Actual poor student cookbook
by breadedfishstrip 16 hours ago
But - Ramen is cheap!
No it's not. Ramen is only cheap if you're a lazy fuck. A 5kg bag of rice
wil run you $5 - $6 and last you 50 or so servings. Prices for dried
egg-or rice noodles are about the same, depending on market. You
can get extremely cheap bulk rice and dried ramen if you visit your
local 'ethnic' shop. They will have 5kg bags of rice or dried
ramen/noodles for a much lower price than the equivalent in ramen
boxes. What you miss out on are powdered bouilloun cubes.
Bouillon cubes
What should be in a student's pantry
Dry versions of: - Kidney/black beans - lentils - chickpeas / sweetpeas
- Pasta (bulk, can be noodles, macaroni, whatever) - Rice (bulk) Flour - Milk - Sugar Canned versions of: - Diced tomatoes (Usually
less than 0.50$ a can!) - Tomato Pasta (Used for spicing up soups,
stews, etc) - Corn If you have a freezer: - Frozen Spinach - Frozen
cauliflower / Broccoli Flour is extremely versitile. I'm not saying you
should bake your own bread, but can you bake an egg? If yes, then
even you can make pancakes by mixing flour (1cup) milk (1cup) and
some sugar (1tbsp at least) and dumping that shit in a pan. Eggs are
nice, but not required. You can also use that stock for: - Flour:
Browning meat for stew, giving fish a crisp skin when baked, making
tortillas - Sugar: un-tarting tomato dishes, other pastry, in hot drinks Corn: add a sweet touch to veggie-only dishes
Ditch the sodas
Maybe the hardest. Soda/pop contains an insane amount of sugar, but
more importantly: it's expensive and addictive. Buy tea in bulk - your
local ethnic shop is gonna have mint leaves in bulk for half the price
you spend on soda in a day. Brew a tea with it, dump some sugar in it
in a glass container and put it in the fridge. Better yet: learn to love hot
teas. There's a crazy amount of teas out there, from herbal and fruit
infusions to variations of black and green teas. All of them are cheaper
when bought in bulk compared to sodas, and you will find that
eventually a hot green tea quenches that thirst much more than a
sugary coke.
Learn to spice
Spices are the most expensive part of recipes for a reason. They
make the difference between 'carrot water' soup and 'tasty carrot'
soup. They are expensive at first purchase, but any student kitchen
should at least have some of the most common spices that are
affordable: - Cumin (a 'curry' mix is acceptable, and sometimes
cheaper) - Oregano and Basil (necessity for Tomato dishes) Marjory/marjoram (Good on tomato dishes, also good on
potato/egg/cream dishes) - Nutmeg (always good on potato/cream
dishes) Other affordable spices are: - Paprika (sweet, good in
tomato/savory dishes) - Fennel seeds (Anis-y taste) - Dried chiles
(add some heat to a dish without coloring like paprika) - Cayenne (add
some heat. Not as much as chiles)
Beans are pretty sweet
Beans get a wrap for being poor people food. Guess what: you're
poor. Buy a stock of dried beans (kidney/red/black) and lentils (any),
and you'll have a steady supply of something that is filling, tasty and
easy to use in any recipe. Indian/ethiopian/afghani cooking revolves
around lentils, beans and rice - but they know how to spice. Dried
beans and lentils are extremely cheap - the downside is that dried
beans need a 12 hour 'soaking' before you can use them. Dry lentils
and peas (not chickpeas) are pretty much good to go if you're making
anything liquidy that's gonna simmer.
Red Beans & Rice
One of those low effort recipes that ends up being amazing. This uses
dried red beans and some fresh celery and bell pepper to make an
amazing stew to go with rice. A small bowl with some rice will fill you
up for a damn long time. Recipe:
Vegan Red Beans and Rice
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Prep time
24 hours
Cook time
3 hours
Total time
27 hours
Total Cost: $7.40
Cost Per Serving: $1.23
Serves: 6-8 (about 10 cups total)
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil $0.32
1 medium yellow onion $0.52
1 medium bell pepper $0.97
4 stalks celery $0.50
4 cloves garlic $0.32
1 lb. dry red beans $1.59
6 cups vegetable broth $0.78*
1 tsp thyme $0.10
1 tsp oregano $0.10
1 whole bay leaf $0.15
Tbsp smoked paprika $0.15
Freshly cracked pepper $0.05 (10-15 cranks of a mill)
Pinch cayenne pepper $0.02
6 cups cooked rice $1.04
1 bunch green onions, sliced $0.79
Instructions
1.
The night before, Place your beans in a large pot and fill with enough cool
water to cover the beans by a few inches. Place the beans in the refrigerator to
soak over night.
2.
When you're ready to cook, finely dice the celery, bell pepper, and onion,
and mince the garlic. Cook the celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic in a large pot
with the olive oil over medium heat until softened (5-7 minutes).
