The Budget Bowl Builder

Raj Anand

Raj fed himself through grad school on $30 a week and emerged with a PhD and a cookbook's worth of recipes that prove delicious food doesn't require expensive ingredients. He teaches budget cooking across every cuisine — Indian dal, Mexican bean bowls, Chinese egg fried rice, Italian pasta e fagioli — all under $5 per serving.

IndianMexicanChinese

Voice · Resourceful, encouraging, transparent about costs, zero food snobbery.

Signature Dishes

The essential curation of Raj's favorites.

35 MIN

Spiced Black Bean and Coconut Milk Dip

A creamy, warmly spiced dip built on black beans and coconut milk — budget-friendly, satisfying, and ready in under an hour. Perfect with tortilla chips or as a spread for grain bowls.

45 MIN

Smoked Paprika Pinto Bean Tikki

Crispy Indian-inspired patties packed with pinto beans and smoked paprika. Budget-friendly, protein-rich, and full of smoky-savory flavor — perfect for weeknight dinners or meal prep.

32 MIN

Cumin and Garlic Chickpea Fritters

Crispy on the outside, tender inside, these protein-packed chickpea fritters are seasoned with cumin and garlic for a savory, satisfying bite that works as a snack, appetizer, or bowl topper. Budget-friendly and quick to make.

22 MIN

Garlic Cumin Egg and Bean Lettuce Cups

Savory spiced egg and bean mixture wrapped in crisp lettuce cups with fresh tomato and lime. A budget-friendly, protein-packed meal that comes together in under 30 minutes.

45 MIN

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Empanada Bites

Crispy, golden empanada bites filled with roasted butternut squash and seasoned black beans. Budget-friendly, portable, and packed with warm spices. Great for meal prep or parties.

27 MIN

Ginger Sesame Peanut Butter Cookies

Chewy peanut butter cookies with warm ginger spice and crunchy sesame seeds on top. Budget-friendly and satisfying — perfect for meal prep snacking or a homemade gift.

35 MIN

Spiced Carrot Rice Pudding

A warming vegan rice pudding studded with sweet grated carrots and fragrant whole spices. Budget-friendly comfort food that works as breakfast or dessert.

40 MIN

Smoky Black Bean Egg Skillet

A hearty one-pan breakfast starring spiced black beans and perfectly cooked eggs, finished with fresh cilantro. Budget-friendly, protein-packed, and ready in under 30 minutes.

35 MIN

Garlic Butter Egg Fried Rice

Budget-friendly egg fried rice with fragrant garlic butter, savory soy sauce, and perfectly crisp rice grains. Day-old rice works best for that restaurant-style texture.

50 MIN

Lentil and Carrot Kitchari

A warming one-pot comfort dish of rice and lentils simmered with turmeric-spiced carrots. Budget-friendly, high-protein, and ready in under an hour — perfect for meal prep week.

50 MIN

Chilaquiles Rojos with Eggs

A hearty Mexican breakfast of crispy tortilla chips simmered in a bold red salsa and topped with scrambled eggs and melted cheese. Budget-friendly, satisfying, and done in under an hour.

45 MIN

Indian Spiced Egg Curry

A rich and warming egg curry in a spiced tomato-onion gravy. Perfect over white rice for a complete meal under five dollars.

45 MIN

White Bean and Tomato Stew

A hearty, budget-friendly white bean and tomato stew packed with cumin, garlic and tender vegetables. Comforting and satisfying at under $3 per serving.

35 MIN

Egg Fried Rice with Scallions

A savory, satisfying fried rice that proves delicious meals don't need fancy ingredients. Eggs and rice form the budget-friendly base while scallions and aromatics bring big flavor.

45 MIN

Chickpea and Potato Curry

A hearty, budget-friendly curry with tender potatoes and protein-rich chickpeas simmered in a spiced tomato sauce. Costing under $2 per serving, this Raj Anand classic proves comfort food doesn't need to break the bank.

45 MIN

Spiced Red Lentil Dal with Rice

A hearty, budget-friendly Indian comfort dish where red lentils are simmered with warm spices and finished with a sizzling tadka, served alongside fluffy white rice. Under $5 for four generous servings.

50 MIN

Cumin-Spiced Black Bean and Rice Bowl

A hearty budget-friendly bowl featuring fluffy rice and warmly spiced black beans with sautéed vegetables. Ready in under an hour and packed with protein and fiber.

35 MIN

Cumin-Scented Egg Fried Rice with Carrot and Corn

A fragrant fried rice infused with warm cumin, scrambled eggs, sweet corn, and tender carrots — budget-friendly comfort food done right.

