Desi grocery stores in the U.S. and Canada have expanded immensely in the last decade offering those of us in of diverse backgrounds a convenience in food that earlier generations could not enjoy. Frozen paratha, roti, samosa, pakora, along with microwaveable curries and jars of pastes and masala blends make eating Indian food at home an easy endeavor.
However, some people prefer freshness over convenience, opting still to make things at home. We have some quick tips and hacks that will help you make fresh Indian food at home!
Indian food is known for its employment of fresh herbs and spices. It’s what give the food the beloved punchiness known to the world. Ingredients such as ginger, garlic, and onion play a vital role in many dishes. Peeling and pulsing it can add time to the food prep procedure but opting to not use these ingredients puts your dish at risk of becoming a bland puddle. What do you do?
We recommend cutting and freezing these items ahead of time. Your freezer and an ice tray are an easy way to have these ingredients prepped and ready to be used in a jiffy!
1. To make one cup of ginger-garlic paste, puree 30 whole garlic pods with 3 ounces (about a medium 2×2 piece ginger) ginger. You can store the paste in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Or you can freeze the paste in ice cubes, taking out a cube or two per recipe.
2. To make and freeze caramelized onions, clean 4 to 5 yellow onions. Cut the onions from root to stem in thin slices. Heat a skillet with three tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, then add the onions and cook over medium heat/flame for about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from flame and sprinkle with salt. Then, cool completely and store the caramelized onions in muffin tins to freeze. Once frozen, remove each segment from the muffins well and freeze in a large freezer durable plastic bag. Remove and use as needed for recipes.
Foods such as potato, eggplant, and squashes can be nuked in a microwave to soften so the process of cutting them will be quicker and not as cumbersome.
Potatoes can be put in the microwave for recipes that call for mashed potatoes or boiled chunks as found in many curries.3. For mashed potatoes, a quick tip is to poke holes in your potato, put it in a brown paper bag, and microwave it for about 6 minutes. The paper bag serves as a steaming effect. Once cooked, you can cool the spud, mash, and use as filling for samosas, parathas, or similar recipes
4. To cook chunks, simply cut to the desired size, put in a microwave-safe container, cover with water, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes depending on the size. Then add your chunks of potatoes to your curry as needed. This helps speed up cooking time while not compromising the taste.
The brown paper bag trick also works beautifully for eggplant. It quickly steams the eggplant—which makes it easier to mash—so it’s instantly ready for use in barta-like dishes.5. The rice cooker provides an easy way of freeing up energy and time; you do not have to coddle your rice over the stovetop. A rice cooker is not limited to making plain grain rice alone. You can add meats, vegetable, and herbs for a delicious assortment of pulaos and biriyanis. What’s more, you can cook more than just rice in a rice cooker. You can steam just about anything in a rice cooker! Don’t let the name deceive you of its limitations.
6. A pressure cooker, too, is a godsend in the kitchen with its ability to churn out a number of chicken and lamb curries, daals, legumes, lentils, and even rice.
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