Normally a fancy meal like this would take a long time to prepare. With good preparation and planning, using various tips and tricks, you can make this entire feast in about an hour. And it’s amazingly delicious!

One tip is to use an Indian heat-and-serve packet to season the peas. Another is to use store-bought pickled peppers. To make it vegetarian, use crumbled tofu or chopped seitan in place of the ground beef.

The Menu

• Beef Curry with Apples
• Peas Paneer
• Brown Rice-Oat-Pilaf
• Pickled Pepper Rings (or other pickle)
• Mango Lassi
• Chai Masala

General Procedure

Basic rule of cooking: Dishes that take longest should be made first.
Buy pickles and store in fridge.
Make Lassi anytime during the day and store in fridge.
Start cooking the rice-oat dish an hour before dinner.
Cook the beef curry 30 minutes before dinner.
Serve everything at the same time.

Beef Curry with Apples

Pan spray
1 cup chopped onion (or 1/2 cup dried onion flakes)
1 cup chopped apple (or 1/2 cup dried apple flakes)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbs dried cilantro
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 Tbs mild curry powder
1 lb lean ground beef (grass-fed preferred)
1 cup boiling water
Salt and pepper

Heat a heavy pan over medium heat.
Spray with pan spray.
Add onion and apple, and stir-cook 3 minutes.
Add cumin, coriander, cilantro, ginger, and curry powder,
and stir-cook 1 minute.
Add ground beef, and stir- cook about 10 minutes.
Add boiling water, and stir well.
Cook, stirring frequently, 15 minutes.
If mixture seems too dry at any point, add more water.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Peas Paneer

1 lb frozen baby peas
1 packet Mattar Paneer (heat-n-serve)

Put peas in a microwaveable bowl.
Add 3 Tbs water.
Microwave until peas are tender (6 - 8 minutes).
Add packet of mattar paneer, and stir well.
Microwave 1 minute.
Stir again, and serve.

NOTE: If you prefer, cook the peas on the stove.
If you are REALLY in a hurry, use canned peas.

Brown Rice-Oat-Pilaf

1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup steel-cut oats
2 cups boiling water
1 Tbs whipped butter
1 tsp salt

Rinse rice and oats several times.
Put into a pot.
Add boiling water.
Cover, and simmer about 45 minutes, or until rice and oats are tender. If needed at any point, add a little more boiling water.
When done, add butter and salt, and let stand 5 minutes.

Pickled Pepper Rings (or other pickle)

Buy a jar of it.
Keep chilled in fridge.

Mango Lassi

1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup water
1/2 cup crushed ice
1/4 cup sweetener (xylitol, erythritol, sucralose, etc)
1 cup unsweetened mango pulp (Goya frozen, thawed)

Put all ingredients except ice in a jar.
Shake well.
Keep chilled in fridge.
Add ice and shake well just before serving.

Chai Masala

4 chai spice tea bags
Hot water
Milk to taste
Sweetener to taste

Prepare just before serving the meal.
Serve with the meal or just afterwards.

Note: If you’d rather make Chai Masala from scratch, here is a recipe.