It’s all about that base. 

When I first started watching meal prep videos on Instagram, I thoroughly enjoyed them. There’s something very soothing about watching someone neatly pack their lunches for the week. I wanted to jump on this train, but couldn’t think of how I could meal prep in an Indian kitchen. 

It’s been a few years of experimenting, and while I cannot go around packing dal-chawal or roti-sabzi type meals for the whole week, I have figured out quite a few different ways you can meal prep in an Indian kitchen. This technique is all about the base.

If you think about the kind of food you cook everyday in an Indian kitchen, a lot of them have similar bases with different veggies or carbs that are tossed in later. But we make these bases multiple times a week. Why? Why not make a bigger batch at the start of the week and use it for 2-3 meals?

Here are some bases you can make ahead to get started with meal prep:

1. The Onion-Tomato Base

A lot of Indian dishes begin the same way: brown the onions, add tomato puree, and cook it down. Season with spices and add a different protein or vegetable. I end up cooking this base at least four times a week and honestly, browning onions takes forever. I have no patience to think about doing this when I enter the kitchen after a long day. 

So it makes good sense for me to make a big batch of this base at the start of the week and then use it to speed up a few meals. I use this to make dal, dry subzis like paneer/egg bhurji, methi aloo, gobi aloo, soya keema matar, and even gravies like aloo matar and lobia/chana masala.

If you’d like the recipe for this base, you can find it here along with some tips to ensure it lasts you through the week. And here’s a collection of 9 recipes I’ve cooked recently with this base.

2. The Breakfast Base

I love breakfast, but I just cannot wake up in the morning and start my day chopping onions. I tried buying instant breakfasts so I’d just have to add boiling water in the morning, but I didn’t enjoy them at all. I thought I’d just make breakfast the night before but clumpy upma isn’t that much fun either. Then it struck me: just make the base! 

Upma, poha, sevige, sabudana – all have pretty similar bases. So I make the base over the weekend or the night before and just add the final ingredient – rava, vermicelli, poha, sabudana – in the morning. It’s like making my own instant breakfast since there isn’t really that much work in boiling water and adding rava.

You can find the recipe for my DIY Instant Upma here. 

3. The Pulav Base

Yes, pulavs are delicious, but you know why I love them? Because they’re the Indian one-pot meals. Everything goes into one large pot and that’s all you have to wash up later. And if you make the base ahead of time, you’ll just have to toss in rice when you want to eat.

I make the base of at least one pulav over the weekend so when I’m exhausted and hungry on Wednesday night, I just have to add water and rice and I’ll have a nice wholesome low-effort dinner ready in less than half an hour. My only suggestion when making your base ahead is to dry it out as much as possible and do not season or add any masalas. This will help it last longer. 

Can you think of any other Indian dishes that can be sped up by making the base in advance? Let me know in the comments below.