Delicious picks for a delightful lunch

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The thought of gorging on a plate of oily chola-bhatura or ghee-dripping paranthas sounds averse to the mind in summer season. Even a shahi paneer floating in oil or biryani with too much spice becomes equally repelling when the City is reeling under a heatwave.

What comes to the rescue of the foodies then are lighter options that may not necessarily be ‘healthy’ yet are delicious and sure to increase one’s appetite. It is tough to discover options that work as replacements for a heavy meal but the list is long, once you start thinking about it. Starting from exotic salads and cold soups to desserts and rich beverages, one can try it all to gratify the glutton in oneself and yet give a miss to the rigours of digesting ‘over-oily’ food.

Since it is mango season, various dishes made from the fruit are an obvious choice. One can try a mango mousse, mango smoothie or the good old mango shake! Each of these is capable of satiating the mammoth hunger for a full lunch while leaving a tantalising taste in the mouth. Chef Prabodh Praharaj from Citrus Hotels shares that a mango smoothie is easy to make and delicious to eat. “Peel the alphonso mangoes and mix them to form a pulp. Then add honey and a little sugar to this pulp along with a small quantity of milk. Pour the mixture in a glass and garnish with chopped ripe mangoes to make a perfect smoothie for summer.”

He also suggests double and triple layer versions of smoothie. Mango pro-biotic yoghurt smoothie can have one layer of mango puree and another of vanilla flavoured yoghurt topped with dry fruits to give a double colour. Whereas a Strawberry and peach smoothie can have flavours of both the fruits.

Even tarts and cheesecakes in mango and peach flavour can be opted for. These are both delicious and filling. “For a peach cheesecake, a biscuit base can be used. Form a mascarpone and peach mix by adding gelatin for thickness. Refrigerate this for about 15-20 minutes till it settles and then mould and place on the base,” shares Chef Prabodh.

For those who are not too fond of fruits in combination with milk products, try a seasonal fruit salad or an exotic vegetable and fruit salad. Fresh and healthy, a salad is anyday a good option for a lunch. While different kind of lettuce and iceberg salads can be tried with various dressings, one can also add feta cheese to make it taste more delicious.

A greek salad with feta cheese is a wonderful option and so is a vegetable tagine salad. The latter includes pumpkin, carrot, zucchini, chickpeas and couscous with a dressing of mint, coriander and flaked almonds. The non vegetarian options such as a thai chicken salad with red curry dressing, is equally great. “The meat or chicken when used in salads, can be grilled to enhance the taste,” shares Vineet Wadhwa of Fio Country Kitchen & Bar.  

He adds that to go with these light options, a beverage is a must. “Muddled summer fruit beverages like melon or watermelon with luscious mint leaves and sago seeds will work wonders.”

To top it all, frozen desserts like Frosty almond joy cups (with a base of Oreo biscuits topped with whipped cream and almonds), sorbets and even parfaits (layers of ice cream, syrup and whipped cream) can be considered.