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Meal-Prep Sunday

Serves
4
Dishes
5

Two hours on Sunday afternoon gives two people breakfasts and lunches for four weekdays and one ready-made dinner: overnight oats, butter chicken and chana masala over rice, and a sturdy kale salad that holds up in the fridge. Courses are listed by what you eat; the timeline is the Sunday cook.

On the menu

  1. Breakfasts (Mon–Thu)Overnight OatsMake ×2

    Eight jars: two people for four mornings. Add fresh fruit on the day.

  2. Butter Chicken: Charred, yogurt-marinated chicken in a silky tomato, butter and cream sauceLunches (Mon & Wed) and Sunday dinnerButter ChickenMake ×1.5

    Six portions.

  3. With the curriesPerfect RiceMake ×2.5

    750 g rice: Sunday dinner plus 8 lunch portions. Cool quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour; keep Monday's portions in the fridge and freeze the rest, reheating until steaming.

  4. Chana Masala: Chickpeas in a tangy, deeply spiced onion-tomato gravyLunches (Tue & Thu)Chana Masala

    Keeps 4 days and tastes better on day two.

  5. Salad for every lunchMassaged Kale SaladMake ×2

    Massage half on Sunday for Monday and Tuesday and the rest on Tuesday night (massaged kale keeps 2 days). Store the Pangrattato and cheese separately and add them on the day.

To drink

An off-dry Riesling with Sunday's butter chicken. Non-alcoholic: a salted or sweet mango lassi.

The day before

  • Saturday night: marinate the chicken in the yogurt and spices (4–24 hours).
  • Saturday: wash and dry the kale; keep it in a bag lined with paper towel.
  • Check you have enough containers and fridge space.
  • Tuesday night: massage the second half of the kale with its dressing and cut the apple.

Game plan

Counted back from the moment you serve.

  1. 2 h before serving

    Start of the Sunday cook. Chana masala: fry the cumin seeds, then the onions until deep golden (15–18 minutes). Heat the broiler to high.

  2. 1 h 45 min before serving

    Spread the marinated chicken on oiled, foil-lined sheet pans and broil until charred at the edges, 10–14 minutes (two pans, one after the other, if needed); it finishes in the sauce.

  3. 1 h 40 min before serving

    Chana: add the garlic, ginger, chili and spices, then the tomatoes (8–10 minutes), then the chickpeas and water; simmer 15 minutes.

  4. 1 h 30 min before serving

    Butter-chicken sauce in a second pan: butter, onion and chili 8–10 minutes; add passata, paste, sugar and water and simmer 10 minutes; blend.

  5. 1 h 10 min before serving

    Chicken into the sauce; simmer until it reads 74°C (165°F), 8–10 minutes. Finish with cream, butter, garam masala and fenugreek. Finish the chana with garam masala and amchur.

  6. 55 min before serving

    Rinse and cook the 750 g rice (about 30 minutes with resting).

  7. 45 min before serving

    Make the pangrattato. Mix the overnight oats and fill 8 jars.

  8. 30 min before serving

    Massage half the kale with half the dressing; toss through one apple. Pack into 4 containers, with cheese and crumbs in separate small pots.

  9. 20 min before serving

    Spread the rice on a tray to cool quickly. Portion the curries into containers once the steam has died down.

  10. Serve

    Eat Sunday's butter chicken with rice. Within 1 hour, refrigerate everything; freeze the rice portions for Tuesday to Thursday.

Shopping list

Produce

  • 4 onions
  • 2 heads garlic (13 cloves)
  • 60 g fresh ginger
  • 600 g curly kale or cavolo nero
  • 3 green chilies
  • 4 lemons
  • 2 crisp apples
  • 500 g fresh or frozen berries
  • 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 bunch cilantro (about 30 g)

Meat & fish

  • 1.25 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Dairy & eggs

  • 150 g unsalted butter
  • 1 liter whole milk
  • 250 ml heavy (whipping) cream
  • 500 g Greek or skyr-style yogurt
  • 250 g plain whole-milk yogurt
  • 80 g Parmigiano Reggiano (or a vegetarian hard cheese)

Bakery

  • 70 g stale sourdough or country bread

Pantry

  • 750 g long-grain white rice (basmati or jasmine)
  • 400 g rolled oats
  • 1 can (400 g) chopped tomatoes
  • 2 cans (400 g) chickpeas
  • 2 cans (400 g) tomato passata
  • tomato paste (1½ tbsp)
  • sugar (1½ tsp)
  • 70 ml honey
  • vanilla extract (2 tsp)
  • 60 ml chia seeds
  • 200 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Pantry check: neutral oil (sunflower or rapeseed), fine sea salt, black pepper

Spices

  • ground cumin (2½ tsp)
  • cumin seeds (1 tsp)
  • ground coriander (2 tsp)
  • ground turmeric
  • Kashmiri chili powder (1½ tbsp)
  • garam masala (1½ tbsp)
  • amchur (dried mango powder) (1 tsp)
  • dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) (1½ tbsp)
  • dried chili flakes
  • ground cinnamon (2 tsp)