It’s easy to get stuck in a home-cooking rut when you’re low on time and inspiration (and when making something tasty seems to require yet another grocery run). To prove good taste and speed aren’t mutually exclusive, we’ve pulled together 10 recipes that take 30 minutes or less to make and sit firmly on the “gosh, this is yum” end of the taste spectrum. We’re talking speedy noodles, Korean fried chicken, seriously saucy carbonara and even a curry. (And FYI, there are loads more quick and easy recipes on Broadsheet. Have a scroll through.)
In this recipe, eggplant is the carrier for a rich, flavourful and acidic gravy. Prep and cooking take just 25 minutes, with the fusion of tamarind, chilli, cloves and cumin doing much of the heavy lifting. The dish is from the Kashmir Valley, where chef Rosheen Kaul’s (ex-Etta) father was born. Combined with braised greens and steamed rice, it makes for a satisfying veggie meal.
Scrambled eggs are a go-to “haven’t got anything else in the pantry” dinner – but add a few ingredients like O Tama Carey, chef-proprietor of Sydney’s Lankan Filling Station, and you'll elevate it to something special. A bit of turmeric, a few curry leaves, mustard seeds and chilli are thrown into the mix and scrambled eggs become something entirely different altogether. The best bit? It’ll be on the table in just 15 minutes.
Nagi Maehashi – aka Recipetin Eats – is known for her approachable recipes. And this is no different: intensely flavoured spicy sesame oil tossed with noodles and pork. These famous Sichuan noodles are remarkably tasty, but will be ready to eat in just 20 minutes. It’s a win-win.
Indomie’s mee goreng is a time- and money-saving favourite of uni students everywhere. This version, by Melbourne’s Lagoon Dining, has a similar ethos, but packs in a whole lot more flavour. It comes together in just 10 minutes, and requires a few ingredients – but at its heart, it’s a quick and easy recipe that’ll make midweek or lazy weekend dinners a cinch.
Read the words “Korean fried chicken” and you’ll probably think: long, involved, hard. This recipe couldn’t be any further from those three qualities. A little spicy, a little sweet, it’s a lot easy (it’ll take about 30 minutes all up) and will help you fast-track you way to big-flavour Korean food at home.
Did you know you could have a restaurant-quality spaghetti carbonara for dinner tonight, with just 25 minutes on the tools? This golden pasta from Sydney’s The Dolphin Hotel takes just a few ingredients, and includes a simple tip to avoid split eggs and lumpy cheese. Chef Danny Corbett also shares the secret reason why your at-home carbonara is never as good as what you’ll find in a restaurant.
Vibrant, textural, savoury and sweet: this outstanding prawn omelette brings all the goods in just 20 minutes. This recipe, from Canberra restaurant Such and Such, is a good mate of anyone who loves an excuse to visit their local Asian grocer. Ginger adds some pizazz to this eggy dish, which also involves a conglomeration of white soy, coriander root, chilli crisp and juicy prawns.
It doesn’t matter whether you win friends with this very good salad from Melbourne’s Very Good Falafel – either way, you’ll win at dinner, in just 15 minutes. Crunch-bringers like broad beans, radishes and fresh mint team up here for a multi-dimensional salad that’s dandy by itself or delightful shovelled into pita.
Curries cooked low and slow are always delicious – but sometimes developing flavours over a few hours or days simply isn’t an option. Enter this warming, nourishing red lentil curry from Melbourne Sri Lankan restaurant Citrus. Just 30 minutes is all you need (along with several ingredients you can keep in your pantry for next time you’ll inevitably want to make this dish). It’s filling enough as-is, with a bit of rice; but if you want something a bit heartier (and time isn’t the issue), you can pair it with a coconut sambol or even another curry.
Yes, you can make legendary restaurant dishes at home in mere minutes. Case in point: the famous anchovy toast from Melbourne’s Napier Quarter, which takes just 22 minutes (and that includes homemade mayo and salsa verde). It’s a fancy solo weeknight dinner, or just a spectacular snack to serve to guests over a few drinks.
