‘Faster than fairies, faster than witches. Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches’ - who can forget these lines from RL Stevenson’s poem ‘From a Railway Carriage’, in praise of the train!
The sight of green meadows; winding tracks and grazing cattle; rhythmic rumble of wheels; blue sky; and flocking birds - travel aficionados know the charms of travelling by train. The adventure that one can experience while travelling on a train is incomparable. And when you have opted for a long train journey, you need to be prepped up with the right kind of food that would last the entire duration of the journey, is easy to carry and nutritious as well. Here are five items that would just be apt for your train travel next time.
Methi Parathas And Dry Potato Sabzi: Parathas have always been a favourite while on a train journey. Methi Parathas are nutritious and they don’t go bad easily. Prepare the dough with curd or milk instead of water and add fried methi leaves enhanced with kasuri methi and onions with the dough to make delicious parathas. Make some dry potato sabzi with less spices that go very well with methi parathas and you will not have to worry about your lunch.
Tamarind Rice And Lemon Rice: There’s nothing like homemade food and when you can get it easily prepared, why not take it on your journey. Tamarind and lemon rice recipes require just a few minutes of effort and can be quickly made with pre-cooked rice. Just add tamarind or lemon and spices for a delightfully tangy dinner recipe on your journey.
Sandwiches: Train journeys give you a lot of time to ponder, catch up on sleep, read and, of course, eat. When you wake up with a hungry tummy after a much-needed afternoon siesta, sandwiches can be the perfect way to evade the hunger pangs. What’s more, they are easy to carry and can be made with a lot of stuff - carrots, sweet corns, chicken, eggs or just cucumbers and onions topped with cheese slices.
Titbits: A train journey cannot be made enjoyable without the thrill of munching on titbits, especially if you are travelling with kids. Make a list of some dry snacks that your kids would enjoy - potato wafers, banana chips, spicy murmura or spicy puffed rice, sweet, crispy chikkis, khakra and so on. Sweets are also a good option if you can pick up some varieties that are dry and would stay for long such as Bengali sandesh, soan papri, besan ka laddoo or even plain and mawa cakes.
Water And Liquids: Even though water is supplied on trains, it is always advisable to take at least four bottles of water while you are travelling by train. Water comes handy at critical moments and is a must-carry item on your train journey. For other times, you can quench your thirst with some small fruity pouches or fruit juice cans that can suffice for quick drinks.
So, with these simple, easy-to-carry food items, your next train journey is sure to be enjoyable.
*Satarupa B Kaur has been writing professionally for a decade. Always on the go, she loves to travel, read books and enjoy playtime with her toddler, as she explores new places and food.