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✦ Week 6 · Ghar Ka Khana

Kala Chana, Arhar Dal & Aloo Matar

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

3 dishes 7 days ~1855 kcal/day (L+D)

Grocery list

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

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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.

Kala Chana Masala

Kala Chana Masala

6 plates this week · ~1.52 kg batch
~310 kcal / serving ~250 g on the plate

Beans

  • 450 g dry kala chana, soaked 8–12 hrs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • — water to cover for pressure-cooking

Masala

  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped (~400 g)
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 3 medium tomatoes (~400 g), chopped
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1–1½ tsp chili powder
  • 1½ tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp amchur
  • 1–1½ tsp salt
  • 250 ml water (1 cup)

Method

  1. Pressure-cook soaked kala chana until soft (often longer than kabuli — 35–45 min). Keep 1 cup liquid.
  2. Golden onions in oil → ginger-garlic → tomato → all powders 30 sec.
  3. Add chana + water/liquid. Simmer 15–20 min; mash a few for body. Finish amchur + garam masala. Portion ~250 g.

From ~450 g dry kala chana. Very filling — 250 g curry is a solid protein base. Batch ~1.52 kg — that is 6 plates of 250 g plus about 75 g spare.

Arhar Dal Tadka

Arhar Dal Tadka

6 plates this week · ~1.52 kg batch
~220 kcal / serving ~250 g on the plate

Dal

  • 350 g arhar / toor dal (about 2¼ cups)
  • 1.05 L water (5½ cups)
  • ¾ tsp turmeric
  • 1⅛ tsp salt
  • 1 small tomato, chopped (optional in cooker)

Tadka

  • 1½ tbsp ghee or oil
  • 1⅛ tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 pinch hing (optional)
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped (~125 g)
  • 1–2 dry red chilies or green chili
  • ⅜ tsp red chili powder (off heat, optional)

Method

  1. Rinse dal. Pressure-cook with water, turmeric, salt (+ tomato) until soft; whisk thick-creamy.
  2. Tadka: ghee → cumin → chili → garlic golden → onion 4 min. Optional chili powder off heat.
  3. Pour over dal; simmer 3 min. Portion ~250 g.

Classic North Indian arhar — not sambar. Keep thick for meal prep. Batched at 350 g dry to cover the 300–275 g dal plates on five days. Batch ~1.52 kg — that is 6 plates of 250 g plus about 75 g spare.

Aloo Matar

Aloo Matar

5 plates this week · ~1.23 kg batch
~160 kcal / serving ~250 g on the plate

In the pan

  • 400 g potatoes, 2 cm cubes
  • 250 g green peas (fresh or frozen)
  • 2½ tbsp oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped (~175 g)
  • ¾ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (~200 g)
  • ⅞ tsp cumin seeds
  • ⅜ tsp turmeric
  • ⅞ tsp cumin powder
  • 1¼ tsp coriander powder
  • ⅝–⅞ tsp salt
  • ⅜ tsp garam masala
  • 200 ml water (1 cup)

Method

  1. Heat oil; cumin 20 sec → onion 6 min → ginger-garlic 1 min → tomato + powders 5 min.
  2. Add potatoes; stir 2 min. Add water + salt; cover 10–12 min until potatoes almost done.
  3. Add peas; cook 5–6 min more. Garam masala. Portion ~250 g. Lighter sabzi — pair with dal/paneer.

~160 kcal per 200 g. Protein from the dal or paneer on the plate. Batch ~1.23 kg — that is 5 plates of 250 g plus about 65 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 450 g kala chana, 8–12 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. Kala chana — pressure-cook 35–45 min (slower than kabuli).
  2. Arhar dal — pressure-cook with turmeric + salt.
  3. Put 1225 g dry quinoa or rice on (≈ 3.6 kg cooked). The week needs about 260 g cooked grain per plate.
  4. 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, 5 tomatoes, ginger-garlic, chilies, cilantro.
  2. Cube 460 g paneer for the veg plates and 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. Kala chana: masala base + beans + amchur, simmer 15 min. ~1.52 kg batch · 250 g portions.
  2. Arhar dal: ghee-cumin-garlic-onion tadka poured over the whisked dal. ~1.52 kg batch · 250 g portions.
  3. Aloo matar: masala → potatoes → covered 10 min → peas 5 min. ~1.23 kg batch · 250 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: 250–250 g curry + ~260 g grain + ~200–250 g yogurt. Label the boxes.
  3. Fourteen plates come off three batches (1.52 kg + 1.52 kg + 1.23 kg), 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 250–250 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.