajma and Channa Dal in instant pot or pressure cooker methods. This authentic dal makhani recipe is Vegetarian, Gluten-Free & can easily be made dairy-free.
Cauliflower pepper fry is a delicious dish made by frying cauliflower florets with a blend of aromatic spices and black pepper powder. The dish is vegan, gluten-free, and can be served as a side dish or a main course. Air fry method is included for healthier options.
The Christmas is here and all of you will be planning to make special dishes for a get together.I recommend you to try Fried Chicken Biriyani – Dum Style.
Cucumber raita is a refreshing and creamy yogurt-based side dish popular in Indian cuisine. Made with grated or finely chopped cucumber, whisked yogurt, and a blend of aromatic spices.
The detail about peeling shallots while watching TV really stood out to me—it makes the prepping feel less like a chore and more like a quiet, sustainable habit.
Hi! Lathiya, I used to visit your blog since 2017. At that time, I still remember I was a budding blog. But now it’s different and transformed a lot! congrats Lathiya, for your hard work and dedication. I’m so happy to see this growth in blogosphere. By the way.. this weekly meal plan is amazing as usual! definitely this is going into my Indian meal planing board. keep going Lathiya!
Happy blogging
This meal plan is so organized and well laid out, with photos, too. And I like how you have included tips about what to prepare in advance, like the garlic. I would LOVE to be this organized in a week!!
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The detail about peeling shallots while watching TV really stood out to me—it makes the prepping feel less like a chore and more like a quiet, sustainable habit.
Thank you. I’m glad you found this post helpful.
Thank you so much for sharing indian lunch menu..!
Thank you
Hi! Lathiya, I used to visit your blog since 2017. At that time, I still remember I was a budding blog. But now it’s different and transformed a lot! congrats Lathiya, for your hard work and dedication. I’m so happy to see this growth in blogosphere. By the way.. this weekly meal plan is amazing as usual! definitely this is going into my Indian meal planing board. keep going Lathiya!
Happy blogging
Thank you so much for your feedback. I really appreciate that you follow my space for a long time. Thank you once again. Please keep coming back.
I’m going to forward it to my cook. That’s an interesting list here!
Thank you
Wow, a whole week of Indian lunches? Yes, please! This meal plan is terrific. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you
What a great meal planning post! I’m pinning it to my “Meal Prep /Planning” board!
Thank you so much.
I’d love to spend a week eating Indian food. I love it! In fact, you’ve inspired me to plan a week of Indian lunches very soon!
Thank you
Everything looks so good. I have yet to try Indian food.
Thank you
Looks like a great meal plan, Lathiya!
Thank you
Love this meal plan! Can’t wait to try it out. So many different recipes which all sound delicious!
Thank you
Wow… that is one comprehensive plan.
Well done 😀
Thank you
This meal plan is so organized and well laid out, with photos, too. And I like how you have included tips about what to prepare in advance, like the garlic. I would LOVE to be this organized in a week!!
Thank you
I love meal planning. Being a mom of 3 little kids with a full time job, it is a life saver! I love finding new plans, thanks for sharing!
Thank you
What a great meal plan! Thanks for the ideas.
Thank you
The best meal planning post I’ve seen in a long time. I just ate brekkie but I’m feeling hungry again now!
Thank you