3.
Drain the soaked beans in a colander and rinse with fresh, cool water. Add
the rinsed beans to the pot with the vegetables. Also add the vegetable broth,
thyme, oregano, bay leaf, smoked paprika, some freshly cracked pepper, and a
pinch of cayenne pepper.
4.
Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a full boil over high heat. After it
reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and allow the pot to simmer for at least
two hours. Make sure the pot is simmering the entire time, increasing the heat if
needed. Stir the pot occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.
Keep the lid in place the entire time to keep the beans from drying out.
5.
After two hours (or longer if desired) the beans should be soft and tender.
Mash some of the beans against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon.
This will thicken the pot and make the classic, creamy texture of the dish.
Remove the bay leaf and allow the pot to simmer for about 30 minutes more
(after smashing) to help it thicken.
6.
To serve, add a scoop of red beans to a bowl and top with a scoop warm,
cooked rice. Sprinkle sliced green onions over top and add a dash of hot sauce if
desired.
Dragon Noodles
As cheap as it gets. Cooked noodles (pref in a broth/bouillon water)
with chili flakes. Feel free to replace dried chili with sriracha, tabasco
or whatever heat you prefer. If you got your noodles in bulk, this is the
cheapest recipe ever. As a bonus: add an extra egg, or peas, or diced
carrots, or basically any leftover veg. Consider this a 'vidanche frigo "empty the fridge"' Cost: about $1.5 for 2-3 servings dragon noodles
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Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
10 mins
Total time
15 mins
Total Cost: $2.04
Cost Per Serving: $1.04
Serves: 2
Ingredients
4 oz. lo mein noodles $1.13
2 Tbsp butter $0.20
tsp crushed red pepper $0.02
1 large egg $0.25
1 Tbsp brown sugar $0.02
1 Tbsp soy sauce $0.02
1 Tbsp sriracha (rooster sauce) $0.08
1 handful fresh cilantro $0.22
1 sliced green onion $0.06
Instructions
1.
Begin to boil water for the noodles. Once the water reaches a full boil, add
the noodles and cook according to the package directions (boil for 5-7 minutes).
2.
While waiting for the water to boil, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir
together the brown sugar, soy sauce, and sriracha.
3.
In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Add
the red pepper to the butter as it melts. Whisk an egg in a bowl and then add to
the melted butter. Stir gently and cook through. Once the egg is done cooking,
turn off the heat.
4.
When the noodles are tender, drain the water and then add them to the
skillet with the cooked egg. Also add the prepared sauce. Turn the heat on to low
to evaporate excess moisture, and stir until everything is coated well with the
sauce. Sprinkle the sliced green onions and cilantro leaves (whole) on top and
serve!
Chunky Lentil soup
One of my personal favorites, I make this shit a lot because it's so
easy and filling. Requires almost no effort and the longer you 'forget'
to turn off the heat, the better it gets. Extremely easy to make, super
cheap ($5 or less for a full pot) and very filling. Make a batch on full
ingredients worth $5 - 7$ and you'll have a hearty meal soup for 3 - 7
days. It'll hold in the fridge for a week and only gets better with age. If
it gets too thick you can just pour that shit over rice. Cost: about $6 for
5+ servings Recipe: Chunky Lentil and Vegetable Soup
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Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
35 mins
Total time
45 mins
Total Cost: $5.24
Cost Per Serving: $0.52
Serves: 8 (1.25 cups each)
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil $0.32
2 cloves garlic $0.16
1 medium onion $0.50
lb. (3-4) carrots $0.55
3 ribs celery $0.80
1 (15 oz.) can black beans $0.89
1 cup brown lentils $0.31
1 tsp cumin $0.10
1 tsp oregano $0.10
tsp smoked paprika $0.05
tsp cayenne pepper $0.02
Freshly ground black pepper $0.05
1 (15 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes $0.85
4 cups vegetable broth $0.52*
tsp salt $0.02
Instructions
1.
Mince the garlic and dice the onion. Cook both in a large pot with olive oil
over medium heat until tender. Meanwhile, slice the celery and peel and slice the
carrots. Add the celery and carrots to the pot and continue to saut for about 5
more minutes.
2.
Drain the can of black beans and add it to the pot along with the dry lentils,
cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and some freshly cracked
pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill). Finally, add the diced tomatoes (with
juices) and vegetable broth, and stir to combine.
3.
Increase the heat to medium high and allow the pot to come up to a boil.
Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, place a lid on top, and let it
simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, test the lentils to make sure they are
tender. If not, continue to simmer until they are tender.**
4.
Taste the soup and add salt as needed (I added tsp). Serve hot.
