eggbug enjoyeri just shared this recipe with somebody looking for food ideas, but i wanna post it here too because it got me through some rough years and i'm sure there's plenty of folks on here who need more easy staple meals. it is:
- cheap
- versatile
- easy to execute
- uncomplicated
- pretty accessible
- pretty nutritious & filling
- pretty tasty even if you don't add anything special
disclaimer: not a Health Person, Food Person, or Nutrition Person, just a Bad Brain and Bad Tummy sufferer that didn't have a ton of money for a while. this is written from the perspective of "even 15 year old me could not possibly fuck this up"
the basic version requires:
- 1 big pot
- 1 thing to stir/eat with
- 1 hot surface; hot plate works, stovetop if you have access to one
- ~1/3 cup dry lentils
- ~1/3 cup rice or ~2/3 cup pasta (rice expands a lot)
- ~3-4 cups water (or just enough to cover everything in the pot)
- ~nyeeeehhh~ amount of whatever frozen veggies are cheap; try to get at least 2 of broccoli, carrots, or cauliflower
- ~1-3tsp soy sauce (taste and add more in small amounts if needed)
- ~1-3tsp brown sugar (can also add more if needed, but be more careful with this than the soy sauce; try to keep them balanced)
if you are extremely going through it: omit ingredients in this order: sugar, soy sauce, frozen veggies, rice/pasta. if you drop both the sugar and the soy sauce, add ~1tsp salt. if you drop the rice/pasta, double the lentils. boiled lentils with salt is the most "still food" out of all possible single-ingredient variations of this recipe.
the proportions are more important than the measurements. i basically always eyeball it based on how hungry i feel. add more food if you want more food, add less food if you want less food.
instructions:
- all ingredients + water -> pot, heat -> medium-high
- boil until the hard stuff is soft, stirring occasionally (usually takes about ~20 minutes for me, go longer if you want a thicker consistency)
- heat -> off, pot -> coaster/mat/towel/etc, food -> face
- if there's any leftovers, let it cool down for an hour or so and then put it in portioned containers in the freezer
- empty pot -> sink, utensils and soapy water -> pot, wash later/tomorrow
- if you want to reheat the leftovers, just drop the frozen brick + 2-3 cups of water into a pot and heat on medium-high until it's thawed and heated through
i live in Vancouver, and the basic version costs me maaaaybe 2-3 (Canadian) dollars per meal? it obviously costs more to buy everything the first time, but the expensive stuff runs out reeeeeally slowly. the long-term most expensive part of the basic recipe is probably the pasta, at least here.
hope this helps somebody eat today!
optional substitutions and extras
optional tools and convenience stuff:
- bowls (i honestly eat this right out of the pot sometimes)
- freezer-safe containers if you wanna have leftovers (washed takeout containers tend to be okay)
- sword n board if you wanna chop stuff
- measuring spoons if you wanna but i basically just go by proportions and "ehhhh, looks about right"
add any combination of these that you like:
- 1 diced onion (any kind)
- 3-4 cloves minced garlic (probably about 1-1.5tbsp if you get it in a jar)
- 1 diced bell pepper
- 3-4 chopped small hot peppers
- 0.5lb any ground meat
- 1/3 cup dry split peas if you want it goopier
- handful of peanuts and/or cashews if you like crunc
- any other savory flavors you like (hot sauce works well)
substitute any of these that you like:
- a diced potato instead of rice or pasta. you'll get more of a creamy soup texture, but less Fun Shapes
- fresh chopped veggies instead of frozen. straight up improvement, but adds a lot of work/dishes
- a bouillon cube or curry paste instead of the soy sauce and sugar. careful adding any extra salt if you do this, most of these have plenty of salt by themselves
if you have fresh veggies, garlic, or onions: chop em before starting. you can even do this part in the morning or afternoon, put em away in the fridge, and go have a nap before dinner if you want
if you have garlic, onions, or meat: fry this stuff in the same pot before doing anything else. when this stuff is done cooking, add everything else and do the rest of the recipe like normal. if you cook everything in the same pot, it'll taste better, trust me! also: if you add meat, swap utensils after the meat is fully cooked and before tasting, serving, or eating