The art of simple cooking

Ramadan Meal Prep Ideas

Ramadan Meal Prep Ideas

Here are some practical tips for Ramadan Meal Prep Ideas to be Ramadan ready especially when you need to focus more on devotion and spend quality time learning the Quran. By keeping your kitchen pantry, freezer and refrigerator well-stocked with meal preps, it becomes much easier to prepare a healthy, nutritious and wholesome meal for the whole family in a short time.

 

Here are detailed preps on how to make spice mixes and curry pastes which you can stock in your pantry and freezer.

 

RAMADAN RECIPES FOR SAMOSA & SPRING ROLL STUFFING

Recipes for stuffings that we use to make samosa, spring roll, sandwich, and pie.

Ramadan Recipes For Samosa, Spring roll, Stuffing

 

HOMEMADE SPICE MIX ~ HOMEMADE MASALA POWDERS

I have compiled recipes of homemade masala powders which you can make and store in air-tight containers. This is very beneficial especially during the month of Ramadan when you do not want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Curry Powder, Spice Mix, Homemade

 

HOMEMADE MASALA PASTES FOR MUTTON, CHICKEN, VEGETABLE AND EGG CURRY

Homemade Masala Pastes are one of the meal preps that can save loads of time in preparing any curry. These curry and biryani spice pastes can be made in advance and can be stored in the freezer for a week to 10 days.

Homemade Curry Paste

 

1. FRIED ONION

 

Fried Onion

Peel and slice the onion evenly (not too thin, not too thick). Heat enough oil for deep frying. Fry sliced the onion in the hot oil without crowding the saucepan, leaving enough space while the onion is frying. When the color starts to change to light brown, lower the heat and start removing the fried onion from the oil. Take a large plate or tray with a kitchen towel on it. Spread the fried onion evenly over the paper without overlapping them. As it cools down, the onion gets crispier. Store in a container only when the onion has completely cooled down. It remains fresh in the refrigerator for 1 month.
You can use this for making: Chicken Tikka Biryani, Haleem, Methi Chicken

2. SPICE POWDERS

You can dry roast the cumin, coriander, and red chilies separately and powder them. These homemade powders are far better than store-bought.

More recipes for Masala Powders:
Pepper Masala Powder (for making Pepper Chicken or Pepper Mutton)

3. GINGER & GARLIC PASTE

 

Ginger Garlic Paste

This prep needs no explanation as we all know how handy this one could be. It goes in most of the Indian dishes like curries, biryani, etc. and helps in saving time on peeling and grinding ginger and garlic which can be the most tedious job.

4. BOILED & SHREDDED CHICKEN

 

Boiled Shredded Chicken

 

This prep is my personal favorite and the most versatile of all, as it makes the breakfast and lunch box preparation super easy.
Recipe: Heat 4 cups of water in a large saucepan. Add 1 onion sliced, 3 to 4 garlic pods chopped (1 tablespoon), 1 carrot (optional), salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper powder, and 500 grams of chicken pieces with bones. Boil till chicken is cooked and tender. Reserve the water as chicken stock and use it in soups. Discard the bones and shred the chicken pieces and freeze in a sandwich bag. It can be stored in the freezer for 10 days.

 

5. FRUIT JUICE AND PULP ICE CUBES

 

Lemon Juice

 

Frozen Fruit Pulp

 

Squeeze out the juice of the lemon with help of a juicer and freeze the juice in an ice cube tray. These cubes are very handy to make a quick lemonade, being used in curries, or preserving them for a longer period of time.

You can preserve some of the seasonal fruits by making a puree and freezing it in an ice cube tray. Use these cubes to make Smoothies & Milkshakes.

