Easy Indian Meals

 Convenient Indian Recipes that You Can Do at Home

Deep flavours, multicoloured spices, and soothing comfort characterise Indian cuisine. However, many people consider it too difficult or time-consuming to cook at home. That is not right! Indian food is full of fast, simple, and tasty dishes that you can make in the blink of an eye, even when you don't have a worthy experience as a cook.

This article is written to help those who are busy at work and find no time to cook, yet still want to master some Indian dishes. It is also intended for students who have come to college and left home, as well as those who have just decided to enjoy home-cooked Indian cuisine without the need to spend hours in the kitchen.

The following are some simple Indian foods that are tasty, affordable, and easy to prepare for a new cook with limited experience.

1. Veg Pulao ( Veg Pulav )

This is a nutritious but wholesome Vegetable Pulao dish prepared in a single pot. It is made out of basmati rice, mixed vegetables and mild spices, but still it is a go-to recipe when you have less time.

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice
• Carrot, peas, beans, etc.
• onion, garlic, green chilli
• Bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves (whole)
• Garam masala and salt

Quick Tip: To make it a full-fledged meal, you can serve it with plain curd/clear pickle.

2. Chole ( Chickpea Curry )

Chole is another North Indian speciality that is cooked using white chickpeas and spicy tomato gravy. You may buy the canned chickpeas or boil the dried ones using a pressure cooker.

Ingredients:

• Chickpeas
• Onion, tomato, garlic, ginger
• Such spices as cumin, coriander powder, turmeric and garam masala

Add to it: Rice, chapati or even bread. It is protein-filled and satiating!

3. Aloo Paratha (Baked Stuffed Potato Flatbread)

It is a very popular lunch or dinner in Punjab, along with being a favourite breakfast. Aloo paratha is a whole wheat bread rolled and filled with spicy mashed potatoes and fried with ghee or oil.

Serve with: Curd, butter or pickle. You may even pack it in lunchboxes.

Time-saving hint: the stuffing can be made of the leftover mashed potatoes of a previous meal.

4. Poha (Flattened Rice)

Poha refers to a healthy and light Maharashtrian breakfast or snack. It combines flattened rice, onions and peanuts.

Ingredients:

• Poha (Flattened rice)
• Onion, mustard seeds, green chillies
• Turmeric, salt, and Curry leaves
• Garnish with lemon juice and coriander
• Poha takes only 1520 minutes to cook, which is ideal for busy mornings.
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5. Egg Curry

Egg curry is an easy and fast meal that can make anyone think that it has not put much effort into it! The boiled eggs are cooked in an onion, tomato spicy gravy.

Bread with: Steamed rice, jeera rice or roti.

Make it spicy: Add coconut milk or kasuri methi to get some different flavours.

 6. Masoor Dal (Red lentil Curry)

Masoor dal can be counted among one of the simplest and quickest dals of India. It does not need to be soaked overnight, and when cooking, only 15 to 20 minutes are required.

Basic ingredients:

• Masoor dal, Red lentils
• onion, tomato, garlic, mustard seeds
• Turmeric, cumin and green chillies
• Heat it on a bed of hot rice or rotis to get a warming meal.
• Basic ingredients:
• Masoor dal (red lentils)
• Onion, tomatoes, garlic, and seeds of mustard
• turmeric, cumin and green chilli peppers
• Other recipes where you can serve it include rice and rotis that are hot.

7. Paneer Bhurji

Paneer bhurji is scrambled cottage cheese, which is very spiced, tangy, with lots of flavours and tastes awesome and is very quick to cook. It is a fantastic non-meat recipe of egg bhurji.

The way to serve:

Eaten with parathas, toast or even rolled up in a roti like one would eat a roll

Add peas or capsicum to add colour and extra crunch

8. Curd Rice (Thayir Sadam)

This is particularly excellent as South Indian comfort food when it is hot. The cooked rice, along with fresh curd, tempered mustard seeds, curry leaves, and ginger, gets mixed up.

This dish is easy to digest, simple and refreshing to the stomach and needs minimal work to prepare.

Garnish with: Pomegranate seeds or grated carrots.

9. Pancake-Gram Flour (Besan Chilla)

Consider it as some spicy Indian pancake! Besan chilla is prepared using gram flour, onions, tomatoes, chillies and a pinch of spices.

It is to be served up with: Green chutney or tomato ketchup. Good for breakfast or as evening snacks.

It is free of gluten, too, and it contains plenty of protein!

10. Upma

Upma is a savoury South Indian breakfast presentation that is made using roasted semolina (rava/suji). It is gentle, slightly spiced and extremely filling.

Additional nutrition can be given by including carrots, peas, or beans in it.

Tempering: Mustard seeds, urad dal, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves.

11. Lemon Rice

Spicy, sour, and full of aromas, lemon rice is a South Indian concoction crafted out of the leftover rice, lemon juice, and a tempering of a flavoured mixture.

Ingredients:

• Cooked rice
• Curry leaves, mustard seeds, green chillies
• Crunchy peanuts
• Some fresh lemon juice to spice it up!

It is the ideal tiffin dish and can be eaten even cold.

12. Baingan Bharta (Mashed Roasted Eggplant)

Baingan Bharta: Onions, tomatoes, and spices combined with mashed and roasted eggplant look and taste fantastic, strange and smoky.

Serve well with: Phulka (soft chapati) or rice.

Fast trick: Roast eggplant over the flame to achieve an old-fashioned taste.

13. Easy Chicken Curry

Not in the mood to take a lot of weight? This is a simple chicken curry recipe that utilises onions, tomatoes, and garam masala. There is no need for cream or heavy spices.

Dishes to serve it up with: Rice, naan, or chapati.

To save time and to provide flavour, marinate chicken in yoghurt and spices, 30 minutes before getting ready.

14. Tamarind Rice (Puliyodarai)

It is an Agnostic and hot rice prepared using tamarind paste and classical South Indian tempering.

Make-ahead tip: The tamarind paste may be stored and combined with rice whenever necessary. Excellent, either as travel or lunchbox food.

Final Thoughts

Cooking does not have to be difficult and time-consuming; it is also true about Indian cooking. You can also have fabulous dishes under 30 minutes without the use of numerous complicated ingredients and tricky methods. You can begin with any simple recipe, e.g, poha, masoor dal or aloo paratha and then go further at your own steady pace.

You do not have to worry about not possessing all the spices initially. Salt, turmeric and cumin may even work wonders. Its secret is to make it enjoyable and cook lovingly.

If you need recipes for the above dishes, please comment.