Healthy Meals You Can Make Without a Kitchen
No stove, no problem. Simple food for when the mess lets you down.
The short answer
Keep a small stock of peanuts, chana, oats, fruit and curd. With those you can put together a filling meal in five minutes without a stove.
You skip the mess dinner, then order something fried at midnight. Keeping a few simple things in your room breaks that cycle. Check your hostel’s rules, and store everything in closed containers to keep ants away.
Soaked oats in curd
Mix oats with curd, a chopped banana and a few peanuts. Leave it for ten minutes. It's filling and it needs no heat.
Best for: Breakfast after a late night
Skip it if: You don't have access to fresh curd
Chana chaat
Open a packet of roasted chana, or use boiled chana from the mess. Add chopped onion, tomato, lemon and chaat masala.
Best for: Evening hunger
Skip it if: You dislike raw onion, just leave it out
Sprouts bowl
Soak moong overnight, drain, and keep it covered with a damp cloth for a day. Add lemon, salt and pepper. Skip this one if your room is very hot, as sprouts can spoil quickly.
Best for: Cheap protein
Skip it if: Your room has no airflow
Peanut butter banana roll
Spread peanut butter on a roti from the mess or on brown bread, add a banana and roll it up. It takes one minute.
Best for: Before an early class
Skip it if: You have a peanut allergy
Fruit and nuts box
Keep apples, bananas and a small box of roasted peanuts or makhana near your desk.
Best for: Late study nights
Skip it if: You need a full meal
A small stock list
- Oats and roasted chana
- Peanuts or makhana
- Peanut butter
- Salt, pepper, chaat masala
- Lemons, bananas and apples
- A steel bowl, spoon and small knife
Eat something at the mess anyway
Dal and sabzi give you more than you think. Use your room stock to add to a meal, not to replace all of them.
Quick questions
Can I keep curd without a fridge?
Buy small packs and finish them the same day.
Are these okay if I have a health condition?
Check with your doctor if you have allergies, diabetes or a specific diet.
