5-step cooking: Recipes made easier for busy bees

It’s a nightmare for working professionals back home as well and finding the time and energy to cook after a long day is a real struggle. 

Well, not anymore! Given how bloggers from South India are taking the internet by storm, we turn to them for healthy recipes that are easy to whip up with minimal ingredients and fuss. What’s better, they condense the detailed recipes into just five points accompanied by photographs so it pretty much serves as a ‘Cooking for dummies’ manual, explaining what has to be done at each step.

1 tbsp oil for stir-frying | 1 tsp olive oil for toasting the garnish | 2 cups broccoli florets (you can use the stalks too) | 1 packet asparagus | 1 cup diced onions  | 6 cloves garlic, chopped | 1/2 tsp turmeric powder | 1/4 tsp red chilli powder (chilli flakes work too) | 1 tsp (or to taste) salt | 6 cups vegetable broth | 1 tbsp fresh grated coconut

Break off the 2-3-inch tips off the asparagus and save separately. Break or cut the remainder of the asparagus into 3-5 inch pieces.

Heat oil in a thick-bottom pan and sauté garlic and onions until onions are translucent.

Add asparagus, broccoli, vegetable broth, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Stir, close the lid and let simmer for 5-6 minutes until broccoli florets turn bright green.

In another shallow pan, add a few drops of olive oil and toast/sauté the asparagus heads for 3 minutes.

Empty the veggies and broth into a high-speed blender, add coconut manna (or fresh grated coconut or coconut milk) and blend until smooth. Add the asparagus heads before serving.

Optional: The soup can be garnished with freshly ground pepper, sunflower or pumpkin seeds

2 chicken legs

4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

4 cloves garlic, grated

1 tbsp red chilli flakes

Salt to taste

2 tsp Italian seasoning (or any herb)

Mix butter, garlic, chilli flakes, salt and herbs well in a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place chicken in a foil lined baking sheet, spread butter on both sides of the chicken well. 

Cover the chicken with the  foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove it from oven and increase the temperature to 220 degrees. 

Open the foil, spoon the chicken with the butter and bake for another 10 minutes uncovered. Take it out from oven and serve.

2 cups good quality cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

1 cup milk powder

1/4 cup instant coffee powder

1 tsp salt

Begin by adding the mentioned quantity of coca powder into a bowl. Raw cacao has been used in this recipe for better taste.

Add the sugar and mix once.

Stir in the milk powder and salt. Note that adding milk powder makes the hot chocolate thicker and give it better texture but this step is optional.

Finally, mix the instant coffee powder along with the rest of it. This step is also optional or can be replaced with a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat or 2 tbsp of cinnamon powder to add flavour.

Store the powder in an air-tight container and mix the required amount with a glass of hot milk before serving.