10 Broke Life Food Recipes

Adulting is tough, and as you move out of your house, you have to sustain yourself. Unfortunately, money is always an issue., and let's face it - proper cooking is complicated. Here are a few recipes which can help you out with your late night cravings, or any time cravings actually.

1. Garlic Butter Maggi

I understand if I get sued for this comment, but normal maggi can be boring sometimes, right? So here's my own take on making maggi a bit fancier (read tastier). Heat up some butter, oil, chopped garlic, mustard seeds and dried chillies. In about five minutes, you'll get a divine fragrance. Lower the heat and add water for your maggi. Then add the maggi masala and stir for about a minute or two. Then add your maggi, let it boil in, mix it up well and there you have it - garlic butter maggi!

2. Peanut butter sandwich cookie

Calm down, there's no baking involved. Take two marigold biscuits, brush both sides with peanut butter. Sprinkle a little Bourn Vita on top, and close it up. There you have it - peanut butter sandwich cookie! (You can switch out Bourn Vita with coffee powder as well, let's face it - you will switch it out.)

3. Schezwan Fried Rice

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We all love Chinese, don't we? And this recipe is super simple and the quickest form of rice. Firstly, ensure you have leftover rice, or just make some rice. Then, in a pan or a kadhai, heat up oil, chopped garlic, mustard seeds and two dried chillis. As it heats up, you will hear a popping sound. Lower the heat and add your rice. After mixing it up a bit, add a sachet of schezwan powder (you get it in all supermarkets, its ten rupees). Mix the entire thing up well, and serve. You want to feel fancy and garnish it? Add one of the chillis on top, and there you have it - schezwan fried rice1

4. Garlic Bread

This is not an original recipe and I am thankful to my roommates for this genius idea. It's great breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack food. Heat up some butter in a pan. Now remember those extra oregano and chilli flakes packets you would get when you were rich and you could order pizza? Yes, get that. Put all the packets of oregano and chilli flakes and then put the bread, and toast the bread in the oregano-chilli flakes butter. Halfway, if you want to be fancy, crack an egg on it and let the bread cook accordingly. After its done, plate it with a garnish of some more oregano (if you want to), and there you have it - garlic bread!

5. Oats but Tasty

I call this recipe oats but tasty because I hate oats otherwise. In undergrad, I had this epiphany that I should probably start eating healthy, but eating healthy and having money somehow are never directly proportional. Strange. This used to be my go to thing in hostel, because hostel food was worse. Get a ten rupees pack of masala oats, or tomato oats. The tomato flavour may not agree with a lot of people, hence the option of masala oats. As per the instructions on the packet, cook the oats. Then, top it with some chilli flakes and wafer chips and mix it up well. There you have it - Oats but Tasty!

6. Cheese Bread

When you have money in the beginning of the month, get some cheese and save it till the end of the month, because man - cheese saves lives. My first ever roommates deserve the credit for this. Take a bread, toast it a bit. Put ketchup, and grate some cheese on top. That's it, no complication, just simple, tasty food and there you have it - Cheese Bread!

7. Summer Cucumber Salad

It is not as fancy as it sounds, I promise. Back in school, the only cooling memory from summers in Delhi was this salad that my mother would whip up. This, at 11 AM and Hannah Montana - that was my childhood. Take a bunch of cucumbers, two to three should be enough. Grate them up in whatever bowl you can find near you. Add salt, chopped green chillis and a good amount of lemon. And there you have it - Summer Cucumber Salad!

8. Bread Pulao

Again, an original recipe by my mother because she loves life hacks. Have a lot of stale bread and don't know what to do about it? Bread it all up in a bowl, and dip all the pieces in water once. Saute whatever vegetables you have at hand (I generally have potato and onion). Add the bread, saute further for a while, and then add salt, pepper and a tiny pinch of sugar. Mix it all up well and there you have it - Bread Pulao!

9. Aloo Pakora

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Potato is the most versatile vegetable on planet Earth, and you fry it up - its heaven. Firstly, make your batter. Mix flour, salt and chilli powder to make your batter. You can add anything you want in this, as per your taste. Cut the potatoes in thin slices and coat them in the batter. Then fry it all up in oil and sprinkle some chaat masala over it while serving. There you have it - Aloo Pakora!

10. French Omelette

Who doesn't love a good omelette? Plus eggs are super healthy. How do we make it French you ask? I got you. Boil up some potatoes and mash them up with your favourite spices (mine are salt and chilli powder). Beat your eggs with some salt. Heat up some oil in the pan and pour your egg mixture in. Spread it evenly and wait for the other side to cook. Add your mashed potato in there, and maybe some cheese if you have it. Close up the omelette, cook it well until the cheese melts and there you have it - French Omelette!