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Easy-peasy recipes for students who can’t cook

Study International Staff

25 Jan 2019

You don’t need to be Nigella Lawson to whip up a decent meal. Source: Toa Heftiba/Unsplash

It’s easy to take things like having food on the table for granted when you’re living at home with your parents.

It’s often not until you head off to university and live on your own that you come to fully appreciate all those home-cooked meals that were made with love.

The reality is, cooking is an essential survival skill that will not only save you a lot of money down the line, but is also a much healthier option than eating out for just about every meal of your life.

If your cooking skills are negligible or non-existent, that doesn’t mean you have to survive on bread and peanut butter. We’ve scoured the web for some easy recipes you can use to get you started:

Banana pancake

You don’t need many skills to whip up pancakes – this BuzzFeed video shows how you can make a simple pancake from scratch using cheap ingredients.

All you need is one large banana, two eggs, some cinnamon and honey. You can mash the banana in a bowl before adding the eggs and cinnamon. Mix it again, add a dollop to a pan and fry until cooked. Serve with some honey for a lip-smacking breakfast.

Cold-cut sandwiches

Sandwiches are super simple to whip up. Source: Shutterstock

Depending on type, sandwiches can be really easy to make and take almost no time at all to prepare.

All you need are two to four slices of white or brown bread, some cold cuts of your choice (e.g. turkey, salami, etc.), vegetables (e.g. slices of tomato, lettuce, red/green/yellow peppers, etc.) and dressing (e.g. mustard). Add some cheese slices, a fried egg and heat your sandwich over a pan with some butter to give it more oomph.

You can also switch things up by using wraps instead. Don’t be afraid to experiment with proteins, such as minced chicken or minced beef (seasoned with salt and pepper, or taco seasoning for beef), in your sandwich or wrap once you’re more comfortable in the kitchen.

Mac and cheese

If you’re looking for a sinfully delicious dinner to share with some friends, mac and cheese can be your saviour. But instead of buying instant mac and cheese from the store, why not make your own for a gratifying meal?

For this recipe by Tasty (jump to 1.45), all you need is some elbow pasta, milk and cheddar. Start by cooking one pound of pasta over a stove with five cups of milk. Once soft, stir in two cups of cheddar and voilà – you’re done!

Tomato in rice cooker recipe

Rice is a staple for many Asians, and this easy-peasy recipe from Mike Chen can’t fail even the most novice cooks.

All you need is to throw in some rice (one or two cups, depending on how much you want), the corresponding amount of water for the amount of rice you used, one medium or large-sized tomato (stem removed), olive oil, salt and pepper into a rice cooker before switching it on.

Once your rice is ready, simply mix all the ingredients together for a deliciously simple, warm meal. You can even jazz it up by adding some chopped Spam and mushrooms before switching on your rice cooker.

Chia seed pudding

This recipe can double up as dessert and breakfast.

Chia seed pudding recipes are so versatile that you can play around with the type of ingredients used. Typically, for your base, you will need about two tablespoons of chia seeds, half a cup of unsweetened almond milk (or regular milk) and one tablespoon of honey. Mix the ingredients and refrigerate in an airtight container overnight.

The following morning, you can top it up with fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, dried figs, bananas, or even nuts and granolas. Feel free to get creative!