Make your mama proud and say ‘nah I have food at home’.
Exams have come-a-looming…The meal prep schedule you swore to in your new year’s resolutions has long since been abandoned––and that Munchy Mart Cookie+V combo? It’s starting to look mighty fine! Luckily, fixing your nutritional intake isn’t all that hard––just chuck it in (the) rice(cooker)!
Since its invention in 1955 by Shogo Yamada, the rice cooker has made the Sysyphean task of preparing rice as easy as measuring out water and hitting a button. Years later, the rice cooker has become the biggest weapon in any innovative (lazy) uni student’s arsenal. Despite my long standing affection for the older, more sophisticated slow cooker, with a cook time of just 20 minutes; these recipes are perfect for those nights you just need a quickie!
Poor man’s rizz-oto
Flavourful, tender chicken on a bed of steaming, well-seasoned rice…(so chicken and rice essentially––it’s just chicken and rice).
You will need:
-2 cups of rice (wash them first you dutty pig)
-3 tbsp soy sauce
-1.5 cup of chicken/ beef broth (vegetable if ya nasty)
-2 phat dollops of ginger garlic mix
-1 tbsp oyster sauce
-Sesame oil (eyeball it mate)
-Chilli powder
-Turmeric powder
-500g diced chicken
-1 tbsp curry powder
-whichever vegetables weren’t outrageously priced in countdown that day (but chives or spring onion work great!)
Instructions:
Step 1: Mix together sesame oil, chilli and turmeric powder for a spicy, tasty marinade (turmeric powder is great for killing any germs in chicken––take that salmonella)!
Step 2: Work it thoroughly into your meat (hot tip: the thighs are always more flavourful than the breasts)
Step 3: Chuck it in the rice cooker along with your remaining ingredients, give it a good stir and fuck off for 20 minutes (that’s a whole lecture on double speed??)
Step 4: Open the lid and enjoy your delicious risotto!!
‘A watched pot never boils’ -someone who owned a rice cooker probably
Noodle canoodle soup with dumplings
It’s in the name, I will not be elaborating further
You will need:
-Noodles of some kind (rice noodles are my favourite!!)
-Salt (to taste)
-Chilli oil (to taste but don’t be a weakling)
-1 tbsp sesame oil
-2 heaped spoons of ginger garlic paste
-1 tbsp turmeric powder
-2 tbsp miso paste
-3 cups of whichever stock you’re feelin’
-Frozen dumplings (however many you feel like)
-1 head broccoli
-More veggies!! (Baby bok choy, spring onion and chives are your friends)
Instructions:
None! Just mix that shit up, take a relaxing hot shower and be back in 20!
Side note: if all else fails, just put the dumplings in with 2 cups of water––they’ll come out boiled to perfection.
Optional…but is it??
-garnish with coriander (if you have that gene that makes it taste like soap––natural selection was gonna get you anyway)
It’s Mr. Poach ya girl
And for a DIY master chef dessert––delectably spiced poached pears!!
You will need:
-2 firm pears
-2 cups pomegranate juice (grape works too!)
-2 cups of apple cider
-a whole ass cinnamon stick
-1 orange peel (extra points if u get it off without breaking it)
-2 star anise
-3 black cardamom pods
-1 piece of peeled, slivered ginger
Instructions:
Just chuck it all in there babyy! In 20 minutes, you’re about to do Julia Child proud. While it’s not the most budget friendly––pull it out at your next flat dinner. It’s sure to impress (and it’s very instagrammable)!