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Showing posts with label save time on cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label save time on cooking. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Spinach rice

It is a lazy Friday afternoon. The sky is overcast and its very windy outside. I am curled up on the sofa with today's Sudoku. Little one's had his lunch and is now busy with his toys.

Everything seems perfect till the hunger pangs hit me. My toes curl in protest as i get down from the sofa. Damn, i curse the Banglore weather. Its turning me into a couch potato.

Nothing fancy today, just a one pot meal. My mind is made up.I make a quick trip to the Pandora's box ( my fridge as i sometimes call it). So, what evil are we going to unleash today????

As i open the door, this evil looking bunch of spinach stares at me. It looks like its cozying up to my Tupperware bowl ( it contains cooked rice ). Humm...so u guys have a thing for each other. Lets get u married i thought (no dates ?? ....no engagement?? guess i was inspired by the wedding mania that has hit the Saas-Bahusphere (aka, the telly world) in recent times).

I made this quick spinach puree ( as i always do..... if you have been reading my blog ) and popped the rice in a micro for heating.

Once they were togather, the duo looked a little sad. What is missing?? Humm....no wedding is ever complete without the baaratis (guests). Another quick trip to the Pandora's box. A rather sad looking half of a yellow pepper and a ripe juicy tomato were staring at me. I guess they were upset abt not being invited. How did i miss u guys?? In you go.

Things are looking better now. But i miss something. Ahh, its the 'Phoren touch'. Indian weddings are incomplete without foreign liquor and exotic flowers/fruits/vegetables/dancing girls. None of them fit by budget, so i decide to make do with some foreign cheese ( made in india, ofcouse ).

Last dash to the fridge. I get the Parmesan and shower some of it over my happily married couple.
Marriage over...now lets hit the food stalls. Thats what we Indians look forward to at all marriage functions.
















Preparation Time : 10-15 mins

Ingredients: cooked rice ( 3 cups ), coarsely chopped spinach ( 1 cup, tightly packed), chopped onion ( 1 small ), ginger ( 1/2 inch long ), garlic flakes ( 10-12 nos ), 1 green chilli or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, tomato ( 1 no, small, chopped ), bell pepper ( one small, chopped ), olive oil ( 2 tsp ), fresh rosemary ( 1/2 tsp), garam masala ( 1/5 tsp ), grated parmesan/plain cheese ( 3/4 cup ), salt to taste.

Preparation: Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok. Add the chopped onion followed by the ginger and 4-5 garlic flakes. Fry till translucent. Add spinach and fry for 5 minutes on medium flame till all the water evaporates. Remove and allow to cool down.

Grind the above into a smooth paste along with the grren chilli (if using).

Cooking: Heat a wok. Add 1 tsp oil. Throw in the garlic flakes and saute for 10-15 seconds.
Add the spinach paste and fry for 2 mins. Stir in the cooked rice and mix everything nicely.

Add the bell peppers, tomato and cheese ( add chilli flakes if using ). Mix well and cook for 3-4 mins. Sprinkle rosemary.

Remove from wok and serve hot.



Saturday, July 20, 2013

Things to stock up for a quick meal

Tired of having Maggie or the Ready to eat stuff every other night. Craving for the comfort and satisfaction of a home-made meal but not finding time to prepare one from scratch everyday.

These are tried and tested tips for those who are constantly battling deadlines(AKA my life before my son was born) and for those harried moms of infants/toddlers who always find themselves running short on time (AKA my life as it is now).

For a hearty meal in a jiffy look no further than our mecca, or the refrigerator as we call it. Some strategic planning and preparation done in advance during the weekend will ensure that you sail through the weekdays without succumbing to the devil in disguise( READ 'Delivery boy' ). Not that i have a thing against those godsend messengers who feed hungry folks, its the 'unplanned calories' that i can do without.

Things i cannot do without:
1. Cooked rice (stays fresh upto 5 days)- Cuts down on your cooking time by 15 mins. Throw in a few ingredients and voila, you have a quick tomato rice/chicken fried rice/egg fried rice/vegetable pulao at hand.

2. Tomato gravy ( Stays fresh for 4-5 days ) - Made by frying and pureeing onions, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, red chillis and tomato. If you want a richer version add some cashew / watermelon seeds. This is the staple gravy for most dishes. Boil a little water, add some of this gravy and throw in some fried veggies/paneer/boiled egg/chicken, and you have a side dish ready in 5-10 minutes.

3. Spinach gravy (stays fresh for 1 week) - Made with blanched spinach, garlic, ginger and green chilli, this can be used with almost anything like chicken, cauliflower, paneer, peas and even pasta.

4. Chopped vegetables ( carrots, cauliflower, bell peppers, okra ) - If nothing else, it saves a few minutes.

5. Grilled chicken (Stays fresh for 3-4 days)- This is one of the most versatile non-veg dishes. One can rub some butter on it, sprinkle a few herbs , wrap in a foil an pop into the micro/oven for 2-3 mins. It is as good as fresh.
Fry some onions and combine with the gravy mentioned in either 2. or 3. and you have a butter chicken/palak chicken at hand. Shred some and throw in a wok with cooked rice, garlic, chillies and soy sauce, and you have a fried rice at hand.

6. Boiled yellow peas/ green peas ( stays fresh for 6 days )- from a quick chaat, ghuguni to a handful added to any curry, one can find many uses for it.

7. Boiled potatoes ( stays fresh for 3-4 days in their jackets )- Jeera aloo, chatpati aloo, aloo palak, aloo chaat, aloo parantha and the list goes on and on.

8. Eggs/Paneer or Chenna ( variable, check date mentione on carton)- From a quick bhurji, omlette to egg parantha, eggsmake for a wholesome and tasty adition to any meal. Similarly, paneer or chenna can be made into a bhurji, parantha or combined with gravy mentioned in 2. or 3. for a side dish.

9. Condensed milk/milk powder - This is for those with a sweet tooth. Cuts down on the cooking time for kheer ( rice/semolina/vermicelli) and gajar ka halwa.

 

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