Spill‑proof, desk-friendly Indian lunches for days full of meetings — what do you actually bring?

I’ve been living on rolled-up parathas and jars for meetings days — few favourites: paneer/egg kathi rolls (cook filling dry, roll tight in a paratha and wrap in foil), cooled lemon rice or tamarind peanut rice in a leakproof container, and chana chaat in a mason jar layered so the chutney stays at the bottom and crunchy bits/top greens stay dry until you shake it. Other easy ones: dhokla (cold, low-smell), moong dal chilla rolled with grated carrot and hung curd, roasted masala peanuts/chanas for snacking, and boiled eggs dusted with chaat masala. Packing tips: wrap rolls in parchment then foil to stop grease soaking through, put wet sauces in a tiny screw-top pot or at the jar bottom, and pack an extra napkin — the oil and masala dust always finds a way out. Biggest annoyances: soggy salads from wet chutneys and oily wraps leaking into bags. For extra protein (if you’re lifting), add paneer cubes, boiled eggs, or spiced roasted chana — they travel well cold.

Sundal (spiced boiled chickpeas/black-eyed peas with coconut and curry leaf) is my go-to — sits fine at room temp, low smell, and you can eat it with your fingers. Another thing I like: khakra or thepla rolls stuffed with a dry-ish filling (methi thepla with spiced mashed peas or paneer that’s been patted very dry) — less greasy than parathas and they don’t leak. Packing trick that’s helped me: freeze a tiny silicone cup of plain curd or lemon-tamarind chutney overnight and drop it into your box in the morning — it doubles as an ice pack and thaws slowly so the sauce isn’t watery by lunch. Also use silicone muffin liners or small foil corners inside a container to keep crunchy bits (sev, roasted nuts, sliced raw onion) separated until you’re ready to eat. Anyone else tried frozen condiment cubes? I’m curious if they survive a really long meeting day without turning everything soggy.