Tag: Quick-Fix Meals

If you do not want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, OneWholesomeMeal has got your back. These quick-fix meals require minimal prep. Also, we make sure that quick means healthy. So you do not compromise on nutrition.

These quick-fix meals are from different cuisines. Plus, we have vegetarian and vegan options. Have a look and try these recipes today.

Kimchi
Kimchi Flavoured Brown Rice
Categories
Afternoon Snack | 3pm Meal Mid-Day Snack | 10 am Meal

Enduri Pitha | Traditional Odia Recipe

Enduri Pitha | Traditional Odia Recipe by OneWholesomeMeal
Enduri Pitha

This traditional Odia recipe is similar to the idli from south India. I discovered the Eduri Pitha late, but am I glad I did!

I love idlis for their versatility. By adding one or more grated veggies of your choice to the idli, it becomes a complete meal with a side of chutney or sambhar. Also, as it is so easy to whip up, it features regularly on the menu at home.

Soon after I got married into an Odia family I came across the sweet version of this family favourite. Called Enduri (pronounced “en-do-ree”) Pitha, it had all my favourite things and more. Enduri Pitha is primarily prepared during Prathamastami, a festival that celebrates the eldest born in the family. It is served as an offering to the deity. Freshly desiccated coconut enlaces palm jaggery and is steamed between layers of the fermented rice-lentil batter. The bliss of devouring piping hot pithas dunked in sambhar or coconut chutney is something that can not be expressed in words. Needless to say, when the kids first tried it, it was a massive hit! And since it is refined sugar-free, I did not mind if they (and us) indulged in it a tad more. Thus Parthmashtmi or not, this pitha is enjoyed irrespective.

It tastes best if one uses freshly desiccated coconut and palm jaggery. However, I have made it with dried desiccated coconut and regular jaggery and cannot complain about the taste.

Step By Step Enduri Pitha, A Traditional Odia Recipe

1. Prepare a regular idli batter as you would for normal idlis. Once done, crush or finely chop approximately one cup of jaggery, one cup desiccated coconut, and some raisins/sultanas (optional) and keep aside.

 

2. Next prepare the idli moulds by greasing them with ghee or coconut oil. Then scoop 1 tablespoon of batter onto the stand. Layer it with 1 teaspoon jaggery and 1 teaspoon coconut. Then cover it with another scoop of batter.

3. Steam it as you would a regular idli. Serve hot with a side of sambhar and/or chutney.

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Coconut-Jaggery Idlis (Enduri Pitha)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 100

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

  • Idli batter-2 cups
  • Desiccated Coconut-1 cup
  • Finely chopped or crushed jaggery-3/4 cup
  • Raisins or Sultanas- 2 tbsp (optional)
  • Oil- 1tbsp (for greasing the idli moulds)

Instructions

  1. Prepare all ingredients as shown in the step by step above
  2. Spoon in 1 tbsp of batter on greased moulds, then add 1 tsp each of coconut,jaggery and raisins. Feel free to adjust the amount of jaggery and coconut as per taste but do keep in mind that adding too much jaggery would make the idlis "bleed out" too much
  3. Then spoon in another tbsp batter making a sandwich
  4. Steam as you would regular idlis (for approximately 15-20 minutes) based on the kind of steamer you use
  5. Serve hot with saambhar and/or coconut chutney
https://onewholesomemeal.com/enduri-pitha-traditional-odia-recipe/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Lunch | 1pm Meal

Cheesy Rice With Vegetables

Cheese Rice with vegetables
Cheesy Rice with Vegetables

This cheesy rice with vegetables is a simple, easy to prepare, perfect lunch box recipe with leftover rice.

The refrigerator – one of the best life-saving inventions of mankind. It is hard to imagine how people survived during pre-refrigerator days. And refrigerated leftover rice is always a life saviour. There are so many ways one can use it from fried rice, pancakes, to cutlets.

Fried rice has to be one of the most versatile of recipes. While I make the basic no-spice variations to mildly spiced, Thai and Indonesian kinds, this fuss-free cheesy rice with vegetables has to be one of my favourites. Flavoured only with onions and curry leaves, the hero is a Mexican Four Cheese Mix which gives this dish a gooey almost risotto-like taste and flavour. It is a mixture of shredded Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero Natural cheeses and it features regularly in a lot of my recipes. My absolute favourite – in a mildly spiced curry, on a toast or even fried eggs.

