I have so many fond memories of the festival of Rakhi. My aunts, uncles and cousins would come at our place to celebrate Raksha Bandhan. After the ceremony and rituals we would indulge in Rakhi Lunch Menu. This lunch menu was always special. Lunch menu would include poori, chole, aloo, etc. At times there would be dal baati and churma and so on.

Rakhi is a festival of bonding. It celebrates the bond of brother and sister. Eating together is a part of that celebration. Lots of lunch dishes are prepared which include Indian snacks, rice recipes, paneer recipe etc. Few things are so staple in the Indian lunch menu list.

• Indian snacks
• Paneer recipe
• Indian curry
• Indian dessert
• Rice preparation
• Indian bread
• Raita
• Salad
• Accompaniments

Well, it is very important to have a perfect Lunch Menu for Rakhi. Now the question is how to make a menu?

The occasion for which we are making the menu is Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi. It is a lunch menu. Generally, people fast till the ritual of tying the Rakhi takes place. And therefore an elaborate but practical lunch menu is important for Rakhi. Following points should be kept in mind while making the menu:

1. Start off with deciding what all you want to include in the menu. Then search for its options. For instance, a quick lunch menu could include curry, bread, and dessert. For this, the options are dal baati churma, chole kulcha with rice kheer and so on. So first decide how many dishes to make and then think about what to make?
2. The lunch menu should be prepared without onion and garlic if onion and garlic are not consumed on this day.
3. The menu should include items which can be prepared in advance, i.e. a day before.
4. The items on the menu should have a universal appeal. It should include healthy lunch recipes for the weight watchers in the family, who are always concerned about the calories in Indian food, Indian lunch ideas for kids for our little ones, fast recipes for the ones fasting.
5. The Indian snacks included in the lunch dishes should not be too filling; otherwise, the remaining lunch food will not be relished by anyone.
6. Rice recipes should be chosen as per kids’ choice. Because kids love to have rice and yogurt preparation and this makes a complete Indian lunch for them.
7. Paneer recipe is indispensable for any lunch or dinner menu. Paneer is an expensive ingredient and therefore should be used to make a side dish.
8. Indian curry includes chole recipes, mix veg. etc. These curries can be relished with any Indian bread/rice etc.
9. Poori is the best choice for this lunch menu. Poori is liked by one and all. It is very versatile. And shall be relished by the guests with the curry or side dish or any accompaniment such raita/pickle etc.
10. Dessert, for the dessert it is better to go for cold dessert or easy sweet or quick dessert. It should be something which can be prepared in advance. After the rich Rakhi lunch, something cold and light for dessert is liked by all, especially kids. And believe me, our cold desserts are all quick dessert recipes.
11. The accompaniments such as chutneys should be ready a day before. Raita should a simple one.
12. And the most important thing is the menu should be synchronized. Rice, raita, poori, curry, etc; should be able to complement each other.

Keeping all these points in mind following is a sample lunch menu for Rakhi. All the dishes have been prepared without onion and garlic. However, there are options where go can choose regular recipes.

It includes:

• Indian Snack: Palak Patta Pakora
• Indian Curry: Jain Chole
• Side Dish: Tawa Paneer
• Bread: Ajwain Poori
• Rice: Corn Pulao
• Raita: Mango Raita
• Salad: Sliced Cucumber seasoned with lemon juice and black salt
• Accompaniments: Green chutney, Imli Dates chutney
• Dessert: Kesar Phirni
• Sweet: Milk Powder Barfi

You can follow it as it is or omit or add a few items. Many options are listed therein which will help you plan your perfect Rakhi Lunch Menu.

Kesar Phirni: Rich, thick, silky, smooth pudding prepared with milk, rice, and sugar, infused with saffron and enriched with almonds and pistachios is kesar phirni. Make it a day before and put in the refrigerator. On the day of Rakhi, you won’t need to worry about the dessert to be served. Likewise desserts like custard trifle, fruit curd are very easy and super tempting. You might also like to have a look at the kheer recipes. View the recipe here.

Jain Chole: Kabuli chana is cooked in tomato puree along with garam masala and powdered spices to make a spicy and tangy chana masala. If you have no restriction of onion and garlic you can choose to make any other chana masala recipe from the chana masala recipes. View the recipe here.

Tawa Paneer: Easy, simple and quick paneer recipe which is very flavorful because of the pav bhaji masala; capsicum adding the required sharpness, making up for a perfect side dish for a veggie meal. This is a 20 minutes paneer recipe. You can also go for some dry potato dish as a side dish such as achari aloo or jeer aloo etc. View the recipe here.

Corn Pulao: Rice preparation with the sweetness of corn and sharpness of caramelized onions is corn pulao. It is an easy rice recipe which does not call for many ingredients and is liked by all for its distinct taste. You might also like hot and spicy tawa pulao or very subtle and simple kesar rice. View the recipe here.

Ajwain Poori: Deep-fried flatbread made with whole wheat flour, having the earthy flavor of carom seeds (ajwain), flaky yet soft, is ajwain puri. It fits this menu perfectly as it has got no strong flavor and ajwain is great for digestion. You might like to go for kesar poori is just so festive. Dal poori is also an interesting poori recipe which can be tried for the lunch menu. Further, you can choose from our collection of poori recipes. View the recipe here.

Palak Patta Pakora: Whole spinach leaves dipped in gram flour batter and deep-fried to make a crisp pakora is palak pakora. And these crispies are an absolute winner. The trouble with this snack is that you have to prepare it at the time of serving. If this seems impractical you can go for chaat recipes such as papdi chaat, khaman chaat, dahi poori chaat, etc, wherein most of the preparation is done beforehand. View the recipe here.

Mango Raita: Chilled sweetened yogurt with chunks of mangoes is mango raita. This raita complements the lunch menu very well. However, you can also go for the most popular boondi raita or the not so popular makhana raita. Further, you can choose from our collection of raita recipes. View the recipe here.

Green Chutney: Green Chutney Recipe for Chaat is chutney (dip) made of coriander, green chilies, lemon juice, garlic, onions, etc. It is spicy and tangy and the hint of garlic takes it to an absolutely different level. And you know what? Here too you have some choices so pick as per your liking and availability of ingredients from our collection of chutney recipes. View the recipe here.

Tamarind Dates Chutney: When imli and khajur are combined in the best possible way they make one of these chutneys. Short of dates? Do try tamarind chutney made without dates. View the recipe here.

Hope the tips to plan the Rakhi lunch menu and the recipes help you have a wonderful time with your family this Rakhi. Bon appétit!