In a world where we’re constantly running, some level of meal prep is key. It’s the comforting ritual that brings structure to the chaos.

To me, food prep is the art of foresight, one that allows for the joy of cooking without the stress of spontaneity (and lack of ingredients) when weeks are often busy and loaded.

Those Sunday afternoons spent chopping, roasting, and portioning are an investment in your week ahead. You are not merely saving time but reclaiming it. It’s not about being rigid or overly meticulous; it’s about stepping into the week with ease and intention. Think of it as a love letter to your future self.

So many of us look at meal prep one-dimensionally – something, usually rather stew-like and saucy, that once reheated becomes a shadow of its former self.

But meal prep that still allows for fresh elements and whim – such as these recipes from my latest cookbook, Kitchen Keepers – that is flavour, diversity, and convenience in one neat little package.

When done right, meal prep isn’t just practical, it is an expression of care, for yourself and those lucky enough to sit at your table.

Pork burgers with red curry and coriander mayo

This is a case of delayed gratification. You need to simmer the pulled pork on the stove and know it will have nothing interesting to say for a good few hours. But, oh, when it’s ready, it has some very good things to say indeed. It’s the kind of slow cook that results in soft pork that could well vaporise at the sight of a fork.

This is perfect weekend fodder – soft buns brimming with tasty moreish goodness, like an overstuffed pouf in the living room. It covers all manner of meals from morning to dusk, plates and cutlery always optional.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1.7kg pork collar butt (shoulder), cut into large chunks
• ⅓ cup finely chopped ginger
• 8 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 lemongrass stems, white part only, finely chopped

Braising liquid

• 60ml (¼ cup) salt-reduced soy sauce
• 125ml (½ cup) kecap manis (dark sweet soy)
• 60ml (¼ cup) oyster sauce
• 325ml (1⅓ cups) salt-reduced chicken stock
• 115g (½ cup) brown sugar

Red curry mayo

• 125g (½ cup) Kewpie mayonnaise
• ½–1 tsp red curry paste
• 2–3 tbsp finely chopped coriander

To serve

• finely sliced cabbage or cos lettuce
• brioche buns
• cucumber slices (optional)
• coriander, mint and Thai basil leaves (optional)

METHOD

1. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot. Once shimmering, add the pork and fry until browned all over. Add the ginger, garlic and lemongrass and cook until fragrant.
2. Put the braising liquid ingredients in a bowl along with 125ml (½ cup) water and stir to combine. Pour the liquid over the pork, bring to a simmer and cook for 3 hours, lid off, stirring every 30 minutes or so until the pork is soft and the sauce has thickened and looks superbly glossy. Allow to cool slightly before going at it with a pair of forks and shredding the pork into saucy oblivion.
3. For the red curry mayo, combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Taste and adjust for heat with more curry paste if you like.
4. To assemble, layer some cabbage or lettuce on warmed brioche buns. Top with generous spoonfuls of pork and finish with the red curry mayo and herbs, if using.

Serves 8-10

HOT TIP: Use low-salt soy and stock to ensure this doesn’t have you sculling cups of water for days afterwards.

Wednesday night chicken saag

There is something about curry, with its domestic rituals of spice-roasting and layering of flavour, that is a balm for the soul. Add a heft of spinach, the green of a churning winter ocean after a storm, and this is a truly soothing dish.

My suggestion: eat with your eyes closed. Breathe. Enjoy the immediate and consuming comfort a dish like this brings. Serve with all the things – rice, naan or roti, pappadums and wine for dinnertime nirvana.

INGREDIENTS

• 300g baby spinach leaves
• 3 tbsp ghee or flavourless oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 40g finely chopped ginger
• 800g chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• 3 tsp ground coriander
• 3 tsp garam masala
• 3 tsp ground turmeric
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tsp ground cardamom
• 3 tsp fenugreek seeds
• pinch of chilli powder to taste
• 70g tomato paste
• 375ml (1½ cups) chicken stock
• 300ml pouring cream or Greek-style yoghurt, plus extra to drizzle

METHOD

1. Place a large deep-sided frying pan over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of water and the spinach and cook briefly until the spinach begins to wilt and dramatically reduce in size but still looks vibrant and green. Scoop into a food processor and give a quick blitz to combine. Set aside.
2. Add the ghee to the same frying pan and place over low heat. Add the onions and cook until completely soft. It’s important not to rush this step as it is where a lot of the flavour begins, so give it 10 minutes at least.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. Season with salt and push to the side of the pan. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until browned all over.
4. Add the spices and chilli powder and stir to coat.
5. Add the tomato paste and stock and cook for another minute. Stir in the cream or yoghurt and cook for 20 minutes on low, so the flavours can get acquainted (even longer if you have the patience). Stir through the spinach and cook for another few minutes. Taste and check for seasoning.

