What to cook when you don't have a clue

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2F45T4U · #1 Post by **2F45T4U** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 12:45 pm

As inspired by Alun. What can I cook on a budget? (£54 a week) And not just egg and toast. 
 
Not this kind of reply as I had off a mate; 
 
"Buy loads of bags of crisps for £4 and and spend the £50 on booze!" 
 
 
Aluns kind of post <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"> 
 
 
"'Doll' sachet noodles, about 30p a packet, fills you up okay (if you have them regularly enough) and you can throw in a chopped mushroom or frozen peas or some tinned chopped ham. Impossible to burn. 
 
Later on in term when money gets a bit tighter you can bulk buy Sharwoods fine egg thread noodles and add your own flavour; half a vegetable oxo cube and a shredded dried chilli pepper. 
 
Tinned chopped ham will be your friend, Bacon Grill on Sundays. 
 
Ideal for when you roll in at two in the morning as they get prepared before you fall asleep!" 
 
Adam <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D">

PurpleBargeKen · #2 Post by **PurpleBargeKen** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 1:02 pm

Not much to add to the above really, except for Beans. Healthy eating and a source of entertainment when pissed.

alun n · #3 Post by **alun n** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 1:49 pm

...find the local asian grocer, bulk buy basmati rice; you'll be surprised how quick you get through a sack full. Go basmati as it tastes ok boiled on its own with a pinch of salt added just before the boil. It only needs about 12 mins and rinse in a sieve with kettle boiled water. 
 
From this basis you can have: 
 
1: Plain bolied rice 
 
2: Sausage or meat balls with onion gravy on a bed of boiled rice. Sainsbury do Swedish meatballs often on a buy one get one free offer; a single box of 30 (normal price 1.99) will do three meals and can be frozen and easily used from frozen. Add a little olive oil to the wok and half a sliced onion and seal until slightly browned, add 10 meatballs or chopped cheap sausages (from the butcher at the market) and stir over gentle heat until they start to cook. Add a couple of cup fulls of boiling water from the kettle (carefully) and then half a vegetable oxo cube and a shredded chilli. Stir and then simmer until the rice is done. Delicious. 
 
3: Egg fried rice. Heat a little olive oil gently in the wok (buy one, its all you need with one small suacepan besides) break an egg into it and break the yolk and add a little ground black pepper; let it cook gently until it is nearly set and then scramble it furiously. Add left over cold boiled rice kept covered in the fridge from yesterday (but never more than 2 days old) and a splash of dark soy sauce. Stir over gentle heat until the rice is completely coloured by the sauce and warmed through. You can vary this by adding any or all of frozen peas, chopped tinned ham (your friend), chopped mushroom, fine chopped onion, pitted olives, etc etc etc. Add the extras after the egg has been scrambled but before the rice is added. 
 
4: Look for Blue Dragon chinese style stir fry sauces in small sachets, much varietythey are the cheapest (sainsburys do them, but so do lots of places and I suspect the asian grocer will). Chicken breasts or thighs from the market on a saturday afternoon are the cheapest, Pork is cheaper still; but with the bone rather than filleted as its cheaper and easy enough to fillet when you get back home. Chopped small, sealed in olive oil and then the sauce added and stirred...on a bed of boiled basmati rice. When you get adventurous enough add mushrooms and chopped onion and peppers. 
 
5: Chilli con carne on a bed of basmati rice. Use turkey mince, its cheap and low in fat and has excellent texture for this. Seal with a small amount of olive oil...in the wok. Add chopped onions (x2, good bulk and cheap), add ground ginger (gives body) garlic powder (gives taste) and black pepper...I also add dried corriander seed for flavour variety later on. When onion has softened, add tin of own brand chopped tomatos (9p from sainsbury) and tin or two of own brand red kidney beans (22p from sainsbury) Stir. Add chilli powder and cayenne pepper (gives more body) to taste. Add chopped red and green peppers and finally chopped or button mushrooms. Stir. Simmer for 30-45 minutes whilst rice prepares. Stir frequently to stop it sticking to bottom of wok. Tast, add more ginger and or chilli to suit taste. Fantastic! The above will give you at least four meals, if not more. You can keep it in the fridge up to four days and re-heat it as you wish (lightly toasted pitta bread, number 2 on the pop up toaster are good for this) or freeze it in portions for individual meals later. 
 
Remember, a shredded chilli gives flavour where there isn't any. I buy a large packet of fresh birds eye chillis and dry them myself on the window cill, only takes a week or so. Even Susie, who "didn't like" chillis when I met her agrees they are crucial ingredients now. 
 
I could go on...but I'm salivating now. Might do some more later... 
 
Perhaps I should write a book... 
 
Oh, and the chicks are really impressed if you can feed them...get practicing in Mrs Sindrey's kitchen<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)">

davepoth · #4 Post by **davepoth** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 2:59 pm

If you get bored of rice, this can be repeated with pasta. tinned tomatoes can be had at supermarkets for 10p and with a bit of work can be made into a passable sauce for pasta with a bit of ketchup and worcestershire sauce added. Meat is just a bonus in that situation. 
 
cheese is often cheaper from a deli counter (cheaper than value cheddar at tesco, and much nicer) and a nice mature one can make all the difference if you sprinkle it on a potato or something. 
 
