With the lockdown imposed in the country, one question which has kept everyone under stress is- What will happen to their food?! Homemakers are thinking of cooking different types of meals to keep their children eat healthy food but in these dire times, with veggies posing a risk of Corona as well, food has become a critical issue.
Though essentials are made available, there are lots of what’s and if’s making rounds in the heads of people. And, if you agree with us on this, we have curated a list of recipes you can make without perishable vegetables. These options mostly would need potatoes, tomatoes, ginger, garlic or a tomato puree in the name of vegetables which generally stay longer in storage.
Along with the meal ideas, links have also been attached from the internet to guide you so that you can customize the recipe as per your taste glands. And, at the same time, in case of unavailability of any vegetable at home, you can replace it or skip it altogether. Along with it, here are a few tips to help you with smart cooking and some precautions you must take during the times of Coronavirus:-
- First and foremost, in case you want to have vegetables, always wash your vegetables thoroughly in hot water and salt.
- Finish perishable vegetables first so that they don’t rot. Remember- People do not have food to eat and you shouldn’t waste it!
- Prefer to use one vegetable at a time and simply cook it with daal.
- Eat in small portions to support the current sedentary lifestyle.
- Ensure that you cook in small portions so as to avoid wastage.
And, in order to help you go through this tough time, following are few healthy homemade vegetarian meal ideas which you can cook during the period of lockdown:-
Using Sabudana
Sabudana is one of the great options in terms of non-perishable food. You can either make a crispy sabudana vada which can be used as a tea time snack as well as fasting food or else, Sabudana Khichdi and flavor it with chilies, peanuts, cumin and curry leaves.
- Sabudana Vada- Read recipe
- Sabudana Khichdi- Read recipe
Using Poha
Poha is another non-perishable food which you can store for a longer period of time. It is one of the healthiest breakfast which you can have. Along with plain poha, you can also prepare Poha Cheese Balls and Poha Dhokla. You can have Poha cheese balls with green coriander chutney and Poha Dhokla can be made with just Poha, sooji and curd.
- Poha- Read recipe
- Poha Cheese Balls- Read recipe
- Poha Dhokla- Read recipe
Using Roti
Roti serves as a must in every Indian household. Be it lunch or dinner, rotis are served with every vegetable and thus, sometimes they become leftovers. So, rather than wasting those rotis, you can use it to prepare either Roti bhel or Roti Upma.
- Roti Bhel- Read recipe
- Roti Upma- Read recipe
Using Ragi
Ragi serves as another great option for non-perishable good. Other than being non-perishable, Ragi serves healthy millet and will serve as both a healthy option and as well as aid in weight loss and diabetes as well. So, it’s win-win on both sides! With Ragi, you can make Ragi Rajma Kababs, Ragi Halwa and Ragi pancakes as well.
- Ragi Rajma Kababs- Read recipe
- Ragi Halwa- Read recipe
- Ragi Pancakes- Read recipe
Using Suji
Suji which is rich in Iron will help boost energy as it is full of healthy carbohydrates. The dishes you can cook using Suji during the period of lockdown are- Suji Appe and Suji Upma. You can use fresh veggies in Suji Appa; depending on which ones you have available at home or customize the recipe on the basis of availability of veggies at your home. As far as Suji Upma is concerned, you can make it quickly as it only takes 15-20 minutes at maximum.
- Suji Appa- Read recipe
- Suji Upma- Read recipe
Using Soya
Rich in proteins, Soya serves as a great boost to healthy food. You can incorporate soya in practically anything and it will taste good. Using Soya, you can make soya kebabs, chana soya kababs. No matter which one you opt to cook first, they will taste equally good.
- Soya Kababs- Read recipe
- Chana Soya Kababs- Read recipe
Pulav dishes
Those who love pulav will understand why a chawal dish is mandatory.
- Jeera onion rice – Read recipe
- Soya pulav – Read recipe
- Lemon rice – Read recipe
In hindsight, even if we all are under lockdown, we can learn the art of minimum and make tasty enough food at home. And, if you are not well-versed with cooking, you might as well try your hand at some of these recipes and polish your skills, for they are quite easy to make.
