Typical Bangladeshi meal is combined of white Rice or handmade rotis with different types of vegetable curries, lentils and fish and/or meat. But as I want to eat a bit healthy, my meals consists of vegetables and fruits as the base and carbohydrate and animal protein to complement the base. So chopping and cutting these greens take up a chunk of my cooking time. Also, I try to incorporate other non-traditional meals such as pasta, fried rice etc. so that we won't get bored.
I prepare all the food items in weekends. A lot of people say that they don't like frozen food as they taste bland and are often smelly. In that case, you can just prepare things as if they are ready to be cooked. Thus you will need only 30 minutes everyday to have fresh, hot meals on the table. I do both, I mean freeze in batches and also cook fresh during the weekdays.
My weekend prep:
1. Cut all my vegetables and greens. I chop them with knife and the long ones with a kitchen scissor (saves a lot of time), put them in containers or zip lock bags and freeze.
I use these pre-cut veggies in mixed veg curry, Khichri, Daal vuna, Noodles/pasta, Pakora, oats etc. These items can be eaten in any time of the day, either breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks.
2. Make a dough
I dont pre made normal rotis. Whenever needed I mix boiled potatoes, any vegetables, minced meat or daal to make my choice of roti/puri/parata.
Our family only consists of two members so, we need only a few rotis. If you need a large number, you can pre made them and put tracing paper in between, it will stay good.
3. Grind and blend all my spices.
We eat a lot of onions, but who has time to chop all those onions and also cry buckets?
After coming home from grocery shopping, first thing I do is soak all the onions, garlic and ginger in water. After about 1 hour I take them out from the water and the outer layers are already loosened. So its really easy to peel now and cut into small pieces and there will be no tears even! Then I blend them in a blender, put them in air tight containers and deep freeze them. I take one container out each week of the month.
Same goes with ginger and garlic, except that I usually blend them together & freeze them in the same way.
I do the same with coriander. But I don't blend cumin. I usually roast them and then grind them to make powder.
5. Slicing some. I always leave some of the onions, ginger, garlic and slice them and put in small boxes for vorta, beresta, tempering etc.
4. I boil potatoes and grate them.
5. Grate cheese and freeze them.
6. You can also boil and store lentils, specially those types which require overnight soaking. You can easily do them in weekends and store in the freeze.
7. Finally comes the protein prep. After doing all of these, I take the chicken, beef and fish at last.
I usually buy cleaned chicken and cut them into small pieces. Smaller pieces cook easily and don't taste bland in the middle. I divide them into three parts and marinate them differently. Each week our menue varies, for example this week we are going to eat Bangladeshi curry style chichen and Chichen korma and Chicken in teriyaki style in next week.. I'll marinate all of them accordingly and cook at least two of them and sometimes all three. Then I put them in boxes and freeze.
Same goes with beef and fish which we eat a lot less. So I cook only one dish of them and freeze it.
7. Make homemade paneer.
I make homemade paneer to cook palang paneer, paneer masala etc. One batch usually lasts me a couple of months.
8. Roast shuji, Chira (flattened rice), oats, peanuts etc.
We eat at least one item made of shuji each week...either sweet or spicy.
Same goes with oats. I try to buy the instant ones which do not need roasting but sometimes don't find them here hence the roasting.
Fried chira mixed with peanuts is a favorite snack of ours. I always try to make them in advance.
8. Cook at least 4 days worth of curry (vegetable) in at least two style and a lentil vuna.
Now, all my preps are almost done. Lets see what I can do with them.
My this week's menu goes as following:
Days | Breakfast | Lunch | Evening snack | Dinner |
Saturday | Aloo Parata with egg, fruits | Khichri with beef | Grilled cheese sandwich | Khichri with Beef |
Sunday | Pancake with eggs, fruits | Take Breakfast as lunch | Veg Pakora | Cook rice; with frozen veg curry and chicken curry. |
Monday | Egg-potato sandwich, fruits | Take Breakfast as lunch | Oats with milk, fruits | Leftover rice, Frozen Veg curry and chicken curry. |
Tuesday | Oats veg Pulao | Take Breakfast as lunch | Bread with Nuttela for snack | Cook rice, eat with veg curry and fish fry |
Wednesday | Chichen Veg Sandwich | Take Breakfast as lunch | Shuji/Semai | Leftover rice eat with Vortas, Lentil vuna, egg |
Thursday | Chira Veg Pulao | Take Breakfast as lunch | Fruit Salad | Pasta with white sauce and chicken |
Friday | Bread toast, Egg poached, Fruits | Vegetable Fried rice | Chira | Vegetable Fried rice |
Items written in Bold are the only things that I'll cook during the weekdays. And they are mostly breakfast which will also double as lunch. These recipes are extremely easy, healthy, filling and mostly budget friendly. Only effort they require is a little bit planning and I'm ready to go for the whole week.
I decide the veg curries after I come from shopping according to whatever I got from the market. Therefore they are not mentioned here.
And don't forget to take your partner/ housemate's help (if you have one)! My husband usually cleans the apartment, does laundry and do other household chores while I am at the kitchen. After lunch, we usually take a small nap and go to the beach in the evening. Or sometimes stay at home with cup of my special tea while studying for upcoming exams!
Some days are good, some are bad, what can we do... heh? 😉