Pakistani Lunchbox Ideas for School and Office

Packing a lunchbox every day is one of those small jobs that wears you down by Wednesday. Pakistani food is wonderful hot from the pot but doesn’t always travel well: gravies leak, parathas go soggy and rice dries out. The trick is choosing dishes that taste good at room temperature or reheat well, and doing most of the work the night before.

Lunchboxes that travel well

Paratha rolls. A chicken paratha roll with leftover tikka, kebab or khageena, wrapped in foil, is the easiest Pakistani lunchbox there is. Keep the chutney thick so it doesn’t make the paratha soggy, or pack it separately.

Shami kebabs. Fried shami kebabs from the freezer, with a roti and a little green chutney, are good warm or cold. Kids often like them in a soft bun with ketchup.

Aloo paratha. Stuffed parathas travel well and are filling on their own. Pack yogurt or raita in a small separate container.

Pulao and fried rice. Matar pulao, chicken fried rice or zeera rice with a few kebabs stay good for hours and need no gravy.

Aloo cutlets. Potato cutlets are good at room temperature, especially with ketchup.

Sandwiches with a desi twist. Chicken tikka or shami kebab in bread with salad and chutney, or a spiced egg sandwich made with khageena.

Daal chawal for the office. If you have a microwave at work, daal and rice in separate compartments reheat very well.

What to avoid

• Thin gravies: they leak and make roti soggy. Pack thick, dry dishes or use a sealed container.
• Fried snacks you want to stay crisp: pakoray and samosas go soft. Pack them in a paper bag rather than an airtight box, if at all.
• Raita mixed in: add yogurt-based sides in a separate, chilled container.
• Fish: very strong smells in a shared office or classroom aren’t popular.

Keeping food safe until lunch

In a Pakistani summer, food can spoil quickly in a hot bag. A few habits help:

• Pack food cold, not warm, unless you’re using an insulated food flask. Warm food in a closed box breeds bacteria.
• Use an ice pack or a frozen water bottle in the lunch bag. The water is also cold to drink by lunchtime.
• Insulated flasks keep hot food hot. Fill them with boiling water for five minutes first, empty, then add the hot food.
• Keep yogurt, raita and chutney cold and separate.

A week of lunchboxes

Day	Lunchbox
Monday	Chicken paratha roll (from Sunday’s tikka), apple
Tuesday	Matar pulao with two shami kebabs, cucumber slices
Wednesday	Aloo paratha, small yogurt pot, banana
Thursday	Chicken fried rice, a boiled egg
Friday	Aloo cutlets in a bun with ketchup, fruit chaat

Making it easier

• Cook once, pack twice. Make extra at dinner for the next day’s lunch.
• Keep a freezer stash of shami kebabs, cutlets and parathas. See our freezing guide.
• Prepare the night before. Pack everything except anything that must be freshly cooked, and keep it in the fridge.

A lunchbox doesn’t need to be elaborate. Something filling, something fresh and a little treat are usually enough.