← All weekly menus
✦ Week 4 · Punjabi Comfort

Dal Makhani, Methi Paneer & Aloo Gobi

Three dishes, cooked once. Every lunch and dinner lists its plate weight (g) and estimated calories.

3 dishes 7 days ~1860 kcal/day (L+D)

Grocery list

One shop for the whole week — three dishes, no leftovers. Tap to check off — saved on this phone.

0 / 0 done

Produce

Dairy & protein

Legumes & grains

Snacks & pantry

This week's three dishes

Every batch below is sized to exactly what the menu eats, plus one spare portion. Scale with a kitchen scale when you can.

Dal Makhani (home-style)

Dal Makhani (home-style)

6 plates this week · ~1.52 kg batch
~340 kcal / serving ~250 g on the plate

Beans (soak 8 hrs)

  • 275 g whole black urad dal
  • 50 g rajma
  • 1.32 L water for pressure-cooking
  • 1 tsp salt

Gravy

  • 2 tbsp ghee or oil + 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped (~200 g)
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 275 g tomato purée (about 3 blended tomatoes)
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp salt (to taste)
  • 60 ml cream or 95 g Greek yogurt whisked (lighter option)
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi, crushed

Method

  1. Pressure-cook soaked urad + rajma with water and salt until very soft and creamy (often 40–50 min). Mash some against the pot.
  2. Heat ghee/butter. Onion 8 min golden → ginger-garlic 1 min → tomato purée + powders 8–10 min until thick and oil shows.
  3. Add cooked dal + a splash of water. Simmer low 20–30 min (longer = better), stirring so it doesn’t stick.
  4. Stir cream or yogurt off heat; kasuri methi + garam masala. Portion ~250 g. Lighter than restaurant — still rich.

High-protein comfort. Yogurt instead of lots of cream keeps kcal nearer ~340/serving. Batch ~1.52 kg — that is 6 plates of 250 g plus about 75 g spare.

Methi Paneer

Methi Paneer

6 plates this week · ~1.73 kg batch
~389 kcal / serving ~280 g on the plate

Gravy

  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 2 large onions, sliced (~400 g)
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 3 medium tomatoes, puréed (~400 g)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1½ tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1–1½ tsp salt
  • 120 ml water (½ cup)
  • 3 tbsp cream or 4 tbsp milk (optional)

Methi + paneer

  • 30 g kasuri methi (dried) — crush well; or 150 g fresh methi leaves, chopped
  • 400 g paneer, 2 cm cubes

Method

  1. If fresh methi: sauté chopped leaves 3–4 min in 1 tsp oil until aroma mellows; set aside. If kasuri: crush and keep ready.
  2. Heat oil. Onions 8–10 min deep golden → ginger-garlic 1 min → tomato purée + powders 8 min until thick.
  3. Add water + salt; simmer 2 min. Add methi; cook 2 min.
  4. Add paneer (+ cream/milk). Gentle simmer 5 min. Portion ~280 g (~65 g paneer).

No mushrooms. Kasuri methi is pantry-friendly; fresh methi is brighter if in season. Batch ~1.73 kg — that is 6 plates of 280 g plus about 100 g spare.

Aloo Gobi

Aloo Gobi

5 plates this week · ~975 g batch
~140 kcal / serving ~200 g on the plate

In the pan

  • 400 g cauliflower florets (medium)
  • 250 g potatoes, 2 cm cubes
  • 2½ tbsp oil
  • ¾ tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 large onion, sliced (~150 g) optional
  • ¾ tbsp ginger, julienned
  • 1–2 green chilies
  • ⅜ tsp turmeric
  • ¾ tsp coriander powder
  • ⅝ tsp amchur
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ⅜ tsp garam masala
  • 1½ tbsp cilantro

Method

  1. Heat oil in a wide pan. Cumin → potato cubes 4–5 min to seal edges.
  2. Add cauliflower, onion (if using), ginger, chili, turmeric, coriander, salt. Toss well.
  3. Cover and cook on medium-low 12–15 min, stirring every few minutes — dry-ish, not steamed mush. Splash water only if sticking.
  4. Amchur + garam masala + cilantro. Portion ~200 g.

