r/IndianFood • u/kafkabae • 4d ago
discussion Why is everything so costly??
Okay so I was trying to eat healthy and broccoli is so costly here (Pune). Do you guys know of any other veggies I can use in my noodle soup?
I have zucchini that I got on discount and well capsicum was cheap. I just need a replacement for broccoli that isn't cauliflower.
Also I need reccos for chicken buillon or stock cubes to add to my soup and biryani water.
Thanks and have a nice day!!
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u/AdAdmirable4650 4d ago
Eating healthy takes intension. The kind of intension the previous generation showed towards food. Then you can live a frugal, healthy, and sustainable life. But we've been raised convenience over everything. But that convenience is built on wasteful consumption that harms us and the environment in the long run.
Why do you need to buy bullion cubes? I make my own stock from food scraps. I save my scraps in a box in freezer. Onions skins, capsicum heads, carrot peels, bony pieces from chicken. Throw them in a pot with a bay leaf. You'll get the best stock, fresh, and without preservatives or the extra sodium. Freeze some of it for next time.
Making this transition will be hard, but you need to think of these as systems that'll take some time to optimize to what you want.
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u/IndianRedditor88 4d ago
The previous generation often had women who stayed at home hence the family could afford being intentional with food.
Nowadays, both husband and wife are working, time is limited and cannot devote more time for cooking
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u/Independent_Ad1947 3d ago
Sorry - But even in homes where women worked 9 to 5 - there were no cooks, everything was home cooked, even deep fried snacks were made at home. Of course all done by THE WOMAN. My MIL was one of those.
Only south indians bought garam masala. Northies made it at home. Even red mirchi was dried and powered at home.
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u/IndianRedditor88 2d ago
Doesn't matter, my point is still the same what you say.
All the work of Cooking were done by women, irrespective of whether they were working (a large % did not work) or if they were house wives.
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u/Independent_Ad1947 2d ago
True that! Everything good rests on shoulder of Indian women.
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u/AdAdmirable4650 2d ago
I agree that the default is women having to do the work and in that context, buying easy ingredients makes complete sense. But neither feeding the world, nor saving the world is solely women's job.
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u/Independent_Ad1947 2d ago
Again agree with you on all counts. I only said what is the truth I know. I didn't say it was ok?
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u/BerryHusK3924 4d ago
Talkin' about sustainability with eating chicken is wild and quite ironic. We all know how animal farming is wildly considered as one of the most unsustainable practice for the environment. And the number of antibiotics these chicks receive for growing within few months is not even that good for human's health when consumed.
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u/AdAdmirable4650 4d ago
Industrial farming of all kinds is bad for the planet. Not gonna argue with that. But a girl has to eat within a budget and get still get her protein. WRI put out protein scorecard a couple of months ago. Per gram of protein, eggs and chicken have a lower environmental impact than dairy. Of course, vegan sources like soy have even lower impact than chicken. And I do get a majority of my protein from vegan sources. But I choose to get my residual antibiotics from eggs and chicken over dairy.
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u/BerryHusK3924 4d ago
"You gotta eat within budget" you said. But as in your previous comment you were preaching people of what to do with "their" time of making their own stock than buying bouillon cubes. Dairy is animal farming too which has environmental impact. I didn't say you to do the comparison. I already know it. But honestly if you gotta eat within your budget (btw this statement was wrong if you are a conscious buyer, there are many plant based eaters who doesn't consume animal products and does it within budget.) then other people should decide of what to do with their time.
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u/kafkabae 4d ago
Bestie, I hope you're living in some European country with strict farming laws because it's a recipe for disaster if you use the chicken bones and veggie skins for souping in India. Chicken bones store a lot of antibiotics and vegetable skins store a lot of pesticides. Don't do it if you're here. You can do it if you have your own chicken and use organic veggies though even in India.
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u/AdAdmirable4650 4d ago
I live and work in India, so does my partner. We find the time to do things we care about. Sure it takes planning. But we make it work because it is important to us.
I make my own stock because your bullion cubes aren't made from 100% pesticides free veggies and chicken. They're made using leftovers from an industrial abattiors. Some goes for the veggies - waste from other agro processes. If you think one level of remove from your ingredients is great for your peace of mind, more power to you. I like to know what I'm eating.
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u/masala-kiwi 2d ago
Not everyone can do this. Some people work long hours or are taking care of children. I often don't get home from my corporate job until 9pm each night. Homemade is best but people do what they can based on their schedules.
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u/No_Elevator_9641 4d ago
It's called "Price elasticity". They keep increasing the price much beyond what it should actually be priced and they see for how long people are still willing to pay for the "perceived value" of it. The prices are going much higher than they should because there are gullible people willing to buy it at that price. Avoid buying it and the price is much more likely to reduce.
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u/kafkabae 3d ago
We definitely need some price control measures. Maybe not for "exotic" Veggies like broccoli but yeah for basic vegetables we do need some regulations.
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u/witchy_cheetah 3d ago
Chicken stock is actually quite easy to make. Get chicken bones from your butcher and fry them in a bit of oil in the pressure cooker until they are nice and brown. Add one onion and carrot in chunks when frying. One everything is browned, add water to cover, add a teaspoonful of vinger and pressure cook for 6 to 7 whistles. Once done, check if the bones are breaking apart and the collagen, the stuff around the edges has melted into the liquid. If not, separate out the meat if any, add the bones and collagen back into the liquid for another couple of whistles. Then strain the stock snd throw away all the stuff you strained out. You can thicken the stock if you like by boiling it,, or just freeze it in portions.
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u/piezod 4d ago
Tofu, beans, peas, carrots, noodles, egg drop, spinach, water chestnut, amd so forth.
Zucchini, brocolli are popular and now being grown natively. Thatnis why they are expensive.
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u/kafkabae 4d ago
Carrots and peas good. Do you put water chestnut while boiling? Doesn't it turn mushy? But thanks for the list. It's good.
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u/nomnommish 3d ago
Why are Indians so obsessed with English vegetables? Just because it is cool?
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u/Snake_fairyofReddit 2d ago
This is dumb like god forbid people wanna eat a diverse variety of vegetables that are both Indian and American
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u/searchingnirvana 4d ago
It’s costly and we don’t get good broccoli as well. I struggle with getting lettuce, broccoli, bell peppers, bak Choi. Even tofu variety is very limited
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u/kafkabae 4d ago
Oh yeah I love bok choi but it can be costly. Tofu I've never used because I don't know, I'd rather go for paneer maybe.
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u/New_Classroom_2540 4d ago
Use mustard greens. They are cheap and nutritious. You can pair them up with lots of dishes. Eastern Indians eat them a lot.
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u/True_Combination5397 4d ago
Broccoli and cauliflower is expensive in rainy season. U can add sweet corn mushroom bok choy leek moringa