Easy, quick but interesting hot lunches

I did a thread a bit like this last year, but it’s that time again when the days get a bit colder and greyer and a nice lunch that adds a bit if literal and metaphorical warmth to the day is more appreciated. So, let’s have your ideas. It should be something that’s ideally cookable in under 10 minutes, up to 15 minutes at a push, with faff levels kept to a minimum.

I’ll start – get one of those packets of Korean-style noodles, the ones with the dried noodles and little sachets of flavouring/spices, a selection veg and an egg. Finely slice the veg, you need a good handful. Start frying the egg. Put the veg in a pan with about half a pint of water, bring to the boil. Give it a couple of minutes and add the noodles and spices. Let that boil for a couple of minutes then turn the heat off and it can sit for a bit. Pour the veggie noodles into a bowl, put the egg on top, and for an extra flourish add a dollop of whatever exotic chutney you may have available. Lovely.

I wish I hadn’t read the Unrban Dictionary definition of a hot lunch. 🤢

Get a microwave egg poacher. It’ll change your life.

Office Huevos Rancheros.

Mini tortilla with a splodge of guacamole and a splodge of salsa. Spread it about a bit, whap a poached egg on it and sprinkle with a bit of grated cheese.

Takes about two and a half minutes from start to finish

Scrum-diddly-umptious.

I buy those plastic trays of stir fry veg from Lidl, stir fry half of that (adding cashews and teriyaki sauce), while cooking half a sheet of egg noodles separately and combining in wok at end.

Tasty, filling & healthy in less than 10 mins.

Probably not viable in an office kitchen though.

Air fryer + pie or sausage roll, sorted

Mini tortilla with a splodge of guacamole and a splodge of salsa. Spread it about a bit, whap a poached egg on it and sprinkle with a bit of grated cheese.

See, the thing is that every time I see a poached egg I’m forced to think “that could have been fried”. Other than that, nice.

I wish I hadn’t read the Unrban Dictionary definition of a hot lunch. 🤢

i just googled it…..never going to unsee that

I think we might be losing sight of the ‘interesting’ condition…

I think we might be losing sight of the ‘interesting’ condition…

Have to keep a firm grip on the minimal faff

Soups. Particularly home made spicy or curry soups.

get one of those packets of Korean-style noodles, the ones with the dried noodles and little sachets of flavouring/spices, a selection veg and an egg. Finely slice the veg, you need a good handful. Start frying the egg. Put the veg in a pan with about half a pint of water, bring to the boil. Give it a couple of minutes and add the noodles and spices. Let that boil for a couple of minutes then turn the heat off and it can sit for a bit. Pour the veggie noodles into a bowl, put the egg on top, and for an extra flourish add a dollop of whatever exotic chutney you may have available. Lovely.

timely.  had my thai relatives over at the weekend as D-I-L is looking at our local university.  we all went into the nearby asian supermarket and it was a revelation.  ended up buying a few packets of these and we tried them that night.  bit tangy arent they!  (the 2x seem hot enough for us let alone 3x!!) 🥵

got me wondering what i could do with them to add protein, whether you could add a few whisked eggs ‘a la carbonara’ but i think that may end up a bit gopping.  got to admit i dont really fancy the ‘veg in boiling water’ recipe ^^^ so anyone got any ideas to add a decent amount of protein to these noodles and still be tasty (and healthy-ish)?

Scrum-diddly-umptious

Reported

got to admit i dont really fancy the ‘veg in boiling water’ recipe ^^^ so anyone got any ideas to add a decent amount of protein to these noodles and still be tasty (and healthy-ish)?

Just to be clear, the veg ends up ‘just done’, not ‘boiled to death’, if that’s what’s putting you off (I hate overdone veg). You basically end up with something udon-noodle-soup like. To add protein stick mushrooms in, or another egg, or cashews…

And you could stir a cracked egg through, it’d just have an egg Foo Yung / egg-noodle-soup vibe. In fact, I might try it today and see.

Reported

To whom?