RECIPES TO USE FRUIT PULP & JUICE ICE CUBES:

6. ALL IN 1 BOX FOR QUICK ACCESS

 

 

  1. I usually remove the stems of green chilies, wash them and dry them.
  2. Peeled garlic remains fresh for 4 to 5 days or almost a week.
  3. Wash and pat dry the coriander leaves completely with the help of a kitchen towel and then store in a plastic bag with small holes in it. (After washing, you can just spread it open on a large tray and leave it for drying)
  4. Curry leaves can also be washed and pat dry before storing.
  5. A small piece of ginger but without washing.
All these need to be stored together in 1 box so that you can remove them all at once from the refrigerator, instead of wasting time searching for them.  This prep lasts only for a week, so you need to do this on a weekly basis. You can add your own personal favorites which you need to use more often like mint leaves or any other herbs.

7. FROZEN BANANAS ~ How To Freeze Bananas For Milkshakes & Smoothies?

 

Frozen Bananas

 

If you have ripe bananas and have no time to make anything out of them, just peel them and cut them into desired pieces. Wrap the banana pieces in a cling wrap and freeze them. Just use the frozen bananas in smoothies without defrosting them.

8. CUTLETS & KABABS

 

Beetroot Vegetable Cutlet

Murg Malai Kabab

Mutton Seekh Kabab

Potato Cutlets

 

Cutlets, when made and frozen in bulk, can be the most versatile of all the preps. Just shallow fry the cutlets and it can be used as stuffing in Kathi Roll, Sandwiches, Chat…and the list goes on. After giving shape to the cutlets and before frying, place them on a large tray with butter paper, side by side. Keep the tray in the freezer for 1 hour till all the cutlets turn hard. Now remove the frozen cutlets and store them in a freezer bag. Now you can remove only the required amount of cutlets without them sticking to each other.

You can use this for making – Ragda Patties

 

Murg Malai Seekh Kabab – After shaping the kebabs into the desired shape, place them on a tray with butter paper on it. This way the kababs will come out easily. Place them side by side without touching each other, as shown in the picture. Freeze it on the tray for 1 hour or till the raw kebabs turns hard. 
After 1 hour, when kababs have turned hard, remove them from the butter paper and store them in a plastic or sandwich bag. To defrost the kababs, leave them at room temperature for a couple of hours.
Click here for the recipe: Murg Malai Seekh Kabab

 

Click here for the recipe: Mutton Seekh Kabab

 

Beetroot & Vegetable Kabab – Red Velvet Cutlet is the healthiest option where you can include a variety of vegetables in your iftar menu. This is the best way to feed vegetables to kids by changing the name from beetroot cutlet to ‘Red Velvet’ cutlet.
Click here for the recipe: Red Velvet Cutlet, Red Velvet Cutlet Rolls

 

10. MINT CHUTNEY

 

Mint chutney

 

Just like potato cutlets, mint chutney is also a versatile dip that goes with dishes like sandwiches, rolls, and chats or as a dip for kababs.

BOILED CHICKPEAS

 

 

This is my way of avoiding any canned food and whenever it comes to making ‘Hummus’ we completely rely on cans. I usually boil a big batch of chickpeas, drain them and store them in small packets in the freezer section which stay good for 2 to 3 weeks.
Recipe: Wash and soak 1 cup of chickpeas for 5 hours or overnight. Cook the soaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker with enough water (water should be just above the level of chickpeas) and salt. The timing of cooking in a pressure cooker varies according to size and shape. Drain the boiled chickpeas and use the stock for cooking other things. Once the chickpeas have completely cooled down, store in a box or a sandwich bag and freeze. It can be stored in the freezer for 2 to 3 weeks. Defrost in a microwave or by leaving it out at room temperature.

You can use this for making: Hummus, Aloo Chana Chaat, Chana Masala 

If you have tried this dish, kindly give the feedback in the comment section and send me your pics of tried dishes through email or DM on Instagram. Do not forget to subscribe to my Youtube Channel and share it with your friends.

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Filed Under: Main course, Meal preparation, Non-Deep Fried Ramadan Snacks, Ramadan Dishes, Ramadan Drinks

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