Rock with rolls

Finding new ideas for kids’ lunch boxes can be a challenging  job.  Many children do not like to eat food, which will mess up their hands as they are always in a hurry to finish their lunch and head out to play. They prefer the food to be dry so that it can just be gobbled up without much fuss. And of  course, we parents are always trying our best to make their food nutritious.

Keeping this in mind, wraps or rolls seem like a  good lunch option. Wholesome and filling, they look interesting and are a great way to make kids eat different vegetables. Using wheat flour or multigrain flour to make the wraps (like chapatis) will make the rolls healthier. Here are some ideas for the filling:

Paneer lajawab roll
Ingredients: 200 gm paneer or cottage cheese (cut into pieces), 1 large onion (cut lengthwise), 7-8 garlic cloves, 3-4 whole red chillies, 6 cashew nuts, 10-12 curry leaves, ½ cup red and green bell peppers (cut into strips), 3-4 tbsp  oil, salt, 1 tbsp cut coriander leaves.

Method: Grind together garlic, cashew nuts and whole red chillies to a fine paste and keep aside . Heat some oil in a thick bottomed pan; add the onion and curry leaves. Sauté it on a low flame till it turns translucent; add capsicum and sauté for a few minutes. Add the ground masala and cook till the oil separates; put 2 tbsp of
water and salt to taste and mix well. Add the paneer pieces and cook till completely dry and garnish with coriander leaves.

Hakka mushroom roll
Ingredients: 14-15 button mushrooms  (cut into quarters and blanched), 1 large onion (chopped), 1 tbsp ginger, garlic and green chilli paste, ¼ cup bell peppers (green , red and yellow cut into strips),  1-1½ tbsp soya sauce, 1 tsp green chilli sauce, ½ tsp pepper powder, 1 tsp cornflour (dissolved in ¼ cup water), ½ cup spring onion (finely chopped), 1 tbsp oil, salt

Method: Heat  oil in a thick-
bottomed pan, add chopped onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes; add the ginger garlic and chilli paste and sauté for a few minutes on a low flame. Add mushrooms and bell peppers and continue cooking. Add the cornflour mixture, soya sauce, green chilli sauce, pepper powder, salt (if needed, as the sauces already
contain salt) and spring onions and mix well and cook till completely dry.

Chicken roll
Ingredients: 500 gm boneless chicken (boiled and cut into small pieces), 2 large onions (chopped), 1½ tbsp ginger garlic paste, 2-3 green chillies (finely chopped), 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp garam  masala powder, 1 tsp chicken masala, ½ tsp pepper powder, 1 cup spring onion (finely chopped), 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp coriander leaves, 3-4 tbsp oil, salt

Method: Pour some oil in a thick-bottomed pan and sauté the onion till translucent; add chopped green chillies and ginger garlic paste and cook on a low flame for few minutes. Add the chicken pieces and mix well.

Cover and cook on a low flame for 5-6 minutes. Then add all the dry masalas and spring onion and mix properly. Add the lime juice and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Hema Anand