As A Student Living On Campus, I Swear By These Quick Dinner Recipes

An on-campus student who is always hungry and in search of quick dinner recipes that s/he can experiment on to get away from the rather tasteless mess/hostel food? Read on.

An on-campus student who is always hungry and in search of quick dinner recipes that s/he can experiment on to get away from the rather tasteless mess/hostel food? Read on.

College life is not as cinematic/ Bollywood-ic as it is portrayed. The biggest struggle, apart from waking up in the morning, dragging oneself through semesters and juggling between classes, assignments, tests, internships and projects is of course, food. Cooking an elaborate dinner is out. How then, can we get our daily nutritional needs? There have to be some kinds of quick dinner recipes that need to be depended upon, so that we do not suffer nutritionally.

As an on-campus student, I have come to understand how we can fight the monster of never-satiable hunger through these quick dinner recipes I am now going to speak about – cook one of these quickly, throw in some salad or fruit along with some curds, and you are set.

Dal Pitthi

This is an intriguing version of your simple dal-roti – equally rich in proteins and carbs but a gazillion times tastier. A very easy to cook savoury from parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, this dish can be taken alongside pickles, chatni, papad or ketchup.

Recipe here.

Bread Poha

The super yummy taste of sabki favourite bread, coupled with lots of nutritious vegetables and the same flavour of your average Kanda/ Meetha Poha, but with a twist, bread poha actually brings a lot to the table (pun intended!).

Recipe here.

Cheeni Paratha

Want to feed your hunger but forgot to visit your local sabzi market to get some veggies? Fear not! Cheeni parantha (or roti, depending on how you make it), to the rescue. These crunchy, sugary delights, made with wheat flour stuffed with sugar and salt, are both easy to make and would surely appeal to your sweet tooth!

Never miss real stories from India's women.

Register Now

Recipe here.

Egg Pulao

In the quest for quick dinner recipes, one of the best and the easiest that I have come across is egg pulao. A tasty mix of vegetables and hard boiled eggs, the flavour and ease of cooking is both enticing and gives a feeling of fulfilment to your belly.

Recipe here.

Chicken Khichdi

Aha…Khichdi! The super boring food for the sick! Who would like to eat that, yeah? Think again, because this is not your usual moong-daal khichdi that we are talking about. Adding chicken nuggets in the khichdi, or if you’re looking for any quick dinner recipes, or preparing a tadka with heeng and lal mirch as may suit your tongue, this can be prepared in many ways, including, but not limited to the following one.

Recipe here.

Dahi Chura

This dish is primarily prepared during auspicious occasions such as festivals and weddings in many parts of North India. The sweet and salty dahi chura (flattened rice, i.e., poha) clearly justifies the Hindi saying of “Daane daane pe likha hai khaane waale ka naam!”

Recipe here.

Maggie Wraps

A discussion about quick dinner recipes is incomplete without including Maggie noodles – that mainstay of many a college student’s life! Just a varied and lip smacking version of the usual wraps, you can either make it using classic masala Maggie or other flavours depending on what you feel like gorging on.

Recipe here.

Bhindi Sandwich

This is an invention that I came across when I had run out of atta (wheat flour) at home but had a bucket full of bhindi masala at my disposal. There is not a specific recipe, strictly speaking. All you need is bhindi masala and toasted bread slices to stuff it in between. Alternatively, if you don’t feel like making rotis and rice, stuff ’em bread slices with any sabzi that you can get your hands on and eat to your heart’s fill.

Recipe here.

Sattu Kachauri

Sattu is made from roasted black gram (among other things) and can be used in making a number of food items, and is easily available in grocery shops. Popular in North India, it can be made into parathas, pooris and can even be eaten/ drunk by just adding a pinch of salt and some lemon juice.

Recipe here.

Hara Bhara Gobhi

Spinach and Cauliflower- easily available and an important part of so many quick dinner recipes- are the also the major ingredients of this crunchy, salty and spicy fried savoury, which is both yummy in tastes and rich in nutrition!

Recipe here.

So what are you going to try?

Image source: By Kanikatwl (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Liked this post?

Join the 100000 women at Women's Web who get our weekly mailer and never miss out on our events, contests & best reads - you can also start sharing your own ideas and experiences with thousands of other women here!

Comments

About the Author

Apoorva Verma

Just your average pen-wielding person with a knack for thinking inside the box. read more...

33 Posts | 210,317 Views

Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!

All Categories