Its been a while since the slacker desi housekeeper had her say.
Summer is a time to relax- school is out, here in California at least the days are too beautiful to spend slaving over elaborate meals when the outside beckons. I therefore present tried and tested super easy ways to put food on the table. This post is actually dedicated to those days when there is barely anything in the ‘fridge and you are feeling too damn lazy to go grocery shopping!
1. Desi homes often have left over rice.
Here are 2 recipes that use plain, leftover cooked rice.
- I call this one “Hostel rice” because thats what we used to eat often at hostel ( that’s “dorm” to you Amreekans!). Heat a little oil in a “Kadahi” or saucepan. Add some cumin seeds ( jeera). After the seeds have spluttered, break a two or three eggs into the mix. Scramble the eggs with a spoon. Add salt, pepper, chilli powder ( optional). If you have some shredded cheese ( any kind!) , add a handful and mix into the eggs. ( You can omit this step). Add the rice, mix through. Serve hot.
- Standard “Masala bhat”. Heat oil. Add mustard seeds and one dried red chilli. Add chopped onions and curry leaves ( kadi patta). Add turmeric( haldi) , salt chilli powder.When onions are brown add rice and mix. Serve hot.
2. Here is something I invented on one of those days when I was totally out of inspiration for dinner. Its a spin on traditional “kadhi”
Heat oil. Add chopped onions and fry till translucent. Add salt, turmeric powder ( haldi). Add a few large spoons of Sour cream ( I use Daisy – any brand will do). Mix well. If you have some yogurt, add that too. This dish is surprisingly tasty when served with hot rotis!
3. Here is my favorite , super quick desi tandoori paneer pizza recipe.
The base for this is frozen plain cheese pizza- you can use any brand but I am partial to “Tony’s’ which I get at my local Safeway. Its cheap and delicious. Note that you want the plain cheese pizza with no additional toppings.
Chop up some store bought paneer into cubes.Chop up a small onion , Mix paneer cubes and onion in a bowl. Add a teaspoon of “Tandoori Masala”. You can use any brand – they are usually marketed as “Tandoori Chicken Masala”. If you like spice, add some chopped green chillis. Squeeze juice of one lime and let the mixture marinate for around 15 minutes. In the interim, preheat the oven per the instructions given for the frozen pizza. Top the cheese pizza with the paneer mix and cook per instructions. Make sure the paneer has browned a bit. Believe me , this makes one super delicious pizza!
Happy slacking!
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