6 school-night dinners using Indian herbs and spices your children will love

When you’re really busy with work and family life, preparing fresh and tasty meals for your family every day can be hard. However, you don’t need to compromise on taste or high quality ingredients just because you’re short on time – you just need to have a few speedy ideas and recipes and some of our Indian herbs and spices to hand. Check out these 6 school-night ideas that the whole family will love.

Lamb Tikka flatbreads

This meal is the ultimate fake-away for a midweek feast and is sure to become a firm favourite. It has just 8 ingredients, and takes 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook, giving you ample time to lay the table and make sure hands are washed. Load the flatbreads with vegetables to make sure everyone is getting their five a day, whilst still enjoying a delicious and satisfying meal.

Curried lentils and paneer

This meal takes 20 minutes to make from start to finish, and combines plenty of Indian herbs and spices to make it a wonderfully tasty winner. Melt-in-the-mouth paneer provides a great source of protein, whilst the hearty lentils help to lower cholesterol. It’s packed with flavour, good for your family’s health and is destined to become a mid-week staple.

Indian fried rice

If you need to trick the kids into eating their five a day, this recipe is the perfect way to hoodwink them, thanks to its incredible taste. It’s made using ghee, which gives the dish a lovely rich taste, has many great health benefits, such as strengthening your immune system, and is suitable for those who are lactose intolerance. It tastes as good as anything you’ll get from your local Indian restaurant and takes just 30 minutes to cook.

Chicken curry in a hurry

The idea of cooking a curry can be overwhelming because the perceived wisdom is that a good curry takes ages. However, it’s not true: you can whip up a flavoursome and wholesome curry, without resorting to a sugar heavy sauce from a jar, in just 25 minutes. This curry is a protein-packed feast for the senses, featuring some of our favourite Indian herbs and spices.

Chicken Tikka Masala skewers

Children like anything that’s a bit different and they won’t be able to keep their hands off these fun chicken skewers. This meal takes a little longer than the others – 25 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook – but it’s worth it and the kids will love to get involved. As well as being a real crowd pleaser, it’s healthy too, and the ginger in the meal provides a host of medicinal properties that can aid digestion and support the immune system.

Smoky roasted aubergines

This is our own delicious recipe, featuring many of our favourite Indian herbs and spices. It’s quick and easy to make, taking 10 minutes to prepare and 20 to cook, and really good for your family’s health, thanks to the inclusion of turmeric and aubergines, both of which are packed full of antioxidants. This is a weeknight winner that the whole family will love.

Start cooking up a storm now by trying our smokey roasted aubergine recipe - shop the ingredients below!

Recipe 2 - Smokey Roasted Aubergines 

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 17-20 mins

Approx Time: 30 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients - click the ingredients to find them in our online shop

4 aubergines

4 tsp rapeseed oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 garlic cloves

2 onions(thinly sliced)

2 tomoatoes (thinly sliced)

4 green chillies (finely chopped) or 1 tsp chilli flakes

4 tsp if dry coriander leaves

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp ground cumin salt, to taste

Method

1) - Char the aubergines on a gas burner over a medium heat, turning regularly for even roasting.

When roasted, set aside to cool. Once cooled, peel the skins from the roasted aubergines, then mash.

2) -  Heat the rapeseed oil in a nonstick pan. Add the cumin seeds, then immediately add the sliced garlic and stir for a minute. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes on a high heat. Keep stirring.

3) -  Add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies and coriander and cook for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the spices (Coriander Powder, Turmeric Powder, Ground Cumin) and the salt. Mix well.

4) -  Add the mashed aubergine, cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes over a low heat.