Ask what’s cooking in your hostel kitchen and there’s one dish guaranteed to be on the menu. Staple of the lazy backpacker, the crème de la crème of uninspired cooking: sludgy pasta with gloopy, tinned tomato sauce.
Believe me, there is another way. Hostel fare is hardly going to be the stuff of gastronomic dreams, but cooking a decent meal really isn’t difficult or time consuming. More importantly, it gives you energy for your daytime adventures (and night time drinking exploits), and helps you avoid piling on the dreaded travelling pounds.
The following recipes are unlikely to earn you a Michelin star, but they will help you prove your salt in the kitchen and might even make your mum proud.
A dish that can work for any possible meal, the mighty omelette is your new best friend. As adaptable as it is delicious, just don’t get overexcited and stir; it will cook. Patience.
Fry the mushrooms/tomatoes/bacon in the butter before you begin and remove from the pan. Heat the other lump of butter, and then put the eggs in the pan and leave to cook. Take the time to relax/ have a chat. When the middle is finally starting to firm up, add your veg and cheese and gently ease the omelette away from one side of the pan, folding it in half. Leave to cook for a few minutes until golden brown underneath, then serve with bread and maybe a salad if green things float your boat.
While it’ll never be as good as at home (only Europe seems to ‘get’ cheese), macaroni cheese should be a staple of your cooking repertoire. And it’s a great dish for sizing up your new travel mates: believe me, you should never trust someone who doesn’t like cheese.
Cook the pasta in the milk until done, but don’t let it boil. Make a few cheese puns in the interim, then add the cheese and seasoning. If you’ve got a grill to brown it, go for it. If not, no crunchy top for you. Throw it on a plate with a salad or some boiled veggies and this cheesy feast is yours.
Ok, having lived with an Italian, I know how much it annoys them off when people cook their dishes but refuse to play by the rules. This recipe does exactly that: it sticks two fingers up to Italian cookery, making it both edgy and delicious.
Whack the onion and garlic into a pan to soften. Chuck in the chicken/bacon until the meat starts to golden and add the vegetables (unless they’re peas; add these a few minutes before the end). Chuck in the rice to cook for 1-2 minutes. Add enough boiling water to cover the mixture and a crumbled stock cube. Stir regularly to keep it from sticking and keep adding water until the rice is cooked and the mixture is slightly gloopy – around 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with some cheese, and serve. Wave at any Italians in your hostel while making loud grunts of satisfaction.
While I wouldn’t go as far as suggesting that stir fries qualify as haute cuisine, they are a flawless fusion of veg and meat. Important warning: if including chili, be careful what you touch with your hands if using the toilet afterwards.
Optional: A quarter of a chilli pepper, chopped as small as possible; 1 handful of bamboo shoots.
Throw the onion and garlic to cook in a pan for a couple of minutes until starting to brown. If you like it hot (ooh, matron), add your chilli now. Then chuck in the meat and fry until almost cooked. Add your veg and cook for a few more minutes before throwing in the soy sauce. Eat with boiled noodles or rice and a garnish of satisfied smugness.