Wonderpot
An easy as fuck one-pot recipe. Simmer some onion and garlic, and
then dump the rest in with some water. Add a bouilon cube. You don't
need to boil pasta in water - getting it ready in the sauce it's supposed
to be in just makes it tastier and is easier. Cost: about $7 for 3 - 6
servings Recipe: Italian Wonderpot
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Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
15 mins
Total time
25 mins
Author: Inspired by Apron Strings
Total Cost: $6.52
Cost Per Serving: $1.09
Serves: 6
Ingredients
4 cups vegetable broth $0.52
2 Tbsp olive oil $0.32
12 oz. fettuccine $1.33
8 oz. frozen chopped spinach $0.79
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes $1.73
1 medium onion $0.43
4 cloves garlic $0.32
Tbsp dried basil $0.07
Tbsp dried oregano $0.07
tsp red pepper flakes $0.02
freshly cracked pepper to taste $0.05
2 oz. feta cheese $0.87
Instructions
1.
Add four cups of vegetable broth to a large pot. Break the fettuccine in half
to make stirring easier later, and then add it to the pot. Also add the canned
tomatoes (undrained), olive oil, frozen spinach, onion (thinly sliced), garlic (thinly
sliced), basil, oregano, red pepper, and some freshly cracked black pepper.
2.
Make sure the ingredients are submerged under the liquid, place a lid on
top of the pot, and then turn the heat on to high. Allow the pot to come up to a
full, rolling boil over high heat then remove the lid and turn the heat down to
medium.
3.
Allow the pot to continue to boil over medium heat, without a lid, for 10-15
minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Stir the pot every few minutes as it cooks to prevent the pasta from sticking to the
bottom, but avoid over stirring which can cause the pasta to become sticky and
mushy. The pot must be boiling the entire time.
4.
After the pasta is cooked, crumble the feta cheese over top and serve.
Spinach and tomato macaroni
This requires you have a freezer - makes a lot of budget recipes a lot
easier. Again, its a one-pot recipe: dump your onions and garlic in oil
until glazed, add diced tomatoes (from can) and spinach (from freezer)
and your herbs. Dump your dry pasta in there to simmer with all that
shit (use the tomato can for water measurements) and let simmer.
Cost: About $4 for 4 servings Recipe: Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta
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Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
20 mins
Total time
25 mins
Total Cost: $3.72
Cost Per Serving: $0.93
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil $0.16
1 small onion $0.25
2 cloves garlic $0.16
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes $0.59
tsp dried oregano $0.03
tsp dried basil $0.03
pinch red pepper flakes (optional) $0.02
freshly cracked pepper to taste $0.05
tsp salt $0.03
2 Tbsp tomato paste $0.11
2 oz. cream cheese $0.48
cup grated Parmesan $0.42
lb. penne pasta $0.89
(9 oz.) bag fresh spinach $0.50
Instructions
1.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook
until tender (7-10) minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander.
2.
While waiting for the pasta to cook, dice the onion and mince the garlic.
Cook both in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium-low heat until softened
and transparent (about 5 minutes).
3.
Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), oregano, basil, red pepper flakes,
salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir
to combine. Add the tomato paste and a cup of water to the skillet and stir until
the tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce.
4.
Turn the heat down to low. Cut the cream cheese into a few pieces and
then add them to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Use a whisk to stir the sauce
until the cream cheese has fully melted in and the sauce is creamy. Add half of
the Parmesan to the skillet and whisk until it is melted in. Add the remainder of
the parmesan and whisk until melted in again.
5.
Add the fresh spinach and gently stir it into the sauce until it has wilted (3-5
minutes). Add the pasta and stir until it is well coated in the creamy tomato sauce.
Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.
Rice leftovers?
Spinach breakfast bowl! Definitely not for breakfast only, but a good
way to clean up rice leftovers: Dump some frozen spinach chunks with
a hardboiled egg with your rice leftovers, nuke, add chili flakes/hot
sauce. Spinach Rice Breakfast Bowls
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Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
6 mins
Total time
11 mins
Total Cost: $0.64 each
Serves: 1 bowl
Ingredients
cup cooked seasoned rice $0.11
cup frozen chopped spinach $0.16
Tbsp butter $0.08
1 large egg $0.21
pinch of salt & pepper $0.03
splash of hot sauce $0.05
Instructions
1.
Place one inch of water in a small sauce pan. Bring it up to a boil over high
heat with the lid on top. Once it reaches a full boil, add the egg in the pot, replace
the lid, and let boil/steam in the shallow water for exactly six minutes. After six
minutes, pour out the hot water, rinse with cool water, then peel immediately.
2.
While the egg is cooking, add cup of precooked seasoned rice to a bowl
along with cup frozen chopped spinach. Microwave on high until heated
through (about two minutes, stirring once half way through). Season the spinach
and rice with butter and a pinch of salt and pepper.
3.
Once the egg is cooked and peeled, add it to the bowl with the spinach
rice, drizzle hot sauce over top, and eat.
