In the rush of our daily life, it’s super hard to find the time to cook an actual healthy, yummy meal. That’s why any food hack makes our lives easier. Check out our awesome DESi food hacks to help you out in the kitchen. (PS: #7 is king)
1. Prepare and store gravy beforehand for quick sabzis.
Ever wonder how Indian restaurants bring you elaborate food so quickly? Shahi paneer, butter chicken, dal makhni...the list goes on. Let us introduce you to a food hack from restaurant kitchens. North Indian food uses a few common gravies that you can make on a weekend. Store it in an air-tight container and it'll last you at least 2-3 weeks.
Try a cashew gravy for the rich Mughlai foods, or a simple sauteed onion and tomato gravy that goes into rajma, chola, and many other recipes. With the most time-consuming parts covered, you're free to throw together an impressive dinner party, any time.
2. Milk fights too much salt.
If you're an amateur cook, this DESi food hack will save your life over and over. As an amateur, you can put too much salt without realizing it. Not only does that taste terrible, it's also unhealthy. But don't worry. Just add a splash of milk to neutralize the salty taste.
3. DIY All-Purpose Masala.
This is an amazing food hack for millennials. Most Indian vegetables use the same masalas - turmeric, red chilli powder, dried coriander powder, and mango powder for potato-based dishes. If you struggle with figuring out the right proportions of masalas, or simply don't have the time, throw together these basic masalas in the right proportions to create an all-purpose masala that can be used for every vegetable ever. Customize it by adding other masalas you like, and bingo. Cooking will be 10x simpler, always delicious.
4. From the fridge to the frying pan: DESi food hack for healthier puris
We'd love to binge on puris if they weren't so oily. But you can eat guilt-free with this food hack. After rolling your puris, simply keep them in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before frying. You'll find that they soak up less oil, but remain nice and crispy. Happy hogging!
5. Used teabag? Stick it in the fridge.
Indian food is super flavourful, but it smells just as strongly. Nobody loves that. Luckily, there's an easy DESi food hack to take care of this problem. Simply put a used teabag in the fridge to soak up the smell of your leftover Indian food. You can try this with used tea leaves from your morning cuppa as well.
6. Shake shake baby… to quickly peel garlic.
You probably didn't see this food hack coming. We love garlic because it's delicious, but have you ever tried actually peeling it? It takes forever. But there's a way to do it quickly. Separate the cloves, place them in a jar, and shake shake shake. That's it, done! No more fussing needed.
7. Mega DESi food hack: Ready-to-Eat Rotis
If our DESi food hacks were movies, this one would be a Shah Rukh Khan blockbuster. We're not kidding. Are you ready?
There's a way to speed up the most time consuming and difficult part of cooking an Indian meal (seriously, have you ever tried making a round roti?). Reheating cold rotis sucks. They're best eaten light and fresh. So here's what you should do. When you have time, roll rotis as usual and then only half cook them. When you're eating your meal, put the roti on a hot tawa and continue to cook as normal. You'll have a nice fluffy phulka in no time!
So what did you think of these food hacks? Try them out in your own kitchen and leave us your comments!
