"I'm vegetarian, I'm living away from home, and I don't know how to get enough protein out of one pan."
That sentence is the whole book.
You have one burner, one pan, maybe a kettle and a microwave. You have about twenty minutes and about half the money you wish you had. And somewhere underneath it all is a quiet worry that you are living on instant noodles and losing muscle.
This is fifty meals that fix that, from twelve countries, so you never eat the same dal twice in a week.
Every recipe carries three numbers
Not a vague promise — the actual figures, printed on the page:
PROTEIN · TIME · PANS
They run from 14 g to 35 g a serving. Most take 20 minutes. Almost every one uses a single pan, and nothing in this book needs an oven — because most student kitchens don't have one.
The twelve kitchens
India · paneer bhurji, soya chunk curry, rajma, chana masala, moong dal chilla, palak paneer China · mapo tofu, kung pao tofu, hot and sour soup, dan dan noodles, silken tofu with scallion oil Korea · sundubu jjigae, dubu kimchi, kimchi fried rice, dubu jorim, bibimbap Japan · agedashi tofu, miso soup, natto rice bowl, Japanese curry, cold soba United States · black bean burger, cottage cheese mac and cheese, protein overnight oats, chili sin carne, loaded sweet potato Turkey · mercimek çorbası, mercimek köftesi, bulgur pilavı, fasulye pilaki, haydari Italy · pasta e ceci, pasta e fagioli, ricotta and spinach pasta, Tuscan beans and kale