Plunging into a week of long hours of work and commute can become exhausting if upon coming home, a bulk of the time is spent in the kitchen prepping and cooking an elaborate dinner. Mid-week blues are real, and it can get extremely exhausting to plan a warm meal after returning home from a hard day's work. One-dish meals are an excellent solution for such days.
A one-pot dinner essentially means making a curry, vegetable or rice variety in literally one pan, or pressure cooker, adding all the essential ingredients to the dish before leaving it to cook. Some simple dishes can be cooked as one-pot meals for nourishing, comforting, mid-week dinners. Read on to know more.
Bisibele Bhaat
A popular dish from Karnataka, bisibele bhaat is made from rice, lentils and vegetables. The healthy, one-pot, warm dinner, can be prepared by putting all the ingredients together in a pressure cooker and steaming them until cooked. The flavour of sambar masala and curry leaves oozing into cooked rice and lentils makes the bisibele bhaat a delightfully wholesome meal on a work night.
Aloo Matar Subzi
Chop potatoes and add fresh or frozen peas to the vegetable for a one-pot, quick dinner alternative. In a tempering of cumin, mustard, turmeric and ginger-garlic paste, add garam masala and amchoor, toss in the veggies and let them cook. Add some water for a curry-like consistency which can be enjoyed with steamed rice.
Panchmel Khichdi
Made from four dals and rice, panchmel khichdi is as nutritious as it is delicious. Add whatever vegetables you find in the refrigerator including capsicum, French beans, tomatoes along with some chunks of chopped potatoes, to the khichdi to get kids to eat their vegetables. Panchmel khichdi is an excellent source of protein and fibre, perfect for a nourishing dinner.
Ghee Rice
Made with generous helpings of ghee, and emanating the aroma of cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, this one-pot rice dish is sheer comfort. Have it with dal or vegetable stew for added taste. Ghee rice is easy on the stomach and mixed with raisins and whole spices boosts digestion, especially during monsoons.
One-Pot Mix Veg
Use seasonal vegetables, chunks of paneer and coconut milk to make this healthy and nutritious dinner recipe. The creaminess of the coconut milk blended with flavours of turmeric, ginger-garlic paste and garam masala is a delectable combination. Have the mix veg with leftover rotis from lunch or a helping of warm rice.
Tahari
A Hyderabadi delicacy, tahari is a one-pot, aromatic, yellow-coloured rice dish made from every day kitchen spices that infuse it with layers of flavour. It can be cooked in the pressure cooker as an easy-to-make, warm meal on particularly busy days. Add soyabean, vegetables or boiled potatoes for a variation.
One-Pot Pasta
This dish is a slightly quicker version of your usual culinary love affair with pasta, a perfect choice for mid-week dinners. Add raw pasta, sauce and your choice of meat and veggies to a pan. Mix in some water and cook the dish until the pasta is al dente. Enjoy with some fresh salad or a slice of garlic bread.
Butter Chicken Khichdi
Marinate chicken in yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, chicken masala, turmeric and chilli powder. Add washed rice to a pressure cooker along with the chicken and leftover marinade with some water and whole spices. Let the chicken and rice cook to perfection before serving this warm butter chicken rice plate. Garnish with corriandar.