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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
6 Min
21/01/2026
Does office lunch mean soggy rotis, dry sabzis without any flavour? Well, then it’s time to make you rethink what goes in your tiffin. This article looks at lunches that taste good, retain the texture and travel well without the fear of leakage. Think of stuffed parathas, curries with lesser gravy, pulaos that have flavours and ample amount of sabzis for flavour, that fit well for your lunch box! Dive deeper to know more.
Indian cuisine has its own way of cooking dishes. The usage of oil, spices, and herbs is on a larger scale than in other cuisines. While this might taste good when you have it fresh, it creates a bit of a problem when you pack it. Sometimes, the oil seeps out, leading to leakage; the masalas stay at the bottom, making the curry taste bland; the rotis turn soggy due to the steam; and thus, it becomes nearly impractical to take your favourite dish to the office.
The problem, however, is not with the food but with the right options of food. Some dishes stay fresh even after hours, and some lose their taste in an hour; you have to pick the dishes that retain their freshness and flavours even after hours, without any stain or leakage.
This article looks at such dishes that have an Indian flavour, but they travel well. For example, stuffed parathas, dry sabzis, pulaos with veggies and other common condiments like pickles, chutneys that not only travel well but also taste perfect even after hours!
If you plan your office lunch a bit ahead of time, you can have a lunch box that is packed with taste, flavour, and without a single stain of leakage. Read more to know about the lunch-box-friendly options.
Parathas make for a perfect Indian meal, especially when they are steaming hot right from the tawa. However, they retain their taste even after a few hours. Stuffed aloo paratha, paneer paratha, gobi paratha, or mooli paratha taste good when packed in lunch boxes. The trick is to let them cool and pack well. Before packing them, let them cool in a plate rather than directly packing them in the tiffin. After they are at room temperature, pack them in foil or parchment paper, and they are good to go! Make sure the curd or pickle is packed in a separate small container. If you want hot parathas, you can microwave them for 30 seconds in your office, before eating!
Home cooks often choose rice dishes to fill tiffins! There is no fear of leakage, they can be reheated easily, and there is no chance of drying out. For your office lunch, you can make pulao with veggies, jeera rice, tamarind rice, and lemon rice. The trick is again to let them cool before packing them in the box. Microwave the rice for some time before you have it, and these dishes will taste the same as they would taste when made fresh. You can pack a small container with salad, pickle, and papad to make this a balanced and wholesome meal.
Although most of the Indian curries are gravy-based, the dishes are a bit flexible when it comes to adjusting the gravies. For curries like rajma, chole, or dal, the consistency of the sauce can be thickened so that there is no chance of leakage. When you cook these curries, make sure you are letting them simmer for a longer time so that it is less liquid in consistency. Add more chole, rajma and dal so that the liquid consistency is adjusted with the ingredients and your protein intake is also a notch higher! You can pair this with roti or rice as per your preference and enjoy a home-like lunch even in your office.
Dry sabzis are the hero ingredients of the lunchbox. Think of bhindi, cauliflower, aloo matar, and beans, among others, and they will fit perfectly in the box without any fear of leakage. These sabzis also hold their texture and flavour well and do not feel like a task while eating. These sabzis taste best when paired with rotis, as they might feel a bit dry if eaten with rice. Add a bowl of salad, curd, pickle, and papad with this duo to make this a complete meal for your office!
Office lunchbox is a lot more about what you choose to pack and how you pack it. Rather than packing anything that is cooked at home, cook dishes that go well in a tiffin to make your lunch hour exciting and to avoid eating flavourless or leaking food. With a few tips and tricks and some preparation beforehand, you can make your office lunch as exciting and flavourful as your home! Do not forget to take pickle, salad, raita, papad, and dry chutneys in small containers that add the exact Indian touch and taste even to your meal.