This cheesy fried rice tastes great hot or even cold making it a perfect lunchbox recipe. Works wonderfully well with a side of protein or even as is. The possibilities are limitless with what veggies or proteins go into it. I usually add carrots, corn, spinach, and green peas. One could also add pre-cooked shredded meat, tofu, or paneer to make this a more wholesome meal.

Cheesy Rice with Vegetables by OneWholesomeMeal

YOUTUBE LINK for the video recipe

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Cheesy Veggie Rice

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 100

Serving Size: 4

Calories per serving: 200 per serving

Ingredients

  • Pre-cooked refrigerated rice- 2 cups
  • Chopped Spinach-1 cup
  • Garlic, finely chopped-1 tsp
  • Parboiled Cauliflower- 1 cup
  • Grated Carrot- 1 cup
  • Green Peas-3/4 cup
  • Boiled Sweet-Corn- 3/4 cup
  • Mexican Four Cheese Mix- 1 cup
  • Finely chopped Onion- 1/2 cup
  • Curry Leaves- 2 tbsp
  • Black Mustard-1 teaspoon
  • Oil or Butter- 1 tbsp
  • Salt- 1/2 tsp and 1 tsp or as per taste

Instructions

  1. Boil water, turn off heat and add cauliflower florets with 1 tsp salt. Let it sit for 15 minutes, drain and keep aside
  2. Heat oil in a pan then add black mustard seeds, chopped garlic and curry leaves; add chopped onions once the seeds start to crackle
  3. Add par-boiled cauliflower and cook covered on a medium flame with intermittent stirring ; add 1/2 tsp salt while the cauliflower is cooking
  4. When cauliflower is 80% done then add spinach and carrot and sauté for two minutes then add peas and corn followed by rice
  5. Sauté for another minute then add cheese and mix
  6. Once the cheese starts to melt, taste for salt, give it one final stir and serve
https://onewholesomemeal.com/cheesy-rice-with-vegetables/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Dinner | 8pm Meal Lunch | 1pm Meal Most Popular Posts

Prawns in Coconut Cream Sauce

Prawns in Coconut Cream Sauce recipe by OneWholesomeMeal
Prawns in Coconut Cream Sauce

There are busy days and then there are ultra busy days. And when it comes to food, what is our go to for most of us during the latter case? Takeaway, frozen or restaurant food! Do you agree? What to do, such is Life! But I have a quick-fix recipe for you – Prawns in Coconut Cream Sauce.

Meal Planning Tips to Eat More Homemade Meals

I recently came across an interesting video on Goalcast that spoke about the increasing obesity rates in America and the primary reasons behind it. And the crux of the 3-minute video was – eat everything, just cook it yourself! Now, I know, that’s easier said than done. At least it’s almost impossible to manage 100% of the times what with social gatherings and last-minute commitments. However, with a little discipline and a certain amount of planning, it is not hard to do it at least 80% of the time. Here are some things that work for me.

  1. Stocking up your refrigerator and pantry with only healthy and easy to cook ingredients
  2. Planning your menu a week (or two) in advance so the groceries are not left to the last moment
  3. Filling or bookmarking easy to whip up healthy recipes
  4. Categorizing them based on your busy and light days

Cutting a long story short, if you really commit to eating healthy, it is very much doable and achievable with a wee bit of planning!

A Quick Fix Recipe for a Busy Day

This prawns in coconut cream sauce is one such recipe that I go to rather often on uber-busy days. It requires minimal prep (even less if you get pre-cleaned prawns from your local fishmonger) and is cooked in less than 15 minutes. No kidding! Simple and readily available ingredients and yet this curry is full of flavours. Also, it is especially liked by children because of its minimal spice levels and mildly sweet flavour thanks to the coconut milk. However, if you do like your curry on the spicier side, you can up the red chili powder in the marinade and add a few extra green chilies to the actual curry.

Try it and rest assured, it would soon become a favourite and make regular appearances during your day to day meals or even when you are entertaining.

Step By Step Prawns in Coconut Cream Sauce Recipe

1. Heat coconut oil and add curry leaves, black mustard, chopped garlic, and green chilies (if using). Once the garlic is brown, add finely chopped onions and sauté till nice and brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The prawns previously marinated in red chili powder, turmeric, salt, and coriander powder are added now. Cook on a low flame for another 2 minutes. Once the prawns are 50% cooked add coconut cream and coconut milk. If you like your curry runny, you could skip the coconut cream. Swapping cream with milk would have no effect on taste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Let the mixture come to boil on a high flame. Then reduce heat, taste for salt, and simmer covered for another 5 minutes or till the prawns are cooked thoroughly. Turn off the heat and serve with steamed rice. Please be careful not to overcook the prawns or they turn chewy. It doesn’t take more than 3-5 minutes for them to cook.