45 MIN

Black Bean and Potato Skillet with Cumin and Egg

A hearty one-pan breakfast skillet featuring crispy golden potatoes and seasoned black beans finished with a perfectly cooked egg on top. Budget-friendly, protein-packed, and ready in under 45 minutes.

45 MIN

Spiced Red Lentil Dal with Fried Egg over Rice

A hearty, budget-friendly bowl of warming spiced red lentils served over fluffy rice with a crispy fried egg on top. Protein-rich and full of flavor.

30 MIN

Spiced Egg and Spinach Bhurji

Eggs scrambled with onion softened in cumin-scented oil and garlic, folded through with spinach that wilts into the mix and turns everything vivid green. It's the Indian-style scramble I made more times than I can count during grad school — fast, spiced just right, and substantial enough to keep you going. Eggs and spices are the most reliable budget combination I know.

20 MIN

Mango and Black Bean Salad Bowl

Sweet mango and earthy black beans are a combination that shouldn't work as well as it does, but lime and cilantro pull them into balance and the avocado adds the creaminess that makes this a proper meal rather than a side dish. Fresh, vibrant, and ready in minutes. The kind of bowl that makes you feel like you've treated yourself when you've barely spent a thing.

45 MIN

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos

Sweet potato roasted until caramelized and black beans seasoned with cumin make a filling that's satisfying enough to convert anyone who thinks tacos need meat. Lime brings the acid, cilantro the freshness, and the whole thing comes together in the time it takes the oven to preheat. Budget-friendly and genuinely craveable.

50 MIN

Carrot and Green Bean Vegetable Pulao

Basmati rice cooked with cumin and garlic until each grain is fragrant and separate, studded with tender carrots and green beans that hold just enough bite. It's the kind of rice dish that works as a main or alongside almost anything — understated, aromatic, and far more satisfying than plain rice has any right to be.

35 MIN

Sesame Cabbage and Carrot Stir-Fry

Cabbage and carrot hit a very hot pan and stay there just long enough to wilt and blister at the edges, picking up the salty depth of soy sauce and the zing of fresh ginger. Sesame seeds scattered over the top add a nutty crunch that makes this feel finished and intentional. Fast, cheap, and surprisingly addictive.

45 MIN

Pinto Bean and Corn Burrito Bowl

White rice forms the base, topped with seasoned pinto beans and sweet corn, finished with creamy avocado and a bright hit of lime. Every component earns its place, and together they hit that satisfying combination of starchy, creamy, and fresh that makes a bowl feel complete. A meal-prep staple that holds up beautifully the next day.

40 MIN

Spicy Tofu and Edamame Fried Rice

Day-old white rice hits a hot pan with crumbled tofu, edamame, and ginger, everything coated in soy sauce and as much heat as you feel like adding. The tofu breaks into small pieces that absorb all the savory, slightly smoky flavor from the pan while the edamame stays bright and tender. A complete, protein-forward meal that comes together faster than delivery ever could.

35 MIN

Chili Garlic Egg and Rice Bowl

Eggs fried in garlicky oil over white rice with soy sauce and cayenne — this is the kind of meal that sounds too simple until you actually make it and realize you've been over-complicating dinner. The garlic crisps at the edges, the cayenne builds slow heat, and the soy sauce does the seasoning work of a dozen ingredients. Done in ten minutes, costs almost nothing.

45 MIN

Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup

Carrots and lentils simmer together in a broth that ginger and cumin transform from plain into something that smells like dinner should smell. The onion melts into the background, sweetening as it goes, leaving a soup that's smooth, warming, and costs well under a euro per bowl. Make a big pot — you'll want leftovers.

40 MIN

Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala Skillet

Cauliflower florets roast in a skillet until their edges brown, then get folded into a tomato masala seasoned with turmeric and cumin alongside protein-packed chickpeas. The result is a saucy, substantial one-pan meal that's bright from the tomato and deeply savory from the spices. Satisfying at any hour and kind to your grocery budget.

From the Pantry

Signature staples

white-ricelentilseggchickpeaspotatocarrot

Favorite tools

RiceCookerFryingPanDutchOvenChefKnife

Reaches for

Dried BeansEggsRice

Steers clear of

Expensive cuts of meatSpecialty ingredients over $5Single-use condiments

Flavor Profile

The Loves

Spice-richSavorySatisfying

The Defaults

CuminGarlicOnion

The Avoids

Food wasteRecipes requiring one-use expensive ingredients