I find myself quite reliant on instant desi meals. For instance, I made instant parathay the other day and few months ago I made biryani using Shaan Biryani masala.
I can only make chai, boiled rice and omelette from scratch on my own. Other than that, more or less everything I make is using Shaan masalas (and other quick mixes) or anything else that is pre-cooked/pre-made, which only needs to be heated up such as paratha and roti.
I know I’ll eventually learn to make basic salan and try to memorise the recipes for different daals, but other than that I feel more comfortable making instant desi meals.
I was wondering how others would take it? Would I be labelled as jaahil (in terms of cooking) and phoo-ar, or is it more or less becoming a norm amongst desis to stick with instant desi meals?
I survived on them during my college days, but there comes a time where you just seem to get fed up of them and their signature taste. A Shaan Karhai Chicken, will always taste the same everytime, no matter who cooks
it.
A jar of Tikka masala, Tandoori or Rogan josh can be poured over the meat/Chicken. Its made life so much better. add a bit of chilli or masala to change taste to suit oneself.
These days Tins of 'ready to eat' Rajma, Dal, Matar Paneer, sag-are so handy, it almost seems criminal to waste time in the kitchen, especially if we are all working.
creative mix.. hehe that's what i do when living off campus away from my family.. hmm yummy new stuff.. like use little bit of shaan masala with national masala.. :D and u have a new masala new taste.. (sometimes a recipe for disaster) :D
Shaan biryani masala rocks I don’t really care for their egg masalas and bhujia masalas but things like bbq mix, tikka mix, and biryani mix is good stuff.
And no you are not “phoo-ar” if you use Shaan to cook. Everyone else uses them too
^ So the majority of females use it I suppose? How often would you make it known to others that you rely on Shaan and other such masalas or would you just hide it?
I don't use Shaan masalas ....mainly because we don't get a wide variety here .....
hubby uses them when he is cooking (when living on his own in another city)
once i found a pack there in kitchen cabinet.....it was Daal ...:) i cooked with it ....noticed the change n difference .....checked the ingredients of spice mix ...n now i can cook the same one without masala ....n it gives variety in the sense that i can make my old version when i like ...n can easily switch to shaan one without buying the pack!!
n I've done the same with seekh kabab masaala.....
n no, i don't think you are being PhuhaR by using masala ....
its just that i don't prefer it for myself.
:)
After reading the replies, I'm getting the impression that it is okay for men to use Shaan and the like, yet it's better for females to cook from scratch. Why?
Besides, Shaan food tastes really good. I don't see why one should avoid it. At least it gives you the same great taste rather than the inconsistency that may result due to cooking everything from scratch. Waisay bhee, if these masalas (and other stuff) are available, then why not use them and save time and the hassle of learning every single type of meal.
I don't know what's so bad about packaged spices such as Shan. It's not like you would grow the other spices at home. The only difference between packaged spices and from scratch is that the former are already mixed in for convenience.
I had an instant paratha after an instantanous urge to eat left over palak from two days ago. Oh, the ease of making, the absence of flying flour, and the fluffiness as I turn it over heated pan…it’s a culinary delight! She almost had a heart-attack watching me eat palak in the morning.
Sadiyah!
you know what…people can look down upon someone for the silliest reasons (n sometimes even without a reason)
I know this lady who , according to her, never cooked prior to marriage…
once the couple invited us for a dinner…food was quite good …me n hubby were complimenting her …n poor lady’s husband goes ‘she has some recipe books…n cooked everything from there …’(as if the recipe books cooked for her)
there’s nothing bad about it …basically …i feel these masalas are expensive for everyday cooking …once in a while is ok …but not always …(n i don’t even know the cost …so i might be totally wrong about it!)
so ic an cook anything
I don’t really care for their egg masalas and bhujia masalas but things like bbq mix, tikka mix, and biryani mix is good stuff.
