Week of 2026-10-05

• Prep day: Sunday 2026-10-04 (Poha + Matar Paneer), plus a short fresh cook Friday 2026-10-09 (Chili Tofu)
• Prep-day time budget: ~1 hr total, ~35 min active (Sunday); ~25 min (Friday)
• Cuisine mix goal: Indian x2 (last week's plan, carried over since it didn't get cooked) + Indo-Chinese on Friday

First week using the Cuisinart air fryer oven + 9x13 pan. It takes over the slow, hands-off jobs: roasting the onion masala, searing the paneer, and crisping the tofu. Poha stays on the stovetop, since it's a 10-minute sauté that would dry out in the air fryer. Portions are for 1 person.

• Sun + Mon: Poha, 1x batch (serves 2: tonight + Monday). Poha only keeps about 2 days, so it goes first.
• Tue / Wed / Thu: Matar Paneer, using the Air Fryer Oven Method (1.5x masala + extra peas stretches the 0.83 lb of paneer to 3 portions)
• Fri: Chili Tofu, cooked fresh from tofu frozen today

Prep-Day Checklist

Sunday 2026-10-04: Poha + Matar Paneer

• Freeze all 3 Kirkland tofu blocks in their packages (use-by is 10/8; freezing also makes them crisp better on Friday)
• Put the paneer (sealed bag) in warm water to quick-thaw, 15-20 min
• Masala into the 9x13 pan: 1.5 onions in thick slices, the tomato quartered, garlic, ginger, 1-2 Thai chilis, 1/3 tsp turmeric, ghee. Bake 400°F, 25-30 min, stir halfway, until the onion edges are charred
• While it roasts: make the Poha on the stove (1x batch). Eat one portion tonight and store one for Monday
• Marinate the paneer cubes in the Greek yogurt + spice marinade (see recipe)
• Masala out → air fry the paneer at 400°F, 10-12 min, flip halfway. Pull while it's still soft inside
• Blend the masala with ~1/2 cup water → simmer with spices 3-4 min → add 3/4 cup peas, 4-5 min
• Off heat: temper 2-3 tbsp yogurt (whisk in a spoon of hot sauce first), stir in, add garam masala, fold in the paneer
• Portion it out: 3x single-portion Matar Paneer (Tue/Wed/Thu)

Before Friday

• Shopping run (Target or TJ's): soy sauce, cornstarch, bell pepper, vinegar, green onions. See groceries/SHOPPING-LIST.md

Thursday night 2026-10-08

• Move 1 frozen tofu block from the freezer to the fridge to thaw overnight

Friday 2026-10-09: Chili Tofu

• Squeeze the thawed tofu hard, tear it into chunks, toss with soy sauce, then cornstarch + salt, then oil
• Air fry at 400°F, 15-18 min, shaking halfway
• Meanwhile: stir-fry garlic/ginger/chili → onion + bell pepper (keep them crunchy) → sauce → slurry last
• Toss the tofu in the sauce right before eating

This Week's Meals

Storage

Shopping List

Nothing needed for Sunday. Everything is on hand per groceries/INVENTORY.md (paneer, peas, 1 tomato, onions, garlic, ginger, Thai chilis, Greek yogurt, lemon, ghee, poha, naan/roti).

For Friday's Chili Tofu (Target or Trader Joe's, any time before Fri):

• Soy sauce
• Cornstarch
• Bell pepper (1)
• Rice or white vinegar
• Green onions (optional)

Cilantro is optional for both Indian dishes. Skip it if you don't pass by any.

Notes

• Carried over from the week of 2026-09-28, which didn't get cooked.
• Only 1 tomato on hand (use-by today). The air fryer Matar Paneer makes up for it with tempered Greek yogurt, which adds tang and body.
• Turmeric is back in stock, so both Indian dishes are back to the standard versions. Bloom it in fat (in the roasting pan for the masala, with the onions for the Poha).
• 2 frozen tofu blocks remain after Friday. They're good for months; think Thai Basil Tofu or Thai Green Curry once rice is back.
• Still unused in the freezer: the Kirkland stir-fry mix, Costco roasted vegetables, and TJ's Thai Vegetable Gyoza (the gyoza air-fry well from frozen at about 380°F for 10-12 min).