Serves 6

HOT TIP: You can omit the chilli powder if you’re feeding small people – it is still an excellent curry and super flavoursome.

One strong tip: where possible, freshly grind your spices. Your future curry-eating self will thank you profusely.

Butter dhal

I love butter chicken. I love dhal. This is the moment those worlds collide, and it’s excellent. An alchemy of needs. From me to you.

If you don’t have panch phoron mix, you can easily and cheaply make your own by combining 1 teaspoon each of cumin, brown mustard, fenugreek, nigella and fennel seeds.

INGREDIENTS

• 250g (1 cup) red lentils, rinsed well and drained
• 1 tsp ghee
• 1 French shallot (eschalot), sliced
• 2 tbsp panch phoron mix

Butter sauce

• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 1½ tbsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 400g can crushed tomatoes
• 150ml (⅔ cup) vegetable stock
• 400ml pouring cream or coconut cream
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 125g salted butter

To serve

• juice of 1 lime or lime wedges
• yoghurt
• hot, fluffy naan
• chopped coriander

METHOD

1. To make the butter sauce, place a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the ghee and, once hot, fry the onion until soft and translucent. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant before adding the spices and tomato paste. Cook until you can really smell those spices, and the tomato paste appears to have come away from the pan and is sticking to your onion mix while being slightly darkened in colour. Add the tomatoes and stock and bring to a simmer, cooking for about 15 minutes, so your ingredients become friends.
2. Remove from the heat and stir through the cream. Allow to cool before transferring to a blender and blitzing to a smooth sauce. Pour that back into the pan and add your cinnamon stick and the butter. Simmer for 10 minutes before adding the washed lentils, then simmer again on a low heat for 20 minutes or until your lentils are cooked to your liking.
3. While the lentils are simmering, place a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add a teaspoon of ghee and fry the sliced French shallot until crisp and delightful. Transfer to a bowl and immediately add the panch phoron mix to the pan and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until you see the brown mustard seeds start to pop. Scrape onto the French shallots and stir to combine.
4. Spoon the dhal into bowls and top with lime juice or wedges, some yoghurt, chopped coriander and the fried shallots mixture. Serve piping hot with naan.

Serves 4-6

The Sunday sauce

Sunday sauce is how you make your house smell like a home. People on their afternoon walks will pause as they pass to inhale the smells of slow-cooked goodness and comfort wafting from the windows, their dogs salivating silver trails across your path.

This is not food for the frenetic, harried way we live now – like an endangered culture, this is slow, meaningful and measured. It is equal parts frugality and “fill your cup” sentimentality in a sauce.

The key to success is the long simmer and using up whatever bits and bobs of meat you have on hand. Traditionally, it’s a mix of three or so meats; throw in a combination of whatever you have, ideally with some form of meat on the bone for maximum flavour. And according to my Italian friends, heavily involved in the research, there is always some form of pork for ultimate flavour.

You could use some butcher fire-sale meat that is still good but needs to be moved on. Whatever you find, it is always delicious. Just don’t rush it.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 100g guanciale or speck, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 450g Italian sausage, skin removed and meat chopped
• 450g pork spare ribs
• 450g steak, chopped
• 60g (¼ cup) tomato paste
• 2.4kg canned whole tomatoes (6 x 400g cans), crushed with your hands
• 3 tbsp chopped oregano
• 3 tbsp chopped basil
• 1 parmesan rind
• pinch of caster sugar
• pasta of your choice, to serve

METHOD

1. Put the oil in a stockpot and place it over medium heat. Once hot, throw in the onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add the guanciale and garlic and fry until fragrant and the guanciale is crisp. Add the meat in batches and brown thoroughly on all sides.
2. Add the tomato paste and cook until it has darkened and it looks like it is coming away from the edges of the pot, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes along with 250ml (1 cup) of water, the herbs and the parmesan rind. Simmer uncovered for at least 3 hours, but 5 hours is best, giving it an occasional stir. You can add more water if it looks too thick or if you are concerned it has reduced too rapidly. Alternatively, if your sauce doesn’t appear to have thickened, turn up the heat slightly and cook a little longer.
3. Remove from the heat and take out the bones. I find it easiest to fish the pork ribs out, pull the meat from the bones and chuck it back into the pot, stirring well. Using a couple of forks, shred all the meat in the sauce – you are looking for a ragu-style consistency. Season with a pinch of caster sugar, salt and pepper. I like to leave the parmesan rind in – it’s like a love note to the meal about to be devoured. Serve with pasta.

Serves 12

This is an edited extract from Kitchen Keepers by Katrina Meynink. Photographs by Katrina Meynink. Published by Hardie Grant Books. RRP $40.