A typical backpack traveller in Australia lives on some $2 a meal or even less depending what state you are in and the grocery stores available. The cheapest ones so far is Adelaide and Sydney from my experience. Patriots from each state would react otherwise. For me, I only trust Coles but was told that the cheapest was Aldi’s but you have to be lucky to get a hostel near the latter. I am quite picky about my hostels, not with the amenities, but with the kind of travellers they attract. Some tends to attract rough and dodgy ones while others are simply magnets to The Lost Boys of Never-Never Land. These hostels are usually rustic and repulsive from a distance but you would be surprised how better they are from the well maintained ones. After all, travelling is not about comfort but experience. A close encounter with character. A dance with the devil under the pale moonlight.
A typical meal would be instant noodles but I have seen industrious ones that would make it a point to eat healthy salads and fruit. A hostel meal doesn’t have to be boring nor does it have to be expensive. You just need to get out of the box and not fuzz about it. You are travelling and will get your healthy fix when you get back home.
In Melbourne, Nomads All Nations provide free pasta and rice all day including coffee and sugar. Chances are, you will see free items in the fridge, that is groceries left behind by travellers moving on the tourist trail. For Hostel Risotto, you will need the following:
Rice 1cup free
Garlic Mince 2pieces $2 for a bag which will last your some two weeks or check the free section of the fridge
Onions 1pieces $2 for a bag which will last you some two weeks or check the free section of the fridge
Butter 150g $1.50 for 250g Coles Brand
Canned Mussels 1can $2.30
Cream 100ml $2 Coles Brand
Cask Wine White 100ml $12 for 7 Litres which you will drink at night anyways
Salt 10g $1.50 for a 1kg bag or try asking a fellow traveller
Pepper 2g $2.30
Makes Two Serves
1. On high heat, put 50g of butter in a hot pan until it melts with still a bit of bubble simmering
2. Sautee garlic and onions until it turns to an aromatic pulp known as a sofrito.
3. Add 1 cup of the free rice and sauté until it becomes like pearl
4. Deglaze with 100ml cask white wine
5. Add 2 cups of hot salted water (one ladle at a time) mixing the risotto until water is cooked off (you will get a creamy finish at the end of the process)
6. Take of the heat and add 100g of more butter on the risotto (let the remaining heat do the melting and mix thoroughly with the risotto base)
7. In a separate pot, reduce cream with canned mussels until you reach a good thick reduction. That should infuse the taste of the mussels in the reduction as well
8. Turn of the heat and add your risotto base to the reduction and serve on a flat plate (I doubt if you will find any pasta bowl in the hostels)
You may save the second serve for the next meal or try to pick up another traveller with the second plate (hehe!)
Make sure you drink the rest of the cask wine in the evening. Don’t be square and mingle with other travellers.
Bon Appetite!
LURKS FLIRTS AND BLUEBERRY PANCAKES 