(sorry these recipes are going to be written in a stupid way). also i do use my instant pot a LOT so this may not be helpful if you don't have an instant pot
so my #1 most cooked food is an ultra-basic daal.
in the instant pot, heat up a few tbsp of ghee and fry 1tsp cumin seeds and 1/2tsp mustard seeds (this isn't authentic northern indian but w/e i like them in this) until they start popping. add in 1-2 diced onions and 1/4 tsp hing. fry until onions are golden brown. add 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tbsp chili powder (i use cayenne), 1 tbsp turmeric, salt or MSG (to taste), and fry until spices are aromatic. add 1-2" finely diced ginger, an equal amount of finely diced garlic, and (optional) a handful of diced small green chilis. fry for another minute. add 1-2 cups of dried beans (rinsed clean beforehand), either red lentils, toor daal (split pigeon peas), or chana daal (split chickpeas). if you're using chana daal you probably want to soak for an hour or so beforehand. for each cup of dried beans, add 2-3 cups water. optionally, drop in a bullion cube or use vegetable stock instead of water. pressure cook on high for 15 minutes (less for lentils), then natural release the pressure for 10 minutes. stir in 1 tsp of garam masala, 1 tbsp kasuri methi, lemon juice, and additional salt as needed. serve with rice and yogurt.
this keeps extremely well in the fridge all week.
i also recently made a carrot and lentil soup that was extremely good and follows... basically the exact same principles as above
in the instant pot, to a few tbsp of ghee, add 2 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp mustard seeds. fry until they sputter. add 2 chopped onions and 1/4 tsp hing, cook until onion is golden brown. add 2-3 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 cayenne powder (optional), and salt. cook until fragrant. add 1" ginger and several cloves of garlic, both chopped fine, and cook for another minute. add in ~1kg of chopped carrots, 1 cup dried lentils, and enough water or vegetable stock to cover (depends on your desired thickness, but you can always add more water later, so i'd err on the side of putting in less). pressure cook on high for 10 mins, allow to natural release. use a stick blender to blend the soup smooth. you can pass it through a fine mesh strainer if you want but i didn't-- it got smooth enough for me with just the stick blender. add 1-2tsp of garam masala and 1 tbsp kasuri methi. taste for salt. garnish [optionally] with a big spoonful of brown sugar in every bowl. you could also stir in cream/coconut milk/yogurt here for creaminess but tbh i just serve it with a dollop of yogurt at the end
i also really like to cook butter paneer but it's a bit more involved so i don't know the recipe for it off the top of my head. and also way less healthy so probably for the best that i have not memorized the recipe lmao. even more involved is malai kofta which also tastes really good-- i did write down my recipe for that one.
oh and and not a meal prep because it does not keep at all, but fried okra is unbelievably good. basic recipe
in a small amount of neutral oil, fry frozen okra pieces over medium heat until crispy (~10 mins). do not overcrowd the pan. when the okra is cooked, stir in 1tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cayenne powder, [optional] garam masala, and salt to taste. serve immediately.
anyway all of this is adjust to taste + i am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. but i do make that daal recipe like once a week lmao
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