Indian foods are among the most flavorful foods anyone can have. The rich aromatic taste however comes at a cost – time. It takes time and enough practice to prepare the best Indian food. This doesn’t mean you cannot make the same meals in record time. Here are a few tips on how to prepare an Indian meal in record time.
1. Pick Simple Recipes And Spices
Try experimenting with simple recipes that require only a few spices to make. The thousands of spices used in Indian cuisines could be confusing. Stick to what is readily available.
2. Buy Small Quantities Of Ground Spices
Buying ground spices in small quantities should save you lots of time. Among other reasons, powdered spices lose their punch as soon as they are opened. You also don’t have to spend time grinding the spices.
3. Use A Grinder To Grind Spices
Avoid the traditional pestle and mortar but instead, go for a machine grinder. A coffee grinder will save you lots of time grinding these spices. You could also invest in a blender with a grinding option for efficiency and better results.
4. Make Use Of The Freezer For Special Ingredients
Herbs are very common with Indian dishes. You, therefore, need to keep these fresh for immediate use. Keeping your curry leaves, coriander leaves, and dill in the freezer will save you lots of time.
5. Freeze Minced Ginger And Garlic
Minced garlic and ginger always come in handy when you need to fix a quick lunch. Mince all the ingredients then place them in ice cube trays. You can then preserve them in zip lock bags to use later.
6. Skip Fried Onion Recipes
Most Indian recipes entail frying onions and masalas until ready. Onions take time to caramelize while masalas will take even longer to be prepared. That said, avoiding recipes that require fried onions could save you some valuable time.
7. Use Greek Yogurt
Although most people prefer to use cream, the thick full-fat natural yogurt (Greek yogurt) will save you lots of time. It also helps add creaminess and texture to curries and is a much healthier option.
8. Add A Little Sugar To Curries
Adding a pinch of sugar to oil, especially when creating curries, helps provide a more vibrant color.
9. The Pressure Cooker Will Help
Every seasoned Indian chef has a pressure cooker nearby. Pressure cookers help reduce cooking times significantly. This is especially so for recipes that take more than 15 minutes to cook.
10. Make More Than Enough
It’s within Indian culture to prepare a little more food just in case. The extra curry, for instance, can be used in another meal.
If you are new to cooking indian food find out the best recipes to try out using the tips above to speed things up.
