Easy cooking for sudden guests

Pick from these good ideas to play the perfect host and rustle up a quick meal, even though you may not know that your friends are planning to drop in till the doorbell rings!

Most Indian kitchens have lentils, rice, atta, onion, and potatoes, at all times. If you're a non-vegetarian, it's a smart idea to stock up on chicken and fish once a week - stays fresh if stored in the freezer in separate compartments or bags. Paneer and eggs too are good "emergency" proteins to have in your refrigerator.

To this, all you need to add are ready-to-use masala mixes that will enable you to put out delicious dishes in no time, and with little hassle. Make sure you buy at least six masala pastes during your weekend shopping - just restock whatever finishes the following weekend. Don't worry about spoiling, the mixes come with a fairly long shelf-life. Here are some easy-do meal plan examples - get inspired and innovate.

Meal Plan 1

Chicken Curry Masala or Paneer Makhni Masala (or both): Use ready-to-use masala mix and you have special dishes in minutes. If using chicken, just defrost the fowl and follow through with the instructions on pack. The paneer too is ready in minutes.

Raita: If you have boondi, use that or else you could go with namkeen (store-bought) and seasoning - you'll be surprised how well this works.

Sookha Aloo: Peel, chop and pressure cook potatoes in a little water through two whistles till done. Drain, cool and top with dhania powder, chilli powder and salt. Heat ghee in a kadhai, season with a pinch of heeng, and put in the aloo. Stir-fry till the potatoes begin to brown. Serve the meal with rice or roti and an onion salad (if you don't have lemon to make the dressing, use vinegar)

Meal Plan 2

(For non-vegetarians) Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani: With the masala mix at hand, this otherwise complicated dish is a breeze. Garnish with fried onions and fresh dhania. (For vegetarians) Vegetable Biryani: If you have beans, peas and carrots, that's great, but finely chopped potatoes and onion, and maybe a few soya nuggets will do fine. Just make sure you have the ready-to-use masala mix in stock.

Potato Salad: Peel, chop and pressure cook potatoes. Add roasted and slightly crushed peanuts or crushed paneer. Season with lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. (Substitute the potato for hard-boiled eggs if you like.)

Dahi: Spice it up with dhania, jeera, saunf and chilli powder; and rock salt. If you like, you could add a dash of tomato ketchup for a sweet-sour taste.