Typically I used to buy whatever was on offer, and think of what I could cook with it afterwards. Having lots of spices helps though.

PurpleBargeKen · #5 Post by **PurpleBargeKen** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 3:57 pm

Stealing food from your roomies is alo a proven student giggle. However, this really has a short shelf life before you get sent to Coventry (hahahaha) or beaten to a pulp. 
 
Begging will also supplement a poverty stricken student meal fund. Have a great time<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)">

algtj · #6 Post by **algtj** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 4:16 pm

Skin heads on a raft every night. Great for the farts in the students union bar!

Aberdeen Sprinter · #7 Post by **Aberdeen Sprinter** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 5:25 pm

the BEST way to feed yourself at Uni is get friendly with some girls. I lived in student flat as the only bloke, me and 5 birds. Utterly fantastic. Flat was clean, I got fed and plenty to look at as you can imagine, only drawback was, for about 2-3 days a month I REALLY had to stay out of the way because 5 menstrually synchronised young ladies are quite capable of murder. 
 
university is a great laugh, enjoy 
 
(OK I did spend 6 years practically married to one of them!!)<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/roll.gif ALT=":rollin">

Carsreunited · #8 Post by **Carsreunited** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 7:28 pm

I used to buy tomato and cheese pizzas which were 3 for 99p. They were called tomato and cheese because there wasn't enough cheese for it to be the dominant ingrediant!. I'd buy my own cheddar and put a couple of slice on each one. They were absolutely gorgeous. 
 
Other than that, spaghetti hoops on toast was a favourite. 
 
Get a job working in one of those Brewster type pubs and you might get fed at work and be able to repatriate stuff that might be going out of date. Petrol station job would be the same as well I suppose. 
 
I used to have £15 a week for food and it was possible to spread it. My mums type cola for 39p for a 2litre bottle. Its funny that inflation hasn't really had an effect on food in the last 13 years thanks to Tesco.

redrichie · #9 Post by **redrichie** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 7:53 pm

Don't forget the good old honest spud. Baked, Boiled, Chipped, Mashed, Sautéed, the list is endless. Almost anything can go on top of a baked spud or into a "skin", except you'll probably using the other types of skin at uni I expect. 
 
If you're that way inclined, you could always buy a rod and tackle, great way to get rid of your hangovers on a sunday, and get an air rifle, always plenty of Watership Down stars need culling. Tree Rats (Squirrels) are suprisingly tasty too. Visit the parks and go rambling, get those mushrooms picked. You never know, you may get lucky as well....<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/roll.gif ALT=":rollin"> 
 
If you do get a few Bunnies, save the skin and make yourself an outfit for the fancy dress nights, but if you're a crap shot, you may find you only get enough to make a bag for your Scrabble pieces. 
 
Most importantly; always know where your towel is.

dead dolomite · #10 Post by **dead dolomite** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:49 pm

my diet in the 1st year consisted of Vesta Beef Curry Vesta Chicken Supreme Vesta Beef Risotto ow and carlsberg super strength.

tinweevil · #11 Post by **tinweevil** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 10:19 pm

Hmmm, I lived on chicken curry, spag bol, chilli, pasta... All from raw ingredients no packets allowed. Pork steaks was a particular favourite. Pizza at the weekend when the now Mrs Weevil was visiting, saved time <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"> I lived in a houshold of 5 and we could all cook well so we did in bulk to get the costs down. First thing I do when I move into somewhere new is seek out the ethnic emporium, real chillis not like the namby pamby thins supermarkets dare to sell. 
 
Tinweevil

1978 <a href="http://www.triumphowners.com/704">Dolomite Sprint</a> Blue, a bit tetley. - Current daily drive. 
1972 <a href="http://www.triumphowners.com/754">Spitfire IV</a> No name, in bits. 
1968 <a href="http://www.triumphowners.com/705">GT6 II</a> Little blue, nice! 
1973 <a href="http://www.triumphowners.com/755">Dolomite Sprint</a> VA41, seriously tetley. 
1980 <a href="http://www.triumphowners.com/864">Dolomite 1500HL</a> Orange, really quite tidy.

PurpleBargeKen · #12 Post by **PurpleBargeKen** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 11:40 pm

Bloody hell, I remember Vesta stuff. Do they still exist?

dead dolomite · #13 Post by **dead dolomite** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:08 pm

yes i walked past them in the shop the other day , memories came flooding back, gm tastic!!!

Jon Tilson · #14 Post by **Jon Tilson** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 2:52 pm

but to add an alternative try a tin of Tuna with yer rice... 
Find the local market, there is bound to be one. Much cheaper Veg cos the traders have low overheads. 
 
Alternative method for rice...boil for 5 minutes, drain all water, lump of marge melt in bottom of pan, chuck rice back in and shake, back on ow heat and tea towel under lid for another 5-10 minutes. 1/2 cup per generous serving. As good as a indan restaurant (actually they cook it in a similar way). 
 
Jonners

george · #15 Post by **george** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 3:42 pm

it helps if you have some chinese friends plenty of spare ribs and free meals <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)">

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