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Freezing, Refrigerating and Reheating Methods

Once you get the hang of cooking Indian food, you can quickly prepare many of the appetizers, main dishes and desserts days, or even a month, in advance! Yes, a month! The trick is either freezing or refrigerating the food and then reheating it so it will taste just like it was freshly made. Some foods, like rice, reheat great in the microwave without altering taste or texture. Reheating food is a great way to save time and reduce stress on a hectic day or simply during the busy work week. My mom usually does most of the week’s cooking on Sunday and refrigerates the food so dinner simply needs to be heated up after she comes home from work. It also works great when you are having a party or a get-together. On the day your guests arrive, all you have to do is reheat the food you already cooked days in advance and you can spend more time getting yourself ready for the party! For each recipe, I have indicated whether it can be made in advance, refrigerated or frozen along with tips on how to reheat the food. I have also indicated when prep work such as boiling a potato or making dough for breads can be done in advance, which leaves you more time to get straight to the cooking and eating part when ready.

REFRIGERATING AND REHEATING

Most of the dishes in this book will stay fresh in the refrigerator for at least up to three days. However, there are some dishes that taste best when cooked and served immediately and are not recommended for reheating. When you’re ready to refrigerate a dish, allow the freshly cooked food to cool to room temperature and then place in a covered container in the refrigerator. When you are ready to eat the refrigerated food, you can heat up the food in a saucepan or skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until the food is warmed up. You can also use a microwave to reheat food but I find it alters the taste and texture for certain foods such as meat, fish, seafood and egg dishes so I prefer the stovetop for these. For recipes that suggest reheating in an oven, you can use a toaster oven to reheat small quantities of food to save energy. However for some rice and vegetable dishes, the microwave is actually the best and easiest way to reheat the food without altering the taste and I will specify that in those recipes. You may notice that some of the curried dishes once refrigerated become thicker than when they were first cooked and still hot. Usually curried food will thicken when chilled but when reheated, it will return to its original consistency. If the food is still thicker after being reheated, simply add some water to thin it out. When reheating the drier sautéed (versus curry style) dishes or rice, it’s best to sprinkle a few drops of water on the food before reheating it so it does not dry out.

FREEZING AND REHEATING

With the exception of fish and seafood, freezing works great for most dishes. For each recipe, I will specify whether it is okay to freeze it. When you’re ready to freeze a dish, make sure the hot food has cooled down to room temperature, especially before putting them in plastic containers or in freezer-safe plastic bags, and then place in the freezer for up to a month. Make sure the container is well covered or airtight so that ice crystals won’t form on the food. The easiest way to reheat frozen food is to first thaw it by placing it in the refrigerator. For example, if it is Monday morning and you know after a long day at work you will want to enjoy the Chicken Tikka Masala (page 95) and Creamed Spinach with Paneer Cheese (page 124) that are in your freezer, place the frozen dishes in your refrigerator before heading off to work to thaw. Then, when you come home, you can quickly warm up the thawed food and some rice or Mexican wheat tortillas (the latter is a great substitute for chapati, the daily homemade bread eaten in Indian homes). If you have some plain yogurt to enjoy along with the meal—you are all set! Some rice dishes freeze well so you can freeze them into individual or family size containers or plastic bags and let them thaw in the refrigerator while you are away. If you forget to thaw the food during the day, you can use a microwave to defrost it and then finish reheating it on the stovetop, in the microwave, or in the oven depending on how the dish reheats best without altering its taste and texture. I specify in each recipe the ideal way to reheat food. You may also reheat the frozen food directly without thawing by heating it in a saucepan or skillet on the stovetop over medium–low heat. Stir occasionally until the food is thawed and warmed up. Normally food will thicken when chilled but when reheated, it will return to its original consistency. If the food is still thicker after being reheated, simply add some water to thin it out.