Dear Friends, I got a new job where I have to work in shifts. Sometimes I will have to work in night shifts for 13 hours at a stretch. During this period I will be working continuosly for a period of 14 days and will have no time to cook.I live alone and have no help. I don't intend to eat junk, if I am left with no choice though I will carry some biscuits and crisps to work. I intend to have healthy home made food atleast once a day when I am back home from work for few hours. Could you all suggest to me some food which I can cook in advance and freeze. I have thought of freezing tuver/mung dal. I have also thought of storing idli batter in bulk. I am not very sure of this as fermented food might cause acidity especially during night shifts when my regular sleep cycle will already be disrupted. Sprouts is another option. Please pour in some more ideas, as I will not be able to survive only on bread and cheese :drowning Thank you in advance.
Hi.I'll tell you some options which I often use. Chapati dough in the fridge Green chutney in ice cube trays Ginger-garlic-onion-tomato paste in ice cube trays Ginger-garlic paste Veggies chopped and frozen in ziploc bags or small plastic containers. Boiled potatoes Onions chopped If you want you can make some sweet ttamarind chutney and keep One kind of dal boiled One kind of pulses boiled Apart from the above,when I'm bored to make a chapati,I often make a pancake instead.For that mix chapati flour with some salt,an egg and some milk and whisk well.Keep the batter a little thin.Make pancake as usual.Use it instead of chapatis.The green chutney can be used to stuff veggies like okra or marinate paneer with it and then cook the veggie in some oil with salt and chat masala.
Dear OP, You may find these posts very helpful.. http://www.indusladies.com/forums/s...cooking-cleaning-exercise-23.html#post2264445 http://www.indusladies.com/forums/s...cooking-cleaning-exercise-23.html#post2264534 Sravani
I have done dosa batter, idli batter , Chapati dough in aluminum foil, eggplant curry , beet root curry , paneer curry , chutneys . i make ice cubes of masala pastes like poppy seeds paste and store it .
Biscuits and crisps are junk food. It is better then to buy for example ready made food from the store than to eat such things. Most foods freezes weill if they are well packed. The texture of some food (eg potatoes) may suffer and veggies need to be quickly blanched/boiled before freezing.
Dear armummy, Thank you for your reply. Paneer curry is a good idea, I will definitly try that. I have been storing leftover chapati batter in the fridge which lasts me 1-2 days after which it starts turning sour. Can it be stored in the deep freeze as well? How many hours before rolling the chapatis will I need to remove it from the fridge? Will this thawing not affect its perishability in the next few days?
Dear Crayoness, Thank you for your reply. Biscuits and crisps are junk but that is only for carrying along with me to work as I do not have any healthy dry snack options which I can conveninently have while working. Ready to eat food have lots of preservatives so I want to stay away from those. I don't have anyone around who I can hire to cook or from whom I can buy homemade food, so freezing will be the only option.
Dear Sravani, Thank you for the links! I found some posts from members especially kkrish's very helpful.
I used to face the problem of discoloring of chapati dough after a day or two in fridge. when I pack it in aluminum foil and freeze it . It stays same color and after thawing , it is as soft and tastes as freshly kneaded dough . I never store it in fridge now. Make sure you pack it in meal sized portions , so you don't take out extra and waste it. I leave it overnight in fridge or on counter for couple of hours . if you are in hurry , microwave for 30 seconds or more .just keep checking it after every 30 secs. one more thing you can do is pack cooked chapatis in aluminum foil and store it in fridge . Microwave it for 1 min in wet paper towel. These will keep good for 3- 4 days in fridge.
