This morning I took to looking back to my college years in Malaybalay, Bukidnon. I stayed in a boardinghouse while I was there. One of the things I remember is the food we cooked up while holed up there on a weekly budget of 500 pesos. I’m luckier compared to some who gets less. With such a limited budget one is forced to find ways to eat decently and still have money to spare for other student escapades. Right now I’ll share with you the recipes that made us survive. I just cooked two of them for our lunch today. These recipes don’t have formal names but they came out of student resourcefulness and are quite delectable for starving and budget-constrained boardinghouse master chiefs and cooks.
The objective of these recipes is that the ingredients must be cheap and can be easily sourced. And can get done in five to then minutes or less. Go ahead and try it. Feel free to tweak the ingredients or to use MSG if you can’t live without it. The point is for you to be able to eat beyond the usual fair of bought viand from the friendly carenderia, instant noodles, fried egg or “invisible chicken”. If you’re wondering what the latter is. Its simple. Just boil water and throw in a Knorr Chicken cube. And walah! The amazing Invisible chicken to go with your 1 cup of rice.
Scrambled Ampalaya
1 egg
1 medium sized ampalaya thinly sliced
1 spring onion
Oil
Salt
1. Heat oil in a pan. Suite onion. Sprinkle salt.
2. Throw in ampalaya. Don’t add water. Lower heat. Cover pan. Let ampalaya be cooked by its own steam.
3. Add a pinch of salt. If you have some spare powdered black pepper, add some too.
4. Pour beaten egg.
5. Stir constantly and thoroughly until evenly cooked. Don’t let egg to stick to pan. Remove from fire.
Sardines with Egg
1 egg
1 can Spicy sardines
Salt
Oil
Onion
Garlic
1. Mash sardines with spoon. Add beaten egg and a pinch of salt. Scramble. Set aside.
2. In a heated pan suite onion and garlic in oil.
3. Add a pinch of salt or to taste.
4. Throw in the scrambled egg and crushed sardines.
5. Stir concoction constantly. Mix sure nothing will stick to pan. Until evenly cooked. Remove from pan.
Tortang Kalabasa
1 egg
Mashed kalabasa from some left over (or boil some if you have enough time)
Corn starch
Soy sauce
Ketchup (for dip)
1. Pre-heat oil in pan.
2. Mix mashed kalabasa, scrambled egg, soy sauce, and corn starch evenly.
3. Fry.
Corned beef and Potatoes
1 small can of corned beef
Potatoes sliced in tiny cubes
Oil
Onion
Salt
1. Suite Onion and cubed potatoes in oil, add some water if you wish, until potato is done.
2. Add corned beef. Mix and stir until done.
3. Throw in some onion rings.
Tortang Left-Over Noodles
Left-over noodles or instant pancit canton from lat night’s dinner
1 egg
Oil
Salt
1. Mix left-over noodles with scrambled egg.
2. Add a pinch of salt.
3. Fry.
Tortang Okra (My personal contribution)
Thinly, diagonally sliced okra
Egg
Salt
Oil
1. Mix Okra and scrambled egg.
2. Add salt.
3. Fry.
And our take at the very nutritious pinakbet:
Pinakbet Boardinghouse Style
One pack pre-sliced and mixed vegetables for pinakbet(We used to buy one pack at 5pesos each)
1 pack Instant Pancit Canton (Extra Hot for me)
Water
Salt
Oil
Onion
Garlic
Soy sauce
1. Heat oil. Suite garlic and onion.
2. Stir in vegetables.
3. Add water and soy sauce. Cover until cooked.
4. When vegetables starts to resemble a decent pinakbet add the Instant Pancit Canton. Simmer.
5. Remove from fire.
6. Prepare the Pancit canton seasoning. Mix in the pinakbet and canton mixture.
Misua and Tinapa
2 packs misua (the one-piso-each-pack variety)
1 can Sardines (separate sauce from fish)
water
Ginger
Salt
Onion
1. Together with sardine’s sauce, salt, ginger and onion allow water to boil
2. Add misua and fish. Sprinkle salt. Allow to simmer. Remove from fire.
Fried Bagyo Beans
I haven’t tried this recipe but I got this from my male boardmates.
Bagyo beans
Scrambled egg
Oil
1. Preheat oil in a pan.
2. Dip bagyo beans in scrambled egg.
3. Fry.
Tortang Kamatis
Finely chopped tomatoes
Egg, scrambled
Oil
Salt
1. Mix finely chopped tomatoes, egg and salt.
2. Fry.
Crunchy Noodle Cookies
1 pack instant noodles
Egg
Salt.
1. Preheat oil.
2. Break noodles into small pieces.
3. Mix with scrambled egg. Add salt.
4. Fry.
