Easy Asian Recipes To Make In A Dorm

Living in a dorm may sometimes make you feel like your food options are limited, especially when it comes to cooking. The truth, however, is that there are still plenty of delicious meals you can make without overly complex steps and the only thing you need are the ingredients. Asian cuisine is a great example of this, there is no fancy technique or special kitchen appliances needed just a skillet, recipe, and proper ingredients. Here are easy Asian recipes you can make in your dorm kitchen.

1. Better-Than-Takeout Beef and Broccoli

Starting with a classic health(ier) dish, beef and broccoli is a simple yet tasty meal made with two main ingredients of sirloin and broccoli. The flavor and sauce are made up of a simple mixture of soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, and beef broth. Garlic and green onions add an extra kick to the recipe and you’ll soon find yourself using this as your “go-to” recipe for a homecooked dinner.

This recipe makes 4 servings, so feel free to scale it down based on your needs or save the leftovers for an easy microwaveable meal. If you don’t like sirloin, flank or skirt steak can work just as well too. A tip for the broccoli, however, vegetable take time to soften so when you cut it, don’t slice the pieces too big or else they’ll take much longer to prepare than the rest of the meal. When you’re done serve it over white rice, quinoa, or any other substitute or simply eat it plain. The end result is delicious either way.

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2. Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce wraps are a simple healthy Asian dish and can be made with just about anything. This delicious chicken wrap recipe uses a flavorful sauce mixture of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, Sriracha, and sesame oil. For those of you who shy away from spice don’t fret, the Siracha is completely optional, so you don’t have to worry about ruining the recipe without it.

This recipe only takes 30 minutes to prepare, so it’s perfect to make if you find yourself pressed for time. If you don’t like chicken don’t worry, you can stuff the lettuce wraps with almost anything. Chicken, beef, sautéed vegetables, or even leftovers the choice is yours, it is a great clean out the fridge dish. If you’re extra hungry, you can always add a spoonful of rice to the lettuce leaf along with your choice of protein.

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3. Sweet and Sour Chicken

Keeping in theme with nostalgic recipes, sweet and sour chicken is a popular dish at Chinese restaurants that many enjoy. This chicken is given a crispy crunch using corn starch, and its signature sweet and sour sauce is made with the simple ingredients of apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ketchup, and garlic. All staple items you easily can find at your neighborhood grocery store.

To make this meal all that’s needed are tongs and a skillet, no deep fryer or thermometer for oil temperature required. Like most of the meals on this list, the recipe yields 4 servings. So, feel free to share this with friends or cut it in half to avoid wasting ingredients if you know you won’t finish all of it.

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4. Sticky Orange Chicken

Panda Express’ Orange chicken is a popular dish with almost everyone who has ever tried it. The crispy yet juicy meat mixed with the sweet and tangy sauce often attracts lines at the Panda Express eatery. While this recipe isn’t that of the famous Panda’s, the taste is just as scrumptiously delicious for anyone who takes the time out to make it.

The recipe has a few more involved steps, and the ingredients list seems long but the actual process of making it is as easy as 1-2-3. The corn starch ensures that the chicken is extra crispy and the sauce a mixture of orange juice, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, chili sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice is sure to make your taste buds sing. So, don’t feel intimidated by the list of ingredients, you’ll find that this easy to follow recipe is well worth diving into.

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5. Mongolian Meatball Ramen

Instant ramen is a common staple dish for college students. It is sold at most stores for less than even 99 cents, you won’t be surprised to find at least one package stowed away in every student’s dorm room for a rainy-day ration. Still, instant ramen has never been the healthiest of foods, especially with the high sodium levels in each cup and package, and it most certainly couldn’t be considered a proper meal, until now that is.

This Mongolian Meatball recipe takes not one, not two, but three packages of instant ramen and turns it into a delicious and filling dinner for four in just 30 minutes. Even better the meatballs are homemade so you can calm your health-conscious mind. If you find yourself feeling lazy or without the time, frozen meatballs are fine to substitute in a pinch since the main feature of the dish is the homemade sauce that you’ll want to use on just about everything once you’ve tasted it.

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6. Thai Sesame Edamame

Edamame is a common snack with many Asian populations especially in locations such as Taiwan, China, Japan, Indonesia, and Hawaii. Edamame are young soybeans, green and unopened in their pod but they are a delightful and healthy on the go snack or appetizer between main course meals. In Japan, edamame is usually blanched in salt water to give it a naturally salty taste as opposed to other locations where they are served with salt sprinkled on the pods or on the side. 

This recipe, however, takes it a step further to give you a sweet and distinctive flavor using brown sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and salt to cook the pods in and add an extra boost to the traditionally simple snack. The sesame seeds used as a coating are mostly for garnish and have little taste, so you don’t have to add them if they don’t suit you or if you’re unable to find any. Edamame, however, despite the foreign name is often found in the freezer section amongst the frozen vegetables so you shouldn’t have any problems finding them in any market or grocery store.

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Which Asian recipe will you try making in your dorm kitchen? Leave a comment below!

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