Prawns in Coconut Cream Sauce by OneWholesomeMeal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Print
Prawns in Coconut Cream Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 100

Serving Size: 3

Calories per serving: 183

Ingredients

  • Prawns, shelled and deveined- 300gm
  • Coconut Milk-250ml or 300 ml if not using coconut cream
  • Coconut Cream-100ml
  • Onions, finely chopped- 3/4 cup
  • Garlic, finely chopped- 4 small pods
  • Black mustard-1/2 teaspoon
  • Curry leaves-1 tablespoon
  • Green Chilies-1 or as er taste
  • Red chilli powder-1/2 teaspoon or 1 teaspoon if high spice levels desired
  • Turmeric-1/2 teaspoon
  • Coriander powder-1 teaspoon
  • Salt-1/2 teaspoon for marinade and 3/4 teaspoon for curry or as per taste

Instructions

  1. Clean and marinate the prawns in red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt and keep aside for 30-45 minutes
  2. In a thick, deep wok heat oil, then add black mustard, chopped garlic, curry leaves and green chilies
  3. Once the garlic is brown, add chopped onions and cook on medium-high flame till nice and brown, then add marinated prawns and cook with continuous stirring for 2 minutes (till prawns are 50% done)
  4. Then add coconut cream and coconut milk and mix well
  5. Bring to boil, reduce the flame to medium, taste for salt and cover and simmer for another 2 minutes
  6. Turn off the heat and serve hot with steamed rice
https://onewholesomemeal.com/prawns-in-coconut-cream-sauce/

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Dinner | 8pm Meal Lunch | 1pm Meal

Masala Roast Chicken | One-Pot Meal Recipe

Masala Roast Chicken by OneWholesoemMeal
Masala Roast Chicken

Serendipity and cooking go hand in hand. I truly believe some of the best recipes are born purely by chance and the willingness to try something new. This Masala Roast Chicken recipe is one such.

Let me tell you why. I was hosting some friends for dinner and decided to make Chicken Dum Biryani. I marinated the chicken the night before as per the recipe. Next morning the desi in me went into overdrive and I ended up making a couple of more items than originally planned. By the time I got done, I realised that the Chicken Biryani was not complementing any of the dishes on the menu. And maybe too many choices would lead to people not savouring and enjoying any dish! Hence the biryani plan was canned after consultation with the husband. But the meat had been marinated already! What was I to do with it? Making another curry wasn’t an option as I had already made two of those.

Biryani Chicken to This Wholesome Masala Roast Chicken

So, I decided to make a dry preparation which wouldn’t be as dry as a tandoori recipe but would be great with rotis. And that is how this Masala Roast Chicken happened. The marinade with yogurt and lime adds a slight tang which compliments the heat from the spices perfectly well. While the taste test before serving it to the guests was assuring, the icing on the cake was when one of them commented that it reminded her of her mom’s fried chicken. That compliment meant so much. People like me who cook meals for family and friends on a daily basis crave nothing more than kind words of appreciation.

Well! I hope I have not raised your expectations a tad too much with the above description but I truly believe this is a keeper of a recipe. And an extremely simple one at that. Nothing would make me happier than you trying it out for yourself and sharing your feedback. Do tag me @onewholesomemeal on Instagram when you do end up making this recipe.

 

 

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Masala Roast Chicken

Prep Time: 10 hours

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 10 hours, 30 minutes

Yield: 100

Serving Size: 4

Calories per serving: 190

Ingredients

  • For Marinade:
  • Chicken, cleaned and cut to desired size- 700 gms
  • Yogurt-2 tablespoons
  • Ginger-garlic paste- 1.5 tablespoon
  • Chicken Biryani Masala- 2 teaspoons
  • Garam Masala-1 teaspoon
  • Red Chilli powder-1 teaspoon (optional)
  • Turmeric powder- 1 teaspoon
  • Chopped coriander-1 tablespoon
  • Chopped mint-1 tablespoon
  • Lime juice- 1 tablespoon
  • Salt- 1 teaspoon
  • Mustard oil-1.5 teaspoons
  • For Roasting:
  • Onions, chopped fine length-wise- 2.5 cups
  • Curry leaves- 3 tablespoons
  • Green chilies -2 (optional)
  • Cumin seeds- 1.5 teaspoon
  • Oil or ghee for roasting- 1 tablespoon plus extra

