Cooking using a Foil - Jeera Aloo Gobi

Instant curry/rice pouches which can be popped into a microwave oven or hot water for couple of minutes are an instant hit among those individuals who do not have time to cook at home. However, the taste of those is far from the authentic taste of home made food. So, here is a very simple way of turning home made curries into instant curry pouches. All you need is a sheet of aluminium foil to start with. I used 9X11 sized foil.

Make a Pouch of the Foil:

1. Fold the foil into half.

2. Seal the bottom edge by folding a 1/4 inch of the foil, fold it once again.

3. Seal the edges on the side by folding a 1/4 inch, fold it one again

The resultant pouch should look something like this.

Once your pouch is ready, the rest of the steps are pretty simple. 

Ingredients:

Cauliflower Florets - 11/2 cup

Potato - 1 medium sized, peeled and diced into cubes

Oil - 11/2 tbsp

Dry Masala:

Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp

Salt - According to Taste

Method of Preparation:

1. Mix all the dry masala ingredients together.

2. Take the cauliflower florets and potato cubes in a bowl, add 1/2 tbsp of oil and mix them well.

3. Sprinkle the dry masala mix on the cauliflower and potatoes. Mix them well either using hand/spoon or by tossing them.

4. Pour the remaining 1 tbsp oil on the mixture and mix well.

5. Transfer the contents from the bowl to the pouch using a spoon or hand.

6. Seal the open edge in such a way that no steam escapes, when cooking.

Method of Cooking

1. You can either use a oven or a tava or any pan to cook.

2. If using a tava or any pan, place the sealed pouch on the tava and place it on a slightly higher than medium flame. After 8 to 10 minutes flip the pouch onto the other side and leave it for another 5 to 7 minutes. Switch of the heat and let the pouch stay on the hot tava for a couple of minutes.

3. If using oven, pop the pouch into a preheated oven at 400F for 15-20 minutes and let it rest for a couple of minutes before removing from the oven.

4. Be cautious while opening the pouch, the hot steam might burn your fingers.

Jeer Aloo Gobi, cooked on tava

Note: You can make the pouches ahead for different curries and freeze them, so that you can heat them when needed, for a piping hot home made meal.