Anyone who has tried perfecting round rotis or the blend of spices in subzis knows that getting South Asian food to taste like dadi’s takes a lot of time in the kitchen. Whether young professionals or college students, many young desis struggle with the craving for home-cooked meals, and usually lack the time and supplies to make these traditionally delicious dishes.
Here are four easy ways to get a sliver of South Asian cuisine when in a pinch for time:
1. Freezing Food At Home
Next time you head home (or if you cook for yourself one weekend), it’s easy and simple to freeze food to eat later at your convenience. Ask relatives if you can take some home or prepare large quantities of hearty dishes, such as chicken or vegetables.
“Chicken, rotis, parathas, subzis… this can all be frozen for a long time,” Sarita Prasad, an experienced cook in Bihari cuisine (who also happens to be my aunt), said. “Daal is preserved very well. Eggplant too.”
According to Prasad, certain foods like rice, potatoes and cauliflower are not preserved as well when frozen, due to the way they absorb water.
Spices also help to prevent bacterial growth—and thereby food spoilage—and also preserved food long before refrigerators existed. This is nothing compared to the contemporary freezer, but it can help preserve refrigerated items.
How long can frozen meals be preserved?
“Ten, eleven, twelve months,” Prasad said. After twelve months, the food tends to lose its freshness—and that is plenty of time to return home if you prefer your mom’s cooking to your amateur attempts.
Rice typically takes approximately 20 minutes to cook, so cook the rice while the other dishes defrost and reheat allows for a full Indian meal in less than 20 minutes. Given the intricacies of different dishes and sauces, Indian food is easier cooked in family-sized quantities–so when cooking for one, save some for later!
2. Ready-Made Supermarket Meals
Another frozen option is purchasing ready-made frozen meals from a local supermarket. In the past, finding Indian food in the frozen section was a challenge, but with supermarket chains such as Trader Joe’s and Walmart offering frozen Indian food, finding palak paneer is a lot more plausible.
“When I lived in the dorms, I would just microwave frozen Deep entrees or eat food my mom sent me,” Ravleen Kaur, a junior at Ohio State University, said.
Kaur recommends Deep Foods’ frozen khaman dhokla as a “10/10 perfect healthy snack for college students.”
3. South Asian Supermarket Chains
Cooking Indian meals is a lot easier with pre-mixed spices and the right ingredients—and that’s where supermarket chains specializing in Indian cuisine come in. The popular Patel Brothers supermarket chain has 50 locations in 19 states, including Mississippi, Kentucky, and Michigan. Other chains include Rani’s World Foods on the West Coast, Subzi Mandi in Texas and New India Bazaar in the Bay Area.
Though these supermarkets aren’t available to desis throughout the U.S., those in regions with significant South Asian populations can take advantage of numerous markets catering to South Asian tastes.
With increasingly culturally diverse populations, most mid-sized American cities now have at least one international food market. When you get the chance, make the drive and stock up on samosas and Maaza juices. This informal list of South Asian supermarket locations across the U.S. can help get your search started.
However, some of these ingredients are also available at more prominent supermarket chains.
“I make a run to Trader Joe’s and pick up their frozen Chicken Tikka and Butter Chicken packets,” said Gourav Divan, a sophomore at Louisiana State University. “They taste surprisingly good for being from an American grocery store.”
4. South Asian Fast Food
Living the fast life often comes along with eating cheap fast food–yet there are fast food chains that are challenging that idea. From assuring quality ingredients to making labor-intensive food, chain restaurants like Chipotle and Veggie Grill are popping up all over the U.S.
In some metropolitan areas, Indian flavors meet American lifestyle in fast food Indian restaurants. A 2014 New York Times profile on the proliferation of Indian fast food focuses on Bombay Bowl in Denver, CO. Other chains include Merzi in Washington D.C. and Chutney’s in the Boston area. Grand Trunk, the “world’s first South Asian American fast food brand,” is also opening soon in the D.C. area.
South Asian food trucks and fusion restaurants are also gaining popularity, such as Bombay Wraps in Chicago and the Chapat Truck in Washington D.C.
It doesn’t need to take hours in the kitchen to make yourself feel at home–all you need to do is defrost, reheat or pick up for a quick South Asian fix.