The KGBFG?

got me wondering what i could do with them to add protein,

This is going to get scorned, but for quickness I like to add mini cocktail sausages chopped up. It’s pork, which goes nicely with the Asian theme; they are easy to prep since it’s already cooked, they last for ages in the fridge.

For a veggie option chuck some cashews instead. I like to add both.

got me wondering what i could do with them to add protein

Add some Tofu for extra protein – the Cauldron marinated tofu pieces are pretty good for this.

Huel

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Beans………….on…………..toast.

I wish I hadn’t read the Unrban Dictionary definition of a hot lunch.

Now you made me do it too 🤢

Veggie fajitas for less cooking time.

When I worked in Manchester This and That was only a few minutes walk from the office. That was easy, quick, interesting and hot.

Huel

Isn’t that cold and dull though?

Dice an onion and soften that up a bit, add smoked paprika and a tin of black beans, big teaspoon of asda chipotle paste (don’t get the sainsburys one, its rubbish) a stock cube and a dash of water.

It’ll be done in <10 minutes but does get better if you let it do it’s thing for a while, also keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.

Best on a toasted bagel with some avocado and a poached egg (relative faff) or just as beans on toast

@chakaping

there are cold shakes

and there are hot meals you add boiling water too, similar to pot noodles/pastas and rices, except they are supposedly much more nutritious, i have a mix in work to see me through

Anyone that dares to actually think Pot Noodles are decent needs to try these.

So much better

got me wondering what i could do with them to add protein, whether you could add a few whisked eggs ‘a la carbonara’ but i think that may end up a bit gopping. got to admit i dont really fancy the ‘veg in boiling water’ recipe ^^^ so anyone got any ideas to add a decent amount of protein to these noodles and still be tasty (and healthy-ish)?

Pad-Thai

Rice noodles (10min in a bowl of boiled water)

Buy the sauce pre-made, life is too short unless you pre make a batch,

Stir fry tofu in a smoking hot wok until golden and crunch on the outside (not deep fried and leathery like the takeaway stuff 🤢), add as much veg as you like once the tofu is done. Make sure the tofu is cooked correctly otherwise you’ll just have a bland bowl of mush.

Rinse noodles in cold water and separate.

Add an egg to the pan and scramble for a few seconds to coat everything.

Add noodles to pan and stir fry, add sauce.

Smash up some peanuts / cashews and sprinkle on top

Splash of lime and coriander leaves

For high protein, use soy noodles, they are an acquired taste though, under cook them an it’s like chewing shoelaces, overcook them and it’s like eating overcooked shoelaces. And add any flavor/sauce at the last second as anything soy based will soak it up and leave it tasteless.

To add protein in to the noodles I like to add a tin of smoked mussels or if your feeling flush a tin of smoked oysters. 

Slice a few onions, fry it down a bit. Add some garlic. Chuck in a couple of tins of chopped tomoatoes and whatever herbs and spices I find in the spice drawer (most harrisa seasoning this week). Simmer for a while. Put some in a bowl with a poached egg on top and a couple of chunky slices of crusy, buttered bread. The rest of the sauce stuff goes in the fridge and does a couple more days of the same. Just whack some in a bowl and in to the microwave the next day.

Last night’s tea. I continually dine on chilli, curry and cottage pie leftovers.

Otherwise, beans on toasted crusts (again a commodity) with Worcestershire or Hendo’s.

with a poached egg on top

See above (but otherwise sounds nice)

Re the urban dictionary definition, I always thought that was a blumpkin.

Got an air fryer to hand? 15 minutes will net you:

And you could stir a cracked egg through, it’d just have an egg Foo Yung / egg-noodle-soup vibe. In fact, I might try it today and see.

please do, you can be my guinea pig 😀

some good ideas ^^^ for my spicy noodles, thanks.

For spicy noodles, accept no substitute.

For spicy noodles, accept no substitute.

@Cougar unless……

these are what we bought, what you reckon? 🙂

I reckon we need a noodle-off.

For spicy noodles, accept no substitute.

+1, although I do partially attribute my MS getting worse over the last year to those noodles – I’ve stopped eating them now…

Dried noodles, boiled them until ready and then mix in some of this.

Far superior to any instant noodle.