If you have an instant pot, dal tadka is relatively easy. It's a 1-pot meal and you can make as much as your pot is rated for at a time (so 3-4 liters in the normal ones. It has amazing flavor and doesn't technically require any fresh ingredients because you can freeze curry leaf, use canned tomatoes, and buy or make your own ginger garlic paste in advance. It's simple enough that I do no prep - instead, I prep as I cook. It takes about 7 minutes to do the sauteing part, then you add water and dal and set the thing to pressure cook for 12-15 minutes. After that, it's done! All in all, you spent 7 minutes of effort and can otherwise just wait. Clean-up is almost non-existent.
You can use this strategy with a lot of pulse dishes. Frijoles negros, chana masala, rajma, chili, Goya beans (you can use your own spice mix)... if it needs to thicken just keep it in the pot and sauteed again for 10-20 minutes.
Salt and pepper tofu can take just 5-10 minutes when you get good at it. It's just four ingredients and some spices.
Just made soy curl satay, a peanut sauce, and rice. Used a tiny saucepan, a frying pan, a bowl, and a cutting board. Very easy cleanup, tastes fancy. Took about 20 minutes altogether.
Any stir fry dish that doesn't require cooking everything separately (so usually not Cantonese) is basically a one-pot meal.
Roasting literally anything is usually very easy, just makes one tray of dishes.
Any dish where you fry aromatics and spices in an oil, then develop a sauce out of it, then add water and rice and steam the whole thing together tends to be pretty simple to clean up and tasty. Paella, peas and rice, Spanish rice, Mexican rice, some biryanis.
If you have an instant pot, dal tadka is relatively easy. It's a 1-pot meal and you can make as much as your pot is rated for at a time (so 3-4 liters in the normal ones. It has amazing flavor and doesn't technically require any fresh ingredients because you can freeze curry leaf, use canned tomatoes, and buy or make your own ginger garlic paste in advance. It's simple enough that I do no prep - instead, I prep as I cook. It takes about 7 minutes to do the sauteing part, then you add water and dal and set the thing to pressure cook for 12-15 minutes. After that, it's done! All in all, you spent 7 minutes of effort and can otherwise just wait. Clean-up is almost non-existent.
You can use this strategy with a lot of pulse dishes. Frijoles negros, chana masala, rajma, chili, Goya beans (you can use your own spice mix)... if it needs to thicken just keep it in the pot and sauteed again for 10-20 minutes.
Salt and pepper tofu can take just 5-10 minutes when you get good at it. It's just four ingredients and some spices.
Just made soy curl satay, a peanut sauce, and rice. Used a tiny saucepan, a frying pan, a bowl, and a cutting board. Very easy cleanup, tastes fancy. Took about 20 minutes altogether.
Any stir fry dish that doesn't require cooking everything separately (so usually not Cantonese) is basically a one-pot meal.
Roasting literally anything is usually very easy, just makes one tray of dishes.
Any dish where you fry aromatics and spices in an oil, then develop a sauce out of it, then add water and rice and steam the whole thing together tends to be pretty simple to clean up and tasty. Paella, peas and rice, Spanish rice, Mexican rice, some biryanis.
i want to learn how to make peanut sauce
A lazy one is crazy easy.
Heat a few tablespoons oil in a pan. Not to hot. Medium.
Add a tablespoon or two of red Thai curry paste or similar. Stir so that it turns the oil red, cooks a little. Should take 30-60 seconds.
Add half can of coconut milk.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter.
Add a little sugar - maybe a quarter or half teaspoon.
Add a little soy sauce.
Add salt to taste.
Now just cook it until it reduces from a thin curry to a sauce.
Done!