5 Quick Recipes for the Busy Student

[ghazi52]

5 Quick Recipes for the Busy Student


Calling all students! For those of you who never learnt to cook before flying the nest, we have you covered. 5 mouthwatering recipes for the busy student.

By YEASMIN ALI

These recipes take minutes and taste just like Mums!

With busy university schedules, it can be incredibly hard for students to maintain a healthy diet and not give in to the easy frozen or tin options.

Here at DESIblitz, we have narrowed down quick recipes for the busy student. With shortcuts, tips and advice that make these meals both delicious and ready within minutes.

From stir-fry recipes, actual spicy fries, and indulgent pasta bake, these recipes are inspired by the food you might have at home. Each meal with its own array of spices and flavours, they are far from the boring beans on toast.

So, if you’re not a natural-born chef but love quick and easy food, check out our favourite homestyle recipes below!

Quick Curried Stir Fry

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For this recipe, buy frozen or ready-made vegetables. This way, you get a larger quantity and a wider variety of vegetables. Also, anything you do not finish, always freeze and use it for a meal another day.

Ingredients:

• Thinly sliced ½ breast of chicken
• Pre-cooked egg noodles
• Ready-made stir fry vegetable mix
• Vegetable oil
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp mild curry powder
• ½ sliced white onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 6 tsp of soy sauce
• 2 tsp of chilli sauce

Method:

1. Heat a large wok and set to a medium high temperature. Add 3 tsp of vegetable oil and thinly sliced onion. Allow to cook until translucent and slightly caramelised on the edges.
2. Add your garlic and salt and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. After, add your thinly sliced chicken breast and cover with a lid and allow it to release and dry its natural water. Once the water has evaporated, add 2 tsp of mild curry powder and throw in ½ the bag of stir fry vegetable mix (if you are serving more than two people add the full bag).
4. Once the vegetables are al dente add 6 tsp of soy sauce and 2 tsp of chilli sauce. After 2-3 minutes, add your pre-cooked egg noodles.
5. Mix everything together thoroughly for 3-4 minutes and enjoy.

This recipe has been adapted from Recipe Tin Eats.

Mum’s Daal with a Twist

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The worst thing about being away from home is not being able to enjoy your mum’s cookinganytime you want.

Luckily, this bowl of flavour takes just minutes to prepare! With paprika, curry powder, and turmeric, this is a heart-warming dish that you simply can’t (and shouldn’t) resist.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of soaked red lentils
• 2 tsp of butter
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 tsp curry powder
• ½ chopped white onion
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup of frozen vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, peas and sweetcorn make a good combination)
• 2 cloves of grated garlic

Method:

1. 20 minutes before starting, allow the lentils to soak in cold water (this will help them double in size and cook faster, you can also leave them to soak overnight). Also, leave your frozen vegetables out to defrost.
2. In a small pot add the soaked 1 ½ cups of red lentils along with double the amount of water, salt to taste, ½ a chopped onion, ½ tsp of turmeric and ½ tsp of curry powder.
3. Leave the pan on medium high flame with the lid on and allow the mix to boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Once the lentils have completely softened leave on a low heat and separately heat a small pan with 2 tsp of butter, add 2 grated cloves of garlic, ½ tsp of paprika, ½ of curry powder and cook till the garlic develops colour.
5. Add your frozen vegetables and cook on a medium heat until the vegetables are soft and cooked through.
6. Finally, add the vegetable mixture to the dhal, mix everything together and enjoy with either toasted naan bread or tortilla wraps.

This dish was inspired by Vegan Richa.

Tuna Pasta Bake

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This is a perfect lazy weekday dish. For any pasta dish, always preserve some of the starchy water which the pasta has been boiled in.

It contains plenty of flavour and adds more depth to the dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of fusilli pasta
• ½ a jar of tuna pasta bake sauce
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup of tinned sweetcorn
• ½ a can of tinned tuna
• Grated cheddar cheese

Method:

1. To start with, preheat your oven to gas mark 4 and boil some water for the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Once the pasta has cooked, drain the water leaving 4-5 tbsp aside.
2. In the same pot add salt to taste, ½ a jar of tuna pasta bake sauce, ½ a can of tinned tuna, ¼ cup of sweetcorn and mix.
3. Line the pasta into an oven safe dish and cover the top with grated cheddar cheese. Leave in the oven until the cheese has melted and darkened in colour, this usually takes 15 minutes depending on your oven.

This recipe was adapted from Recipe Tin Eats.

10 Minute Spiced Asian Noodles

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Noodles are a must in the student food diary. There are many ways to enjoy them and stock up on them when they’re on offer.

Also, you can freeze coriander so buy a bunch and use when required. If you don’t like coriander, you can always substitute it for parsley.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of instant noodles (which contain a spice mix)
• 1 tsp mild curry powder
• 1 green chilli
• 1 tsp chopped coriander
• 1 boiled and chopped egg
• ½ diced white onion
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable oil

Method:

1. Firstly, start by boiling a kettle of water and separately boiling an egg. Heat up a wok on a low to medium heat, add 3 tsp of vegetable oil followed by the diced white onion and salt to taste.
2. Once the onions are translucent, add 1 tsp of mild curry powder and the spice mix available inside the noodle packet. Stir constantly for 2 minutes. Break up the noodles with a wooden spoon and add it to the wok.
3. Stir the dry mixture for 2 minutes then add the boiled water (fill the wok with enough water to cover the noodles). Put a lid on the wok and allow the noodles to soak in the water.
4. Once the water has been soaked, swiftly add 1 chopped chilli and 1 tsp of chopped coriander.
5. Once the egg has boiled, peel and chop it up. You can mix the egg into the noodles or garnish on top.

The inspiration for this recipe was taken from Afelia’s Kitchen.

Masala Fries

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A quick tip is to fry the chips whilst you make your sauce.

This way, the chips have no time to cool down and get soggy.

Also, if you have any leftover doner meat or chicken, shred it again and to double the flavour.

Ingredients:

• Fries (or any other cut of chips)
• ½ red pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ sliced white onion
• ½ tsp mild curry powder
• 4 tbsp chilli sauce
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp tomato ketchup

Method:

1. Deep fry or bake your favourite style of chips.
2. Five minutes before your chips are ready, add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, ½ a sliced onion and ½ a red pepper to a small pan.
3. Once the peppers have softened add salt to taste, ½ a tsp of mild curry powder and cook off for 2 minutes.
4. Add 4 tbsp of chilli sauce and 1 tsp of tomato ketchup. Stir the mixture for 3-4 minutes to incorporate both flavours well.
5. Finally, add your cooked chips to the pan and mix thoroughly so that the sauce has covered all of the chips. Either serve with a side of chicken/fish or you can indulge in them alone.

The inspiration for this dish has been adapted from Pika Chakula.

With such an array of warming, delicious and quick dishes, there’s no reason to be buying a takeaway pizza every night if you are a busy student.

Get in the kitchen and rustle up one of these delightful recipes!

 

[denel]

Bad.... too much carbs friend.

Best is:
1 medium onion - cut up and diced.
Add to pan with oil.
when light golden, add garlic and green leeks if required.
add 1 diced potato, add salt, tumeric, coriander powder.
cook until medium softness, then add 2-3 eggs plus green parsley/coriander (lots of it).
stir until well cooked.

Have with bread.