You may be setting off to university with the best of culinary intentions, but
it’s easy to fall into the takeaway habit. Shortage of time, lack of cooking
facilities and peer pressure all tend to nudge you in the direction of
picking up a ready-made meal on the way home from the pub. However, a diet
that is high in salt and fat and low on veggies and fibre isn’t going to do
much for your overall health and resistance to bugs.
The good news is that it’s really not difficult to prepare healthy
alternatives – some of which you can share with your flatmates or friends –
that are a good deal cheaper than a greasy Chinese or a salty fish-and-chip
supper.
Monday
EASY HOMEMADE BURGERS
Cost about 50p a head (not including buns and/or salad)
Preparation/cooking time 15-30min
Serves 4
These were my kids’ favourite hamburgers when they were growing up; they still
are, if truth be told.
450g lean minced beef (don’t buy the cheapest!)
1 heaped tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp ground garlic pepper and a little fine sea salt (or ground black
pepper and some garlic salt)
A little sunflower oil or light olive oil
Tip the minced beef into a bowl, add a good dollop of tomato ketchup and
season generously with garlic pepper and a little salt (or ground black
pepper and garlic salt). Mix together well, then divide the mixture into
four and shape with your hands into burgers. Lay on a baking tray, cover
well with clingfilm and leave in the fridge until ready to cook. Just before
cooking smear both sides of each burger lightly with oil. Heat a nonstick
frying pan for a minute or two until hot, then place the burgers in the pan
and fry for 2-3min each side, depending on how thick you’ve made them. Add a
little oil if they seem to be catching. Serve in a warmed bun with a slice
of onion, a slice of tomato and salad.
Tuesday
THREE-MINUTE NOODLES
Cost £1
Preparation/cooking time 3min
Serves 1
Proof that even instant noodles can be made to taste good . . . so long as
they are Japanese.
1 packet instant Japanese soba noodles with sauce
Any of the following: A little freshly grated ginger and/or garlic or half
a teaspoon of ginger and/or garlic paste
A good squeeze of lemon or lime
Some chopped fresh coriander leaves
Some sweet chilli sauce
Make up the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Once hot,
stir in as many of the other ingredients as you fancy. Eureka!
Wednesday
SMOKED MACKEREL, CUCUMBER AND SOBA NOODLE SALAD
Cost £1.50
Preparation/cooking time 15min
Serves 2
Smoked mackerel lends itself really well to this delicious, easy-to-prepare
Japanese-style salad
100g soba noodles or wholewheat spaghetti
1 smoked mackerel fillet
4 spring onions
¼ cucumber
2 tbsp Asian-style low-fat dressing (see below)
Salt and pepper (unless you use a peppered mackerel fillet)
DRESSING
Rice vinegar is not as acidic as wine vinegar so you don’t need so much oil.
If you can find organic sunflower oil at a reasonable price, snap it up; it
has a much nicer, nuttier taste.
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp soya sauce
Shake or whisk together with a fork.
Cook the soba noodles or spaghetti to the instructions on the packet, drain
and rinse with cold water. (Break the spaghetti in half before you cook it.)
With a knife and fork ease the mackerel off the skin and break into rough
chunks. Trim the roots and half the green tops off the spring onions, cut
into four, lengthways, then chop into short lengths. Cut the cucumber into
small chunks (peel it first, if you prefer). Tip the noodles into a bowl,
pour over the dressing and mix well. Add the cucumber, spring onions and
smoked mackerel and mix together again. Add a little extra rice vinegar to
taste and season with salt and pepper. The dressing can also be used on a
crunchy salad.
Thursday
SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN (OR TURKEY)
Cost £1.50-£3
Preparation/cooking time 15-20min
Serves 1-2
2 tbsp soya sauce
1 chicken or turkey breast or fillet, cut into fine strips
2 tbsp oil 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into strips
½ a red or green pepper, deseeded and cut into thin strips
½ bunch of spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced, or a small onion,
peeled and finely sliced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
½ 227g can of pineapple pieces in natural juice
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar, if needed
Put 1 tablespoon of the soya sauce in a bowl, add the meat and mix together.
Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok. Add the chicken, carrot and pepper and
stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Add the spring onions and garlic and fry for
another minute. Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice. Add half the
pineapple and all the juice to the stir-fry, add the ketchup and remaining
soy sauce. Taste and add the lemon juice or vinegar if needed. Serve with
rice or noodles.
Friday
BIG VEGGIE CURRY
Cost about £1 a head
Preparation/cooking time 35-40min
Serves 4-6
A good alternative to takeaway curries, this is a flexible recipe, which you
can adapt depending on what’s available. You just need to make sure that all
the vegetables are cooked properly; some take longer than others.
