easy asian dishes that any college student can make
(that are not just ramen with an egg)
hello again! currently, i’m living in the university apartments as i juggle through organic chemistry classes and three jobs. as you can tell, i clearly don’t have enough time in my day, and food is one of the most important necessities any human needs. i find myself craving homecooked meals— so come with me as i try to bring back my love for cooking with the short amount of time that i have!
1. chinese tomato and egg stir-fry
a classic staple of mine, it’s a simple dish that i’ve come to love from my childhood up to now. whenever i’m back at home, i’ve always requested it to my mom because it’s the perfect comfort food that is nostalgic. i’ve always ordered it at chinese restaurants as it’s a dish that anyone can enjoy (unless they dislike tomatoes and eggs, of course), and even when i go to asian restaurants here in the santa barbara area (like su’s bowls down in isla vista), tomato and egg is like the equivalent of chicken tenders and fries for others: to me, it’s always a go-to.
to start this off, while i knew the basics on how to make it, i used a recipe from christie at home, just to confirm the measurements on how to make the sauce. i personally like my tomato and eggs with silkier eggs and a thicker sauce, while retaining the tangy and sweet components. i knew that cornstarch had to be involved, hence choosing this recipe to avoid a watery sauce.
this took roughly 45 minutes including prepping the ingredients (which took up the most time— peeling garlic is such a pain) and cooking the dish. if you’re really on a time crunch, you could buy diced versions of all of the ingredients, but i like taking control over what i do.
i had mostly followed the instructions and their proportions, except that i added extra garlic and green onions, because i’m a fanatic of both. i’d say that this easy to make because it can all be done on one cutting board and one pot, which, for a college student, is sometimes all they have. i diced the tomatoes into quarters, minced the garlic, and chopped up my green onions to my liking. i had also made the ketchup cornstarch slurry that the author made to thicken the tomato sauce. finally, the eggs were beaten (the classic way, with chopsticks) with sesame oil and lots of white pepper.
funny enough, my mom decided to video call me in the middle of it, and kept making fun of how i added too much green onion, or how i didn’t add chicken broth (it’s how she makes it) in cantonese. but regardless, it added more of a homey factor to it as i got to show my mom that i’m actually properly cooking meals instead of eating ramen.
after simmering all of the ingredients for roughly 5-10 minutes (i like my tomatoes softer), the dish was done. aside from preparing the ingredients, the rest of the heavy work was on stirring the dish to ensure that it was homogenous. it smelled homey and nostalgic. i would arguably say that the smell of tomato and eggs is one of the best scents out there. but what makes this dish so comforting is the silkyness of the eggs and the sweet, tangy sauce that goes perfect with rice. the juicy tomatoes add to the flavor of the tangyness from the ketchup, and the flavor of the green onion complements it all. it’s a warm, hearty dish.
if i had to give one chinese dish for someone to make or try out, it would be tomato and egg— it’s just so simple, hearty and a filling meal, with a warm bowl of steamed rice.
2. spam fried rice
quite possibly the easiest go-to dish to prepare and make, fried rice is an essential to college apartments alike, especially with leftovers. this recipe ended up being made during my last week of summer courses, and i had to make use of the remaining ingredients before moving out. rather than tossing them, i put them all together in one loving, warm dish. it’s also great for meal prep, as one could easily make this in one pan with little effort.
also, to save time, i made my rice in my rice cooker in the morning, so that i could come back to it being room temperature at night. i would highly recommend this because i found that the cooler and longer the rice sits out, the better it is for fried rice to avoid clumping during the cooking process.
ok, maybe i did lie a little. i made a mini trip and decided to buy fried rice seasoning mix (as i had never had it prior) along with green onions. if you know me, i love my green onions. i also decided to buy precut ones to save time; it’s especially important when you’re so busy with assignments and other tasks everyday.
the specialty of making a dish like fried rice is that measurements aren’t exactly necessary and are subjective to each person’s liking. personally, i think the best ratio is an equal split of rice and ingredients, but to each their own.
(please do not judge my knife skills. i cook for nutrition and fulfillment, not to please the human eye).
this all goes into one pot, starting from the garlic (as i roast my garlic in the pan), scallions, mushrooms, spam, egg, and finally, rice. i typically leave it on the stove for a few minutes as i like that crispy rice bottom that adds an extra hint of texture. the entire cooking process takes around 15-20 minutes, and aside from the occasional stir here and there, i master the art of multitasking (going on quizlet to remember the photosynthesis cycle).
honestly, this was so good, and lasted me around three meals total. it was a filling, comforting warm meal, especially as i got the nutrients i needed. the addition of the green onion to make the dish feel and taste more fresh while having the unique textures of the spam, roasted garlic and toasted rice made me devour it more.
the only issue is that i would not have used the fried rice seasoning again, and should have stuck with soy sauce or teriyaki sauce. i got a massive headache from eating the fried rice, and while initially thinking that it was my lack of sleep, i linked two and two together as i would consistently get headaches after eating the fried rice, even with more than ten hours of sleep. i think it’s my own body’s reaction though, so take it at a risk.
in a rush with not much? make fried rice!
3. egg drop soup/egg flower soup
during my childhood, one of my favorite soups that my parents liked to make was egg drop soup, especially with creamed corn. while i don’t visit home as often anymore to enjoy their version of egg drop soup, i decided that i would recreate it with the leftover ingredients from the fried rice (shown above). it’s a very nostalgic flavor, and it has a certain beauty to it with the wisps of egg in a beautiful broth. i chose this recipe from the woks of life, because i wanted the soup to be slightly thicker in case i wanted to mix it with rice.
because this is a soup, the ingredients are extremely simple: eggs, a type of broth (i chose chicken broth), any extra ingredients (like green onions), and a cornstarch slurry till desired thickness. one could also argue that making egg drop soup (or soups in general) are a great way to easily get your nutrients in without putting too much effort.
the key method to get the wisps of eggs into the soup rather than clumps of scrambled eggs are to add the egg in small batches and using liquid on liquid addition to create swirls in the chicken broth. doing so ensures that small ribbons of soup are seen throughout, and in terms of aesthetic, is important to not overstir as these ribbons are delicate…
…
which is exactly what i did.
also, do not add all the cornstarch slurry in one go, and add it in small increments until your desired thickness is reached. i very obviously forgot about that and dumped it in one go, resulting in a broth that was way too thick, almost to the consistency of gravy. because i was the only one consuming this egg drop soup, i sucked it up and mixed it with some rice, which tasted great.
all of the brown specks throughout the soup are from white pepper, which adds an earthy, yet strong flavor to it. i find that chinese dishes tend to use white pepper rather than black pepper, so i grew up with eating my childhood dishes with it. i’m not sure how common it’s used in western dishes, but i brought the white pepper from my hometown since i knew that it would possibly be difficult to find asian white pepper in santa barbara.
to aid with the constant headaches i got from my caffeine overload and lack of sleep, having this warm soup helped a lot. i drizzled mine with a bit of sesame oil, which only brought me back to my childhood. while it’s not as great as my parents, i would say it’s pretty darn good for a first attempt.