Ask anyone who cooks daily and they'll tell you: making the sabzi isn't the slow part. Chopping onions and tomatoes, peeling garlic, washing up and wiping the counter is. Here are eight simple ways to cut that prep time down.
1. Prep onions, tomatoes and chillies in one go
Instead of chopping for each meal, chop for the day. Diced onions and tomatoes keep well in a covered bowl in the fridge until dinner. A hand-press vegetable chopper turns an onion into even cubes with a single press, straight into its container, with fewer onion tears.
2. Make a weekly ginger-garlic batch
Ginger-garlic paste goes into almost everything. Peel and chop a larger batch once a week and store it in a clean, airtight jar in the fridge. For small, daily amounts of garlic, chillies or coriander, a USB rechargeable mini chopper does the job in a few seconds, with no mixer jar to wash afterwards.
3. Cut to the same size
Evenly sized pieces cook at the same speed, so you aren't waiting for the big pieces to soften while the small ones burn. That is the main benefit of a dicer over a knife: every cube comes out the same size.
4. Use less oil, more evenly
Pouring oil straight from the bottle almost always means using more than you need. An oil spray bottle puts a thin, even mist on the tawa for parathas and dosas, on the air-fryer basket or over a salad. You use less oil and there are fewer greasy drips to clean up.
5. Store leftovers without hunting for lids
Half the time spent putting food away goes on finding the right lid. Stretch silicone lids fit most round bowls, steel katoris and mugs. Stretch one over the bowl and put it straight in the fridge. They also cover half a cut lemon or onion.
6. Make rinsing easier at the sink
Washing vegetables, rinsing dal and cleaning big pots is faster when you can point the water where you need it. A rotating faucet extender turns a fixed tap into a swivel spout, and a sink splash guard keeps the water off the counter.
7. Clean as you cook
While the dal pressure-cooks or the sabzi simmers, rinse the chopping tools and wipe the counter. Most prep tools only need a quick rinse if you clean them before food dries on.
8. Plan the week on Sunday
Decide the week's main dishes, soak what needs soaking and prep the basics: onions, ginger-garlic, and washed coriander wrapped in a paper towel. Fifteen minutes on Sunday saves far more time during the week.
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