Instructions

  1. For Marinade: Mix the ingredients for the marinade well with the chicken making sure all chicken pieces are well covered with the marinade. Do not hesitate in using your hands and massaging the ingredients in really well into the chicken. Works wonders, trust me!Cover and refrigerate for 8-10 hours. Since we are not using any additional spices during the roasting process, spices in the marinade need sufficient time to flavour the chicken well so do not cut down on time.
  2. For Roasting: In a thick bottomed deep wok, heat oil or ghee and temper with cumin seeds and curry leaves. When the seeds and leaves start to splutter and release an aroma, add chopped onions and green chilies (if using) and reduce the flame to medium high and roast the onions till brown. Then add the marinated meat and continue to roast on a medium flame till done. You could also add a few teaspoons of ghee while roasting to enhance the flavour of the dish. Pleas note that this preparation requires cooking uncovered with constant stirring. If you would like your meat with extra char you could also grill it in a oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes once its cooked through on the stove top. You might need to brush some more oil on the chicken pieces before getting them into the oven depending on how dry they look.

Notes

As always, chicken recipes taste best with thighs and drumsticks.Breast would taste great too but there would be a slight difference and you might need to add extra oil (fat) to soften it out.

https://onewholesomemeal.com/masala-roast-chicken/

 

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Dinner | 8pm Meal Lunch | 1pm Meal

White Matar Sabzi | White Peas Curry

White Matar Sabzi
White Matar Sabzi

I tried white matar sabzi for the first time, only after my marriage. Up until then, I had always eaten it as a part of chaat or ragda-patties. But this sabzi is a regular feature in the menu at my in-laws’ and it tastes absolutely delicious with hot rice.

White matar or white peas, is a cousin of chickpeas, only much faster to cook and much easier to digest. Some like it just done, and some a tad bit mushy, but it tastes equally great both ways. I do not need to educate you about the benefits of eating lentils. We all know they are the best source of vegan protein and like most lentils, the white matar is best eaten freshly cooked. If stored for long after cooking, it loses its taste and gets harder to digest. It is also famous as ghugni, a kind of street food in the East Indian states of Odisha and West Bengal.

Coming back to the recipe, please note that the boiling time would differ based on the quality of matar and kind of pressure cooker. But it takes approximately 7 minutes from the time pressure sets in. Scroll down for the full recipe of the white matar sabzi.

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White Matar Sabzi

Prep Time: 7 hours

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 7 hours, 20 minutes

Yield: 100

Serving Size: 3

Calories per serving: 200 per cup

Ingredients

  • White Matar, washed and soaked overnight or a minimum of 6 hours - One cup
  • Onions ground to a paste- 3/4 cup
  • Tomato ground to a paste- A little over 1 cup
  • Ginger garlic paste- 1 tablespoon
  • Bay leaf- 1 big
  • Dried red chilies- 2 small or as per taste
  • Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
  • Asafoetida- Pinch (optional)
  • Black cardamom -1 (optional)
  • Garam Masala- 1 teaspoon or 1.5 teaspoons if you like it spicier
  • Coriander powder -1/2 teaspoon
  • Cumin powder-1/4 teaspoon
  • Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon
  • Red chilli powder-1/2 teaspoon (optional)
  • Oil or ghee- 1.5 tablespoons plus a little extra while roasting spices
  • Water-1.5 cups
  • Chopped coriander-1.5 tablespoons for garnish
  • Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon
  • Red chili powder-1/2 teaspoon (optional)
  • Oil or ghee- 1.5 tablespoons plus a little extra while roasting spices
  • Water-1.5 cups
  • Chopped coriander-1.5 tablespoons for garnish

Instructions

  1. Boil the white matar with 1.5 cups of water, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and salt until soft and keep aside.
  2. Heat oil in a deep thick bottomed wok and add the whole spices (bay leaf, cumin, black cardamom, dried red chilli) and asafoetida. Immediately reduce the flame to medium-low and continue stirring for about 15-20 seconds. By this time the spices would start to crackle and release aroma.Add onion paste and increase the heat to medium high, stirring continuously . Add ginger garlic paste after a minute and continue to stir till the paste turns brown and starts to come together, then add all the powdered spices. Continue to cook on a medium high flame with continuous stirring till the mixture starts to release oil and you get a distinct aroma of cooked spices. If at any point the mixture starts to get dry, add 1 teaspoon of oil or ghee (preferably latter) and continue to stir. You could also add 2 tablespoons of water , however it effects the final taste mildly. This process of cooking spices with onions would take 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add tomato paste and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes till a homogenous mixture is formed.
  4. Add boiled matar into the masala mixture and mix well. Add warm water if the mixture is too thick and taste for salt. Bring to boil, then reduce flame to low, cover and let it simmer for 3 minutes. At this point you could add a teaspoon ghee for a beautiful flavour and aroma.Turn off the heat and let it sit for another 15 minutes or more for flavours to soak, garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rice or roti.

