The Best One-Pot Meal

The Best One-Pot Meal

Cooking is not my forte. I should meal plan, but I get lazy. My kids are picky eaters. I’m a picky eater! I’m also a lazy cook. But I also want to eat healthy and I want to feed my children fresh, homemade, healthy food. It’s no easy task balancing my wants (easy cooking) with my needs (healthy noshing).

Being of Indian (Gujarati) descent, I’ve tried the basics: rotli (aka roti), shaak (sabzi or vegetables), daal (lentils) and bhaat (rice). Not all of them together, but in varying combinations: some days daal and roti, other days daal and rice etc. Usually, when these items are on the menu, they are met with moans and groans of dissatisfaction. My young children either take forever to eat, or need to be hand-fed. This is not a fun meal, but it’s healthy.

Aside from the Gujarati basics, I also venture into other cuisines and recipes, many of which I find on the internet. One such recipe I came upon was this one: Insta-pot chicken biryani. I’m sure there are many versions of this recipe on the internet, but I like this particular one because it has minimal steps and it’s all done within 30 minutes if you’re well prepared. I use this recipe frequently because the dish is delicious and the bonus, the kids eat it without an ounce of complaint. Also, the Insta-Pot is a saviour! It’s changed my cooking game for the better (more on that later).

Now I mentioned it’s easy if you’re well prepared. This just means that if you’re one of those organised people who keep your ginger and garlic paste in squares in the freezer, or if you buy the Deep brand ones, then you’ve saved 5–10 minutes! Otherwise, you need to microblade or crush (mortar and pestle) your ginger and garlic (and chillies), which if you’re like me, is an added friction point in cooking. I also use store-bought chicken lollipop legs (drumsticks) which don’t require much tending to. The less friction there is to a task, the more likelier it’s going to get done. And this one-pot meal is done very willingly.

Chicken Biryani in the Insta-pot — by author

And to top it all off, this dish is delicious. There are ghee-roasted cashews and raisins sitting on top, that when mixed in, add the right amount of crunch and sweetness to the salty, umami flavours from the chicken and rice itself. The chicken meat is falling off the bone and if you’re one for sauces, make the mint/coriander yogurt sauce in the recipe below to complement the biryani. I promise, you won’t regret it!

Recipe: Mint & Coriander Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

• Handful of fresh mint leaves
• 1 Bunch fresh coriander
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1–2 Thai green chilli peppers
• 1/2 inch piece ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• lemon juice
• 1/2 cups of yogurt

Equipment:

• Mortar and Pestle

Method:

1. Clean de-stem the mint and coriander. Not all the stems of the coriander need to be removed, just the very ends with the roots.
2. Put all the ingredients except the lemon juice in the mortar and grind until it turns into a smooth paste.
3. Squeeze in about 1–2 tsp of lemon juice.
4. Scrape the paste out of the mortar and mix into the yogurt.

Notes:

1. The quantity of all the ingredients in this recipe can be adjusted per your taste
2. The paste (chutney) can be consumed as a condiment. Try it on toast with some butter (that’s how my grandmother enjoyed it ❤)

Originally published at https://notions.substack.com on July 10, 2022.