If you prefer white rice to brown but actually want some nutrients I highly recommend trying out basmati rice - it's relatively easy and inexpensive to get in bulk and I almost never eat any other type of rice anymore
Comment on YSK tricks for one of the cheapest meals: beans and rice
JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 1 day ago
Brown rice, barley, or other whole grains have much more protein than white rice
White rice is pretty much pre-diabetic junk food that’s been stripped of its fibre and nutrients. I’d recommend always replacing with something like the above, or my favorite, steel-cut oats.
If you get dried beans, make sure you follow the directions to pre-soak them.
When cooking from dried, some baking soda can greatly speed up the process. The use of a potato masher here and there can also speed up the softening of the beans, and makes it easier to tell how far along they are.
Get some bulk garlic powder, paprika, cumin, crushed red pepper, black pepper, etc. Season and salt the pot to taste.
Don’t forget MSG, which boosts up the savory / umami taste. It’s cheap, you don’t need a lot, and there is no such thing as an MSG allergy. (altho very occasionally people can have sensitivity)
YoSoySnekBoi@kbin.earth 1 day ago
JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 1 day ago
Well… once I switched to SCO, I stopped eating rice and never looked back. It’s all-around healthier than any type of rice, last I checked. Plus, I greatly prefer the flavor, no offense intended.
Basmati does have quite a pleasant aroma, in any case!
maccentric@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Do you mix SCO with beans? Or in a curry?
JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 1 day ago
It works great any time you might think of having rice, either as a side or in a meal.
I would say this, tho– it can get a bit slimy (like oatmeal), so you might want to rinse it after cooking.
partial_accumen@lemmy.world 1 day ago
If we’re talking about cheap meals steel-cut oats have almost excluded themselves these days. I used to be able to buy organic SCO in bulk for about $1.45/lbs. These days I can’t find any SCO for less than $3.50/lbs and that conventional, not organic.
Where are you getting cheap SCO these days?
JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 1 day ago
Nowhere. It’s always been fairly pricey, at least for me.
So to summarise– that was just me stating my personal pref, not recommending them to anyone as ‘cheap meal food.’ That said, it’s possible that rolled oats are a better, cheap alt to rice. They tend to turn out too mushy for me, but may indeed retain much of their fibre and nutrients…
Cethin@lemmy.zip 16 hours ago
Everything is more expensive now. Still though, $3.50/lb of dried oats is a good amount of food. Sure, there are cheaper options, but if you skip one fast food meal or something then you could buy 2-3 lbs, which is quite a lot when you add water. Not exactly “struggle meal” perfection, but still frugal.