Cooking hacks for busy people

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world as we knew it, probably forever. Not only has it imposed physical limitations, but also mental ones, where our lives are mired with uncertainty. For me, it has mostly been a mixed experience. I am more grateful than ever for all that I have, and specially for the time that I am spending with close family, renewing old friendships, and getting to learn endless DIY stuff, making me feel like a superwoman who can do pretty much anything! At the same time, I have also felt bogged down by routine and endless work, with a blurring of boundaries between work and home, household chores, and almost no options for a break or to let off steam. Add to it the anxiety about so many things going wrong in the world around us, and some days really feel better when they end.

 

I have mentioned before that I am an extremely lazy cook, and I find everyday cooking to be a rather mundane task, unworthy of my time. But we don’t really have a choice now, do we? In this fight or flight mode, I have discovered some lifesaving cooking hacks that totally work for me. These may not work for people who like to slow cook their daals overnight. But, if you are anything like me, you will probably appreciate the list.

Source: Getty Images

1.     Buy a good quality vegetable chopper - It really cuts down time in the kitchen. You could buy something that’s multipurpose with a dough kneading attachment, and you have at least 2 things sorted.

 

2.     Stack your freezer with cut vegetables - I get huge quantities of carrots, beans, and beetroot, and chop them while fresh. Then store them in airtight containers in the freezer. That way, I can make stuff loaded with veggies whenever I want, without getting intimidated by chopping.

 

3.     Use your pressure cooker for making gravy masala – When you want to make gravy dishes like rajma or matar-paneer, but don’t have time to roast the masala, simply blend all the masala ingredients – tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger – and put this paste along with ghee in the pressure cooker. DON’T ADD WATER. Cook it on high heat for about 6 whistles, and then wait for the steam to get released. On opening the cooker, just sauté the paste for a bit until you feel the ‘rawness’ has gone away. Vellah! Gravy masala is ready.

 

4.     When making halwa, roast the flour before you add ghee – This will cut down your roasting time to about 1/3rd (or less). Trust me.

 

5.     Make generous use of the freezer – Make ample amounts of gravies, gravy-masala, or cooked vegetables and store them in the freezer for future use. When stored properly, they will easily last a couple of months. I have safely used the freezer for storing pretty much everything – from paranthas to breast milk. So convenient.

 

6.     Always have ginger paste and minced garlic in your fridge – Like, always!

 

7.     Versatility is key – Try and make more of the stuff that is versatile. For instance, Shahi Paneer gravy can also be used to make butter chicken and also malai kofta gravy. I follow a simple, fool proof recipe for the gravy, and always make extra.

 

8.     Discover your favourite brands of pre-mixed spices – While it is best to grind your own spices, it is far more convenient to have pre-mixed ones. Find which brand of garam masala, pav-bhaji masala, chicken masala, etc. you like, and stock up on it.

 

9.     Leftover rice makes for a great meal – Use leftover rice to make flavourful dishes like tomato rice, lemon rice, puliyogre, mango rice (yeah, it’s a thing 😉). Simple, 10 minute recipes.

 

10.  You really don’t need to cream the butter and sugar to make a decent cake – Go ahead and save 20 minutes of your time. Just put all the wet ingredients in the mixer, and fold the dry ingredients into the blended mix. Your cake will turn out fine.

 

11.  Kasuri Methi will bring the most boring dish to life – It’s one of my favourite spices. You can use it in gravies, in dry preparations, over paranthas; and it instantly gives a rich, flavourful dish.

 

12.  When cooking for guests, Chhole and Shahi Paneer are the easiest dishes – Thanks to my favourite Amritsari Chana mix, and a simple Shahi Paneer recipe, these are always my go-to dishes when we have guests over.

 

13.  It’s perfectly acceptable to have breakfast dishes in lunch – or dinner, or vice versa. You get the idea.

 

14.  Vegetable atta noodles are a valid meal – Need I say more?

 

These are some of the hacks that came to my mind. I’m pretty sure I do more jugaad when I enter the kitchen. I have also briefly tried OPOS cooking, but I didn’t have patience for burnt pressure cookers. Which reminds me, it’s best to wash vessels at the earliest. The pile of dirty dishes will be an even bigger kill-joy when you try to approach it later.

 

 

 

Happy cooking!

 

 

 

P.S. – If you’d like me to post more detailed recipes, please leave a comment!