by Sophie Whitbread
Rice, pasta, noodles and wraps are top of my store-cupboard staples. But recently, like lots of people, I’ve not been able to find them in the supermarket. Trying to suppress a rising panic (okay, there was a brief wobble), I sought out alternatives to keep my meals cheap, quick to make and filling.
Of course, everyone has their own shopping challenges. What I can buy in my local shop might be different from what you can find in yours. Even if you visited exactly the same store as I do, you might find different items on any given day. But I’ve tried lots of alternatives to my favourite carbs, so hopefully there are some ingredients here you’ve been able to find too.
If you’re stuck for ideas on how to cook ingredients that I don’t mention here, get in touch on BBC Food social platforms and we’ll do our best to find recipes for you. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
‘Risotto’ made with pearl barley
I’ve only ever cooked pearl barley in a soup, so this was a personal challenge! Pearl barley is barley with the bran removed. I’ve found you can replace arborio rice with it in pretty much any risotto, though it’s slightly chewier and you need to add 10 minutes to the cooking time. You don’t need to ladle in the stock slowly like you do with risotto either, just put all the liquid in with the pearl barley and top it up if needed, as isn’t nearly as starchy as risotto rice. It’s also a great pasta replacement in salads or soups such as minestrone. If you don’t fancy pearl barley, orzo risotto works well too.
No rice is just as nice!
I’m learning that just because I don’t have rice doesn’t mean I have to stop eating curries, chilli con carnes and the like. A little recipe adjustment to add other cheap, filling ingredients is all that’s needed. Enter beans, peas and lentils.
I add yellow split peas to my curry (but red lentils would work just as well), then I blend it so it’s nice and thick. It fills me up and thankfully I remain that way until bedtime. Three tablespoons of beans, peas or lentils count towards your five-a-day too (though eating more doesn’t count as another portion) – and they’re full of fibre. Potatoes are another great filler, just chop them up fairly small and cook them in your favourite curry. Here are some ideas for curries bulked out with lentils, beans or potatoes.
If you want something to replace rice as a side dish, try some of the more unusual grains, such as giant couscous or wild rice. A trusty potato is a good option too – here’s a recipe for really easy Bombay potatoes. Some curry and chilli recipes suggest cauliflower ‘rice’, which is blitzed cauliflower steamed and served as a low-calorie and low-carb alternative to rice. It’s not my cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be yours!
Butternut squash tofu curry
Taco tortillas made with semolina
I often make wraps and other flatbreads with white flour, but I’ve found it hard to find (and I’ve not been able to buy ready-made wraps). Luckily, I’ve discovered a suitable replacement for regular flour in semolina.
The coarse-milled flour of durum wheat, semolina is often found in the international food aisle rather than the baking aisle (which may be why it’s still in stock). It’s a similar yellowy colour to masa harina, the cornflour usually used for corn tortillas (which I can’t find either). I swapped it into this corn tortilla recipe and it worked perfectly. Just add the water slowly until the dough comes together.
Noodles
Noodles are a great, long-life store-cupboard staple, so it’s no surprise they have been tricky to find. While I haven’t been able to get hold of egg noodles, I find myself with packets of the instant stuff. I don’t use the flavour sachet, but instead cook the noodles in a stock I have in the freezer, adding soy sauce, broccoli and spinach. There aren’t too many alternatives for noodles, but there are hundreds of varieties, so you might be lucky enough to find new types to try.
Pancakes without eggs or flour
Many of us could use a bit of normality right now, and some mood-lifting pancakes could be the answer. “I’ve got no flour or eggs!”, I hear you cry. Not to worry. If you have oats, baking powder, bananas and any kind of milk (or even yoghurt mixed with water), plus a blender, you can have pancakes!
Here’s a recipe for no-flour and no-egg pancakes – don’t worry if you don’t have the nuts or fruit, just use what you have to sprinkle on top.
Egg-free, flour-free pancakes
Falling back in love with potatoes
It’s nice to rely on an old friend in times of change, and you can do SO much with a potato. Boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew (name that film) – need I go on? This potato hash and egg traybake is one of my favourites. I wolfed it down after my daily exercise.
Potatoes aren’t pasta (stating the obvious here), but you can use a similar, if not the same, sauce to make a familiar-tasting dish. If you like tomato pasta, patatas bravas are for you – or if you’re feeling adventurous, these Pakistani potatoes are a BBC Food staff fave. And your family will be queuing up for seconds of these cottage pie jacket potatoes.
Potato and egg hash
Distance makes the heart grow fonder
I’ve learned that perhaps I rely a little too heavily on a few ingredients. While I still miss my favourites carbs, I will certainly be keeping a number of these new additions in my shopping basket, even when the staples are back on the shelves!
