Indian Frozen Foods Recipes

When one says frozen foods, it need not necessarily be a fully cooked and frozen food that you defrost and eat. All said and done, this will not taste as good as a freshly-cooked meal. Indian cooking offers a wonderful workaround.

Basic Makhani Gravy, Popular Restaurant Makhani Gravy

Here, we can just prepare and freeze some of the basics like chutneys, gravies and pastes, so that we can fix a meal within minutes.

Just boil veggies and cook them with the appropriate pastes or gravies to make a tasty main course in a jiffy.

Green Chutney, How To Make Green Chutney Recipe

Even if you do not have time to cook veggies, you can simply toss cubes of paneer with tangy and spicy frozen gravy and voila, you have a mouth-watering dish ready to place on the table.

But, what do you serve these with? You can make and freeze some sumptuous parathas, which can be cooked swiftly on a tava and served with these quick and easy subzis and gravies.

Paneer 65

Likewise, when you are in need of a quick snack, you can use delicious chutneys from the freezer to make sandwiches and chaat.

That said, frozen Indian food is a grey area for many – not just amateurs but even experienced folks – because they are unsure about what Indian foods and ingredients can be stored in the freezer, how long they will last, how they are to be used later, and so on.

Russian Salad Sandwich

We are all set to dispel your doubts now, by introducing you to a world of Indian frozen foods and ingredients. We have tried and tested these and are sure about their shelf life, so go ahead and try them out. However, if you have long power cuts in your neighborhood, then it is likely that the shelf life of the foods will be reduced drastically.

Schezwan Paneer Cold Sandwich

The shelf life mentioned by us is subject to the fact that there is relatively uninterrupted power supply (short cuts of a few minutes or even up to half an hour will not be a problem because the freezer will remain cool for such small periods).

7 Indian Basic Recipes to Store in the Freezer

How often have you started preparing a dish and then realized that you need grated coconut or garlic paste for it, and you do not have any! It takes time to prepare each ingredient, and sometimes it can just put you off, especially if you are running on a very tight schedule.

Ginger- Garlic Paste ( Popular Restaurant Recipes )

However, when you have all the basic stuff readily available in the freezer, all you need to do is assemble the required ingredients on the kitchen counter and start cooking.

So, we suggest that you stock up your freezer with the following basic recipes, which are essential for Indian cooking. These last for a long time if stored in the freezer. However, you must not stuff too many things into your freezer, as it will reduce the efficiency of the appliance and lead to spoilage.

Capsicum Chutney
1. Green Peas
Fresh green peas are available only in the winter months from December to February. But, they are so tasty that we wish to have them all year long. So, when green peas are in season, buy a large batch, peel and dry them completely, place in Ziploc bags and freeze. You can use them all year long.

Aloo Mutter

2. Sweet Corn Kernels
Sweet corn kernels can be preserved for at least three months by storing them in the freezer in Ziploc bags.

Mexican Veg Toast

3. Coconut
Grate the coconut and freeze it in an airtight container. It lasts for at least three months.

Kopra Pak

4. Mango pulp
Mango is indeed the King of Fruits, but it makes its grand appearance only for a few months in the summer!

So, while you can catch hold of mangoes, make some Aam Ras (mango pulp) and store it in the freezer. It lasts for a whole year.

Alphonso Aamras, Aaamras Recipe

5. Green Chilli paste
Roughly chop the cleaned green chillies and blend in a mixer with a little salt till it is smooth. Make sure you do not add any water. Store the paste in an airtight container in the freezer. It lasts for at least 3 months.

Hara Bhara Kebab in Green Gravy

6. Ginger Paste
The ginger should be peeled, roughly chopped and blended in the mixer along with a little salt and no water till smooth. Store the paste in an airtight container in the freezer. It will last for at least 3 months.

Kadai Paneer Subzi

7. Garlic Paste
Peel, roughly chop and blend the garlic in a mixer along with a little salt and no water till smooth. Store this paste in the freezer in a clean airtight container. It keeps well for at least three months.

Lehsuni Paneer Palak Subzi

Indian Ingredients to Store in the Freezer Door Compartments

Some raw ingredients tend to spoil if stored at room temperature. In order to increase their shelf life, these can be stored in the side compartments of the freezer.

First place these ingredients in clean and dry airtight containers or Ziploc bags.

Schezuan Sauce, Chinese Schezwan Sauce Recipe

Then make sure you store them in the side compartments or drawers (that is, on the door of the freezer). These are better not stored in the main section of the freezer.

Some ingredients that can be stored in the side compartment of the freezer are:

Kabuli Chana Biryani

1. Semolina
2. Plain flour
3. Oats

Healthy Oats Dosa

4. Kabuli chana
5. Green chana
6. Jowar flour
7. Bajra flour

Jowar Bajra Garlic Roti

It is obvious that by storing the appropriate ingredients and foods in the freezer, you can fix a meal within minutes without any hassles.

Moreover, it also helps to improve the shelf life of both raw ingredients (like semolina) and processed ones (like grated coconut or garlic paste), making sure that the right ingredients are available when you need them to cook up a delicious treat!

Instant Rava Appe

However, as mentioned earlier, the shelf life is subject to the availability of reasonably good uninterrupted power supply. If you have long power cuts every day, the foods are likely to spoil, so you have to prepare only in small quantities.

Palak Raita

Likewise, you can also try and freeze the chutneys and gravies in small portions (depending on the average quantity you will need each time).

When you need that particular frozen ingredients, gravy, chutney or basic recipe, you can just take out the required quantity without having to thaw the whole batch every time.

Pizza Sauce

This is not only faster but also helps improve the shelf life further. How do you do this? You can use small containers if you have. Else, you can first fill the prepared food or ingredient into an ice-cube tray.

Leave it to freeze for a day or two, then take all the cubes out and store them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the freezer. When you want to use it, take out only the required number of cubes, thaw and use in the recipe. The rest is untouched and remains good for a really long time!

Curd

Hacks like these will help you to feast on tasty home-cooked food every day, however busy you are. You can also surprise sudden guests with a sumptuous meal cooked in a jiffy with no sweat, only smiles!