What’s the best advice I can give to the general public while being a quirky adult in my late twenties, addicted to unhealthy foods but trying to be healthier, and also having to maintain a tight budget?
An easy cheat to a gourmet Asian-inspired meal. That’s right– make a dank meal to settle your Asian craving for TWO PEOPLE… all under $15!! (No, this is not a sales pitch.)
Note: I will add the personal detail that my boyfriend and I cook our dinner together every night that we’re not traveling. We have decided to eliminate red meat from our diet and are actively reducing dairy intake. This meal features a mix of seafood (shrimp) and can be customized to toppings/add-ins of your liking.
Ingredients: Ramen Noodles ($0.25 x2 = $0.50), Hard-Boiled Eggs (less than $1 I think), Cooked Shrimp ($7) and Chicken/Vegetable Dumplings ($6 with leftover portion!!!). (All ingredients are pictured below)
The final product looks like this:
Now LET’S COOK IT ALL!
*disclaimer: I am probably the world’s worst cook. I have no skills in the kitchen and am a very picky eater/vegetable hater. Below is minimal effort, feel free to add flavor/fanciness on your own.*
First, we’re going to start off the appetizer round by throwing these dumplings on a skillet (flat pan thing). Throw some oil/maybe some water on there before you put the frozen dumplings in.
You’re also going to want to start boiling 2 separate pots of water. Eggs will take forever while you’re figuring out these dumplings.
Cook these bad boys on mid-high heat (made this up) and flip them like a gourmet chef. Flip them a bunch and then raise the heat until they look like this picture (or less if you don’t like the crispiness).
Hopefully your extra pot of water is boiling by now, because you can place some eggs in the boiling water for 10 minutes-ish. Prepare a separate bowl of ice water to put the eggs in after and make them hurry into hard-boiled goodness.
Yessssss eggs! Yes protein! It’s bulking season!
OK, next up you’re going to make the shrimp and ramen because they take the least amount of time while your eggs are boiling/cooling. Whichever order works based on stove top availability.
Ramen goes in the second pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Add flavor in after. We once had this meal with the soy sauce and/or the shrimp flavor and it was also delicious. I don’t think that even the least experienced cooks need my help with this part, but see instructional pics below and feel free to message me if you need further clarification.
The shrimp is pretty quick as well. You can double-team this part by finding skillet number 2 and following the same directions as dumplings. If you have a boyfriend who knows how to season the shrimp, utilize him– I can’t help you with this part, but will suggest the classic salt & pepper. Looks like my boyfriend added some lemon pepper.
Finally, throw that all together in a trendy way and be sure to post a pic of your homemade gourmet Ramen on your social media!! We like to go above and beyond with the homemade restaurant service by serving the meal with lemon water.
That’s all there is to it! This horrible description of cooking should be possible for even the most beginner cooks. It may be cheap, and it may be incredibly easy, but this meal is one of our favorites.
Good luck on your cooking endeavors and stay safe in the kitchen!
-chef ksex
KSL 