Folks, how is the cooking in quarantine going for you? Doesn’t this seem the best time to try your hands on some easy healthy recipes? Well, wherever you are in the world, we hope you’re safe and sound. As we are all navigating the global COVID-19 crisis, it is important that we still continue to nourish our skills during the lockdown – not just our minds, our hearts, our communities but also our stomachs. Whether you are working or not, you can use this lockdown to build your culinary skills that are both nutritious and wallet-friendly to fill the urge of your extreme hunger.
From easy and quick Chinese recipes to Indo-Chinese dishes you can make during this lockdown are plentiful. If there is anything that Indians love beyond the traditional cooked Indian food is the Chinese food also known as Indo-Chinese, suiting more to the Indian sensibilities and tastes. For instance, momos and noodles are a big part of the diet now, which is terribly missed during this lockdown. If you are missing the simple Italian garlic bread or chili potatoes, why not make them all at home. We know our kitchens are not always equipped to make foreign cuisines or something that you may crave during the quarantine period. These delicious recipes might be helpful for you to try out without burning a hole in your pockets!
All you require is some patience and a little bit of creativity! Here is a list of easy-to-make healthy meal ideas that can be cooked in just 10 minutes. Try out 5 simplest yet delicious recipes with limited ingredients at home and let us know your favorite!
1. Garlic bread
A quick snack, this can make your perfect evening with tea blissful. Some hot and buttery garlic bread is an easy 3 ingredient recipe and all you need to do is follow the easy steps and bake it in the oven for 10 minutes.
Ingredients
1 long milk bread loaf, 1/4 cup chopped garlic, 1/4 cup chopped spring onions, 1 1/2 tbsp butter.
Steps
- Make a horizontal slit in the bread loaf
- Add butter, garlic and spring onions
- Spread this mixture evenly on the loaf and cover with aluminum foil
- Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes
- Serve hot once ready to eat
2. Butter garlic rice
Imagine the fragrant rice dish with dollops of butter in it, delicious right? This can make a good combination with any vegetarian or non-vegetarian food curries or sides. Here’s what you will need to make this aromatic garlic rice tasty
Ingredients
2 cups basmati rice, little oi, ¼ cup garlic (thinly sliced), 100 gm butter, pinch of salt
Steps
- Soak rice for an hour at least
- Heat oil in a pan and fry garlic till it crisps
- Cook the soaked rice with butter and fried garlic by stirring lightly
- Once ready, garnish with coriander leaves
3. Honey chilli potatoes
Potatoes are every Indian household staple food and hence they are omnipresent in all houses. And honey is considered as one of the most natural and healthy ingredients. The combination of them both can be tossed in, to make Honey Chilli Potatoes. Crispy potatoes are mixed with honey, spices, and condiments like soya sauce, giving you the best delicious snack that you cannot miss during your tea-time.
Ingredients
2 potatoes (sliced and peeled), 3 – 4 tbsp maida or cornflour, salt to taste, 1 tsp red chilli powder, oil, spring oils, 1 tbsp garlic paste, 1 capsicum, 2 tbsp honey, ¼ soya sauce
Steps
- Mix together, cornflour/maida, salt, and red chili powder
- Add the potatoes to mix well until they are properly coated
- Deep fry the potatoes until they turn golden. Keep aside.
- In a pan, add oil, garlic paste and spring onions to cook for 1 minute
- Then, add capsicum, honey, soya sauce, salt and saute for 1-2 minutes
- Add in the cooked potatoes, mix well and serve hot
4. Momos
Yes, you read that right. One of your all-time-favorite snacks can be easily made at home now. You can make the filling of vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, onions or even non-veg such as chicken or mutton keema. Make your momos out of wheat of maida, this is the best dish you can relish on. Steam the momos in the idli steamer if you don’t have the regular steamer.
Ingredients
For the dough: 120gms refined flour, ¼ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt.
For the chicken: 1 cup chicken (minced), 1/2 cup chopped onions, 1/4 tsp black pepper powder, 1 tbsp oil, ½ tsp garlic paste, ½ tsp soya sauce, pinch of salt, vinegar
For the vegetarian: 1 cup grated cabbage and carrots, 2 tbsp chopped onions, 1/2 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tbsp oil, 1/4 tsp vinegar, 1/2 tsp soya sauce, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tbsp cornflour
Steps
- Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl. Keep aside
- Knead the flour with baking powder, salt. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes
- Roll the dough into very thin 4-5 inch rounds and then fill each piece with the filling
- Twist the rounds to steal its
- Steam it for about 10 minutes and serve hot once ready
5. Fried Rice
The signature Chinese dish can be now replicated in your kitchen with minimal effort. Very easy to prepare, all you have to do is cook veggies of your choice and mix them with eggs, rice and soya sauce. If you are just learning how to cook, we bet that your love for Indo-Chinese food should be enough to motivate you!
Ingredients
Nutritious veggies such as carrots, beans, baby corn, cabbage make up for this sumptuous bowl of fried rice. Add soy sauce, chilies and garlic to make it as flavourful as it can get.
Steps
- Add 1 tbsp oil, garlic, chili and saute in a pan
- Mix your favorite veggies and saute for a while. Add rice later
- Season with salt and pepper, soy sauce and cook it for over a minute
- Garnish with spring onions and serve hot once ready
