We all know that cooking well-balanced, tasty meals can be difficult when on a student schedule (and budget) – most of us find turning to pot noodles and cheesy pasta the easiest option. This long-held stereotype of students' eating habits may well prove themselves
right. Here I want to break this stereotype and offer alternatives to the above, which can elevate the traditional student diet.
I think it’s first important to say, something that I have learnt during my 4 (almost 5 ) years living as a student, is that you can make just about anything with a can of chopped tomatoes (don’t forget the frozen peas!).
For spaghetti bolognaise, add paprika and soy sauce (with mince or a veggie alternative). With chilli, do the same but with cumin and chilli powder. You can even create a curry, with cumin, Garam Masala, and chicken or tofu.
Spaghetti Bolognaise made with TVP and mushrooms.
Even though pot noodles are easy when you don’t feel like cooking, you’re not going to live your best life if it’s one of the only things you eat. Instead, you can either buy dried noodles or even just a pot noodle, which can be jazzed up with a bit of veg and a few spices.
All you will need is a few spring onions, a red or green bell pepper, mushrooms, cabbage, dried noodles, and either soy sauce, dried coriander and chilli flakes or the pre-packaged pot noodle spice mix. Fry the veg in a pan (and if you eat meat, add some chicken and cook through). Put the noodles in boiling water with the spices (covering just to cook). Chuck it all in the bowl, and you have a more nutritious, and delicious, version of a pot noodle. Add a fried or boiled egg to the top to make it even more posh.
Aubergine noodles with miso broth (left), Veg and noodles in soy sauce and sesame (right).
One of the quickest, easiest and most filling things to cook when you’re unsure is pasta and grated cheese. But this can often be stodgy, and very carb heavy. If instead, we add a few more things, this quick and easy recipe can be made equally and fast, but better.
You want to start by boiling some pasta, just as you would before, but grab another pan and start frying off an onion, two cloves of garlic, maybe a pepper or two, and tip in a can of chopped tomatoes, add some mixed herbs, soy sauce and paprika (at this stage feel free to add diced chicken, and maybe even some chorizo, cooking through before mixing with pasta). Once you’ve made your sauce, stir through your pasta. Chuck it all in an oven-safe pan, top with the cheese if your choosing and bake for 20 or so minutes. Cheesy pasta with mushrooms, flaked almonds and salad.
Reading this you may be thinking – well that sounds too simple, I want something nicer than just noodles or pasta. Thai food is delicious- and learning how to make a good Thai curry is a good way to incorporate loads of veg into your diet.
Start by boiling halved new potatoes. Then fry off one white onion and 3 cloves of garlic in some oil. Add lemongrass, Garam Masala, and turmeric and fry off until fragrant. Once cooked through, pour in a can of coconut milk, chuck in a bay leaf and leave to simmer for about 30 minutes. Chop up any veg of your choice and add to the pan to cook through with the curry sauce. Add in the cooked potatoes and leave again for ten minutes. Serve with sticky or boiled rice.
Thai Massaman curry with aubergine and red peppers.
Edited by Nadia Lincoln.