Picture this – you get done with work late and you still have a delicious, no-fuss home cooked meal ready in minutes for yourself and your family. Sounds like a dream come true, right? I have been meal prepping for years now. Meal prep is a great way to save time and even money. It also helps a lot in reducing food wastage. Meal prep simply means getting organised and keeping your mise en place (the French culinary phrase literally means ‘putting everything in its place’). Meal preps for an Indian kitchen is mostly unheard of, but it can be done. In fact, it is much easier.
Simply put – you prepare portions of your meals and store it in your fridge/freezer. When you need to eat, you can simply warm up the food or assemble/prepare your dish with the pre-prepped ingredients. You can pack meals for up to a week, but you can begin with prepping for 3 days. Do them on a free day, preferably on a Sunday. It may sound a little overwhelming at first, but with patience and practice, you can make this a part of your routine.
Before you do anything, you need to stock up on reusable, airtight food storage containers and zip-lock bags. Preferably buy microwave- and oven-proof glass containers that will make your prepped ingredients or meals stay fresh longer by locking bacteria and odours out.
Figuring out how many meals to make and what to include in each meal can sometimes be tricky. The best way is to first decide on which meal-prepping method fits your lifestyle.
• Make-ahead meals: Full meals cooked in advance, which can be refrigerated and reheated at mealtimes.
• Ready-to-cook ingredients: Prepping the ingredients required for specific meals ahead of time as a way to cut down on cooking time in the kitchen.
• One portion meals: Preparing fresh meals and portioning them into individual grab-and-go portions to be refrigerated. This is particularly handy for quick breakfasts or mid-day meals.
Start with planning your menu for one meal. It could either be breakfast, lunch or dinner, or simply some midday snacks. Make sure you initially pick recipes that are easy to follow. Over a period when you have mastered your unique style of meal -prepping you can select more elaborate recipes, and plan your meals like a pro.
Always chop fruits and vegetables
Ask anyone that cooks, they will all tell you chopping is what they dread the most. Preparing any meal requires a lot of chopping. It is always best to chop vegetables, especially gourds, beans, root veggies, pumpkins, aubergines, leafy greens - practically any vegetable - and store them in the fridge in zip-locks or air tight containers. It’s always useful to chop a small batch of onions and tomatoes, and store in the fridge. This really expedites the cooking process and keeps the vegetables fresh for a long time. Pro tip: Never store damp vegetables. Always wait for the vegetables to dry after washing, then chop and store.
Similarly, you can also stash off-season fruits in the freezer to last longer for smoothies and shakes.
Have curry ready in minutes
Every Asian household loves their curries be it Indian or any other cuisine. But making curry after a long working day is a challenge. Most curry pastes can be prepared and stored in the fridge for up to a week, or even longer when frozen. Always make a batch of your basic curry masalas like hariyali masala, makhani masala, korma masala, etc. that you can use through the week and alter according to the recipe. You can also make a batch of homemade pestos, mayonnaise or pasta sauces and refrigerate them. Sauces or pastes containing dairy have a shelf life of two-three days in the refrigerator, so make sure you consume them within that period.
Always have your condiments and spice mixes handy
Every Indian kitchen uses a lot of herbs, spices, and condiments. To save time its best to always prep your condiments and spices. Always prep and store bags or containers full of peeled garlic, minced/ julienned ginger, green chili, washed and cleaned coriander leaves (make sure there’s no water content while storing them). Always make a batch of ginger garlic paste and spice mixes you use a lot in your cooking like garam masala, coriander powder, a specific curry powder, cumin powder, etc.
You can prep your lentils, chickpeas and beans in advance
An Indian meal is incomplete without dal. Dal tadka, dal fry, khichdi, sambar, rasam, kootu - all these dishes need either toor dal, moong dal or masoor dal. And when you have cooked dal ready, you can prepare any of these dishes in no time. Simply rinse and boil your lentils, let them cool down, smash them and store in air tight containers in the fridge for two-three days. You may even freeze them in silicon ice trays or zip-lock bags to last you for weeks. Similarly, with chickpeas, rajma or black-eyed beans you may boil them in advance and store in the refrigerator for up to four-five days.
Ready-to-eat healthy snacks
A perfect solution to your mid-day hunger pang or a quick breakfast. You can make a raw salad, a fruit cocktail, or even pack a healthy oatmeal in advance. Make muesli cups, cold soups, instant noodle jars, milkshakes: the options are endless. It’s always best to keep these handy. Pro tip: While prepping a salad in advance, always pack the dressing separately.