Living alone in a new city isn’t always easy. Whether you are a student or a working professional, you have to handle everything by yourself. Usually, food takes a backseat and one tends to order meals most of the time. In such cases, the health suffers due to lack of nutritious home-cooked meals. This Dussehra, shed off the kumbhkaran in you and try one-pot dishes at home.
What’s a one-pot dish? As the name suggests, such dishes usually involve pot cooking, wherein all the ingredients are dunked into a pot, covered and cooked together over a gas stove. Not only does it save time and energy, it also lends a delicious aroma to the entire dish because of the infusion of flavours. Khichdi, for instance, is a popular Indian comfort food that is also a one-pot dish. Made in a jiffy and with ease, it can be made for a quick lunch.
Just like khichdi, there are several other one-pot dishes that you can make if you’re too lazy to cook.
1. Lemon Rice
Tangy and tasty best describe this simple and delicious lemon rice dish. It wouldn’t be hard to guess that the main ingredient of the dish is lemon. Soaked rice, mixed with turmeric, ginger and a host of spices is cooked together. Dal like urad dal is also added to it. It is the sprinkle of lemon juice which lends the rice a tangy touch and twitches the taste buds after each bite.
2. Chakoli
While the name sounds a little funny, this is one of the easiest ways to whip up a home-cooked meal using leftovers. One may get bored with dal and roti every day and so chakoli comes to the rescue. Take the leftover dal from last night and temper it with spices. Add crumbled pieces of leftover roti to this pot and stir well. Let it cook for some time and voila. Your dish is ready.
3. Bisi Bele Bath
This is a South Indian version of khichdi, made with rice and lentils. The star of the dish is the tangy tamarind curry that is added to the rice which lends it a distinct flavour. Hot and spicy, the bisi bele bath is full of taste and nutrition. What’s more? The curry or sambhar is filled with lots of vegetables like drumsticks, carrots, beans etc.
4. Chicken Curry Rice
Amping up the protein quotient of your lunch, you can make this quick and easy chicken dish this afternoon. All you need is some shredded and boiled chicken, rice and your choice of vegetables. Dunk all of it in a pot and add some curry powder, cumin and coriander to it. Load up on celery, carrots, beans, and other veggies and enjoy.
5. Shahjahani Khichdi
Have you ever thought of khichdi as a boring dish? Then you must give this Shahjahani khichdi a shot. A rich and decadent one-pot rice dish, this khichdi is loaded with the goodness of cashews, almonds and other dry fruits. Long-grain rice paired with moong dal and grated coconut lend the rice dish a crunchy texture. You can also add tomatoes, carrots, peas and all the other vegetables that you like.
