Budget Student Meals - Plantain Stirfry

Being a student, especially one who lives away from home, can be tough. You have to start budgeting for all your needs with the hopes of having sufficient disposable income for hobbies and "wants". Not everyone has parental support or a part time job to tide them over, and for some it's an absolute nightmare when student finance thinks they don't deserve a grant and to make it worse, the student loan isn't even enough to pay rent.
The most neglected aspect of life for many students is eating good. Some resort to instant noodles and bread when times are tough, probably because they don't know how to cook or they can't afford proper food. Well, proper food is actually very cheap if you know where and how to shop wisely. It's especially easier if you're not fussy about food or if you haven't got special dietary needs. Today I'm going to share with you one meal that's easy to cook and that won't leave you with rolls of fat on your belly!

Time to cook - 15 mins including preparation
Total Dinner Cost - £1.15 (rounded up)

Ingredients:

1 plantain, diagonally sliced into oval shaped pieces (bought 3 for £1)
1/4 red bell pepper, diced (bought in a pack of 4 for £1)
1/4 yellow pepper, diced (price as above)
1/4 green pepper, diced (price as above)
1/5 large onion, sliced in half moons (bought in a pack of 3 for £1)
1/2 Aubergine (2 for £1)
Sea salt (99p 500g shaker)
Seasoning (Aromat, 59p 200g shaker)
Vegetable cooking oil (£5 for 5ltrs on sale)

Method:

1. Heat up 1 tablespoon (10ml) oil in a pan

2. add aubergine and peppers and stir for a minute or two

3. add the onion and stir for another minute or two

4. add the plantain but don't stir it for about a minute to allow it to slightly brown - stir everything else though to avoid burning

5. add your salt and seasoning, then stir everything until well cooked.

Note: for those who have no clue how to cook, to know if it's done, it changes colour by darkening. That means aubergine will no longer look like a white rubber but more of a dark, greyish, soaked colour, and the plantain will be predominantly yellow with brown, and the peppers and onions will also look slightly soaked/soggy.