About 1kg raw mixed veg, which could include: 1 medium onion, peeled and
roughly chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
½ medium cauliflower, cut into florets
1 small to medium aubergine, cut into cubes
½ butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
A handful of green beans
One courgette, trimmed and cut into rounds
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2-3 tbsp curry paste, depending on how strong you want the curry
400g tin of tomatoes, roughly chopped
600ml (about 2½ mugfuls) vegetable stock made with a vegetable stock cube
or
1 tbsp vegetable bouillon powder
400g can chickpeas
3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped (optional)
Salt and lemon juice to taste
Plain yoghurt to serve
Put any of the harder root veg (see below) in a saucepan and cover with
boiling water. Bring to the boil and cook for about 10 minutes (adding the
cauliflower and beans, if using, halfway through). Meanwhile, heat the oil
in a wok and stir-fry the aubergine and squash for 3-4 minutes. Add the
chopped onion and courgette, turn down the heat a little and keep frying
until the vegetables are soft (about another 5min). Stir in the curry paste
and tomatoes, then add the boiled veg and their cooking water and enough
extra stock to cover all the vegetables. Bring to the boil, cover the wok
and simmer until the vegetables are tender (about another 10-15 minutes).
Add the chickpeas and coriander, if using, and heat through. Check the
seasoning, adding salt and lemon juice to taste. Serve with rice, naan or
pitta bread and onion raita (below) or a dollop of plain or soya yoghurt
Root veg such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, swedes, turnips and
parsnips take longest to cook and should be boiled, steamed or microwaved
for 5-10 minutes (depending on size) before adding them to the curry. The
smaller you cut them, the less time they’ll take. Vegetables that are better
fried are aubergines, squash, tomato and courgettes, anything with a high
water content Frozen peas can be chucked in during the last 2-3 minutes of
the cooking time along with the fresh coriander, if using.
Sunday
(ALMOST) DONER KEBABS
Cost £1-£2 a head
Preparation/cooking time 30-40min
Serves 4-8
500g lean minced beef
500g minced lamb
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 level tsp ground coriander
1 level tsp ground cumin
4 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves, or coriander and parsley
1 bsp finely chopped mint leaves (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A little flour for dusting
3-4 tbsp light olive oil
To serve
A large tub of hoummos mixed with 2 tbsp of plain yoghurt and a squeeze of
lemon
2 packs of pitta bread
Shredded iceberg lettuce leaves
2 lemons, cut into quarters
1 mild onion, finely sliced
Put both types of minced meat in a large bowl and mix together (start with a
wooden spoon and finish off with your hands). Add the finely chopped onion,
garlic, ground cumin and coriander, chopped fresh herbs and salt and pepper
and mix well until the ingredients are well amalgamated. Leave for half an
hour for the flavours to infuse.
Divide the meat mixture into 16 portions. With lightly floured hands, roll
each into a ball, then, with the heel of your hand, press it down firmly to
create a small flat patty.
Heat a nonstick frying pan, then rub the meat patties lightly with oil and fry
them in batches, pressing them down firmly with a wooden spatula as you cook
them, until they’re well browned (about 1 minute each side). Set aside and
keep warm.
Warm the pitta bread through briefly in a toaster or under a low grill,
keeping them covered on a plate with a teatowel so that they keep warm and
don’t go hard. Put the salad leaves in a bowl and lay out the lemon wedges,
sliced onion and hoummos. Split the pitta bread and fill each one with one
or two meat patties, plus whatever other fillings you fancy.
Sunday
FISH FINGERS, TOMATO SALSA AND HOMEMADE CHIPS
Cost £1.25 a head
Preparation/cooking time 10min
Serves 2 Grill frozen fish fingers and serve with this healthy tomato
salsa. If you like, you can also serve with chunky chips (see below).
4-5 ripe tomatoes (or a small pack of cherry tomatoes)
½ small onion or
¼ medium onion, finely chopped
1 mild green chilli, cut lengthways, seeds removed and finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 heaped tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Remove the tomato skins by making a small cut in the top of each tomato,
placing them in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them. After a minute,
drain off the water and plunge them in cold water. The skins should come
away easily. Finely chop the tomato flesh and seeds and place in a bowl with
the chopped onion, chilli and lime juice. Season with salt and stir in the
coriander.
OVEN-BAKED CHUNKY CHIPS
Cost about 30p a head
Preparation/cooking time 30-40min
½ medium-sized potato per person
Olive oil
Sea-salt
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. Wash and scrub potatoes to get rid of any
dirt. Cut them in quarters lengthways then slice them into thick chips. Pour
a little oil into a large roasting tin and place the potatoes in it. Turn
the potatoes in the oil so that they’re well coated. Sprinkle lightly with
salt. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the potatoes, drizzle with more oil if
necessary and sprinkle with salt again. Return to the oven for another 15
minutes or until soft.
Fiona Beckett is the author of the Beyond Baked Beans series of
student cookery books. For more recipes, log on to www.beyondbakedbeans.com
