Dinner is when we get to spend some quality time with our loved ones. If you don’t have much time (or loved ones), making dinner can be a dreary prospect. What you need is to rustle up something that tastes delicious and requires less time to prepare. Even if you are not a big fan of curry, you will love these quick Indian dinners that can be made in just a few minutes. These are not just recipes but life hacks!
1. Chana Dal With Rice Or Chapatis
Chana dal is the great Indian food ingredient. We take it for granted but also can’t do without it for more than a few days...perhaps a week for the most stoic among us. It’s the washing that leads to procrastination, isn’t it? Yet, chana dal needs to be simmered with aromatic spices and vegetables for just a few minutes to make a nutritious, healthy, and tasty dal. You can also try out variations of this recipe by substituting chana dal with black gram or masoor dal. To make the chana dal more nutritious, you can add pomegranate seeds, crushed urad dal, crushed peanuts, raisins or even amchur okra. Have it along with rice or chapatis at dinner for a wholesome, nutritious meal.
2. Creamy Dal Makhani With Chapatis Or Pooris
Dal makhani is a rich, creamy north Indian curry served with soft roti or poori. Like other curries, it is also gluten-free. Dal makhani is made from lentils, kidney beans, butter, cream, tomatoes, and spices. If you know how to make a regular dal at home, you can make dal makhani in just 9 steps.:
- Heat oil in a pan
- Add mustard seeds, and let them crackle
- Add green peas and sauté till they turn pink
- Add chopped onion
- Add ginger
- Sauté till they turn translucent
- Add lentils & kidney beans; sauté them for a few minutes
- Add tomatoes and turmeric
- Simmer the dal makhani for 10-12 minutes
- Serve it with rice, chapatis or pooris. Your dal makhani is ready in approximately 30 minutes and can be had over the next few days with fresh roti. For such an elaborate dish, it’s easy to cook at home.
3. Lemon Rice With Aloo Matar Curry
Lemon rice is a simple yet nutritious meal. It is easy to make and can be served as an evening meal or as breakfast. Lemon rice makes for a perfect side dish for any Indian or Asian curry. You can serve it with aloo matar (peas) curry, paneer or tofu curry, chutney and pickle for a complete meal. You can also try out different variations of lemon rice by adding vegetables or other ingredients to the basic recipe.
4. Brinjal And Tomato Curry With Rice
Brinjal (Eggplant) is an excellent option for vegetarian curries. It absorbs the flavor of the curry and gets mashed well. You can make it into a curry or make it as a side dish by adding other vegetables. You can also make eggplant and tomato curry by mixing other veggies like potatoes, carrots, bell peppers etc. Eggplant is rich in fiber and vitamins, an excellent source of potassium, and is believed to lower blood pressure. Eggplant is also a good source of protein. Eat it along with rice or rotis.
5. Chicken Curry With Rice
Chicken curry is a delicious and simple recipe that can be made in a jiffy. It is usually served with rice or chapatis. Here's how you can make your brown chicken curry at home quickly:
- Fry onions, then add whole spices & ginger garlic paste
- Add spices like turmeric, red chili, cumin, coriander black pepper & kasuri methi
- Add a few drops of water and fry well for a few minutes
- Add the chicken
- Add potatoes & tomatoes with sufficient water
- The spices will flavor the chicken and make it delicious. Serve it with steamed rice or chapatis.
6. Tender Lamb Shanks In Curry
Lamb shanks are a great source of protein and rich in minerals. They are best served with gravy or curry. You can make tender lamb shanks in curries for a hearty meal. Curry made from shanks tastes great with some roti or jeera rice. Add herbs and spices like cumin seed, black pepper, coriander seed, bay leaf, cinnamon, black salt, red chili powder, garam masala, garlic, ginger to the Lamb shank curry to spice it up.
7. Simple Vegetable Rasam With Rice
Rasam is a delicious soup made from lentils, veggies, spices and tamarind. The tamarind dominates the opening taste, but the rest really brings magic as the taste settles. Rasam is, of course, usually served with rice, but can be had with idli or dosa as well. The spices and herbs used in rasam are cumin, mustard seeds, black pepper, garlic, curry leaves, coriander leaves that relieve you from cold and are also said to assist in digestion. It’s a great dish to make when you’re in a hurry and want to feed your family something nutritious.