Dry North Indian sabzi. No coconut, no mushrooms. Batch ~975 g — that is 5 plates of 200 g plus about 55 g spare.

Grab-and-go breakfasts

Pick one every morning. Weights are as prepared in the jar/bowl.

Overnight oats with banana, berries, and nuts
Night before · best option

Overnight Oats

~450 kcal ~420 g jar
  • 40 g (½ cup) rolled oats
  • 175 g Greek yogurt
  • 120 ml milk or water
  • ~100 g fruit + optional 10 g nuts

Night: mix oats + yogurt + liquid. Morning: fruit + toppings.

~450 kcal with banana; berries leaner (~400).

Greek yogurt jar with apple, blueberries, and roasted chickpeas
1–2 minutes

Greek Yogurt Jar

~320 kcal ~350 g jar
  • 225 g Greek yogurt
  • 100 g fruit, chopped
  • Optional: 20 g roasted chana (~80 kcal extra)

Layer the night before or morning of. Ready in under 2 minutes.

Base jar ~320 kcal; + roasted chana ≈ 400 kcal.

Hot oatmeal with Greek yogurt, banana, and strawberries
Under 5 minutes

Quick Hot Oatmeal

~420 kcal ~400 g bowl
  • 40 g rolled oats + ~200 ml water/milk
  • Microwave 2–3 min
  • 125 g Greek yogurt + ~80 g fruit

Stovetop or microwave. Finish with yogurt for protein.

With water base ~420 kcal; whole milk adds ~60–80.

Sunday prep

About 60–75 minutes active for three dishes. Do the Saturday-night soaks so Sunday is mostly cook and portion.

Saturday night

~5 min
  1. Soak 275 g whole black urad dal + 50 g rajma, 8 hrs.
  2. Optional: wash the salad veg and store it dry.

Phase 1 — Start the long cooks (in parallel)

~10 min to start · 30–45 min unattended
  1. Urad + rajma — pressure-cook 40–50 min until creamy.
  2. Put 1075 g dry quinoa or rice on (≈ 3.2 kg cooked). The week needs about 230 g cooked grain per plate.
  3. While the pots run → Phase 2. Don't stand around.

Phase 2 — One chop, one base

~15–20 min
  1. Chop once for all three dishes: 4 onions, 6 tomatoes, ginger-garlic, chilies, cilantro.
  2. Prep the paneer: 400 g for the methi paneer, 460 g cubed for the veg plates. Keep it chilled.
  3. With only three dishes you can build one onion-tomato base and split it — it saves a pan and 15 minutes.

Phase 3 — Finish the three dishes

~25–35 min
  1. Dal makhani: fold cooked dal into the tomato base, simmer low 20–30 min, finish with yogurt or cream. ~1.52 kg batch · 250 g portions.
  2. Methi paneer: deep-golden onion gravy → methi → paneer, 5 min. ~1.73 kg batch · 280 g portions.
  3. Aloo gobi: seal the potatoes, add gobi, cover and cook dry 12–15 min. ~975 g batch · 200 g portions.

Phase 4 — Portion & store

~15 min
  1. Cool everything uncovered 10–15 min — trapped steam makes watery fridge food.
  2. Box by meal: 200–280 g curry + ~230 g grain + ~200–250 g yogurt. Label the boxes.
  3. Fourteen plates come off three batches (1.52 kg + 1.73 kg + 975 g), so nothing sits in the fridge past Sunday.
  4. Chop salad veg for 2–3 days only; do the rest mid-week. Portion fruit for breakfasts.

Efficiency rule: never cook one pot at a time. The long cooks and the grain should all be running before you start the masala. Three dishes means one chopping board, one base, and one wash-up.

Daily tips

Reheat Splash of water on the curries. Weigh after reheating if you are tracking tightly.
Protein rule Legume or paneer dish + yogurt on every plate. 100 g Greek yogurt ≈ 10 g protein.
Plate template 200–280 g curry + ~230 g grain + ~220 g yogurt. That is the whole plan.
Still hungry? Add salad and yogurt volume before you add grain — it costs the fewest calories.