Notes

Please note that the boiling time would differ based on the quality of matar and kind of pressure cooker. But it takes approximately 7 minutes from the time pressure sets in. How I boil in a pressure cooker- Place the cooker with the contents on a high flame till the pressure sets in (indicated by a hissing sound once the steam starts to form); then reduce the flame to low and let cook for 5-7 minutes.

https://onewholesomemeal.com/white-matar-sabzi/

 

 

[kkstarratings]

Categories
Afternoon Snack | 3pm Meal Dinner | 8pm Meal

Greek Salad With Pickled Cucumber, Figs and Halloumi

Pickled Cucumber Haloumi Salald - Greek Salad
Greek Salad With Pickled Cucumber, Figs and Halloumi

Like the Greeks, this Greek Salad recipe comes with a story as well.

Finally, it is Friday and what a week it has been! At the end of weeks like these, I look back in surprise. If one plans ahead, so much can be accomplished in 24 hours. And then I also look further back in equal surprise. At the start of the week, was it the same me who on days just mopes and complains about the littlest of things and just doesn’t get anything done!

Forgive Yourself.

I have slowly begun to realize the days of not getting anything done are the ones that are responsible for extremely productive days. Just remember it is:

  • Okay to completely feel useless and totally unproductive on certain days.
  • All right to forgive ourselves for not getting even the basic stuff done.
  • Good to sleep a few hours extra or indulge in the luxury of doing absolutely nothing.
  • Fine to fail and fail all over again and still not be able to figure where you went wrong.
  • Okay to be human. It most definitely is.

And I will tell you why I am going on and on about it.

As always I had set expectations from self a bit too high. I was to try a completely different Greek salad recipe for my Friday post. And as always I had also packed 50 other things in my day today. And as expected I was left with very little time to try the new recipe, photograph it and post it on the blog today. 50 deep breaths and a lot of self pep talk later I decided to give this simple and yet amazingly flavourful recipe a shot. And I am so happy that I did.

 

At The End of A Busy Week, This Greek Salad Will Cheer You Up.

So, here I am sharing it with you. I adapted it from the August issue of BBC Good Food Magazine with minor adjustments. Like I replaced sugar with honey and added fresh figs because I had them at hand. Happy to report that I am very very happy with the way it turned out. It is a great light summer meal in itself if you add some greens or even good as a side dish.

I am hoping to bring you some more amazing Greek recipes this month and also have a giveaway coming up so do stay tuned. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook and turn on notifications for new posts. This salad will not disappoint you.

Greek Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pickled Cucumber, Figs & Halloumi Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 100%

Serving Size: 2

Calories per serving: 526kcals

Ingredients

  • Cucumber-1
  • White Wine Vinegar or Mirin-1.5 tablespoon
  • Honey-1 tablespoon
  • Chilli Flakes- 1/2 teaspoon
  • Salt-1/2 teaspoon
  • Blanched Hazelnuts-50gms
  • Mint-2 tablespoons
  • Halloumi Cheese-200gms
  • Figs-3

Instructions

  1. Cut cucumber into chunky half-moons, scrape out the core and set aside
  2. In a medium sized bowl add vinegar, honey, chilli flakes and salt, mix well and add cucumber to it and set aside to pickle for 10-15minutes
  3. Chop the figs into chunky cubes
  4. Blanch the hazelnuts and then toast them in a dry pan and set aside
  5. Once the hazelnuts have cooled off, chop them coarsely along with mint leaves and set aside
  6. Slice the cheese into approximately 1cm this slices and shallow fry in a non stick pan until both sides are crisp
  7. Mix all ingredients except figs and halloumi together and drizzle the remainder of the vinegary dressing on top
  8. Then add the halloumi and figs and enjoy
https://onewholesomemeal.com/greek-salad-pickled-cucumber-figs-halloumi/

 

[kkstarratings]