When assignments start to pile up, sometimes even having a meal at the dining hall with friends can become a luxury. Many students opt for deliveries and take-out boxes to squeeze out some extra time, while others turn to ramen bowls for a quick dinner. For senior Krishan Mistry, however, food is always worth the time.

During the university's years at its old residence in Sama Tower, Mistry rarely went to the dining hall, choosing to cook in his dorm and explore the rich range of cuisines in Abu Dhabi. As a freshman, he used to get up early in the morning to make his roommates fresh pancakes. Mistry even began an initiative that offered freshly cooked, five-course meals to any ten NYUAD students who signed up.

While some complain that the dining hall forces a choice between healthy options and tasty food, to Mistry, there are ways to avoid the tradeoff if you cook at home. His favorite dishes to make are beans, kimchi and miso soup, all healthy and with equally good flavor.

Mistry also makes a special rice miso soup, where he combines dashi stock, miso and rice to make a warm, tasty breakfast. His signature soup proves that homemade dishes aren’t always complicated to make: “If you cook a lot of rice at the beginning of the week, it only takes five minutes every morning,” he said.

The same strategy applies for his kimchi, which he makes stocks of that last for weeks. Mistry also recommends one-pot dishes such as rice, stew and soup that are easy to prepare and clean up.

The best part of cooking is the ability to control everything that goes in the dish. You can always easily substitute some ingredients with healthier alternatives: white pasta becomes whole-wheat, extra-virgin olive oil instead of butter. Once you have succeeded in making food healthy, you can also make it flavorful. While food in the dining hall might taste more plain in order to satisfy the majority’s taste buds, you can indulge in all the spices easily available in Abu Dhabi when you cook at home.

When asked about the inconvenience of cooking in dorms, Mistry mentioned the lack of accommodation for students who choose to cook themselves, but said he was grateful for how much the school has already done to help the situation. He admits that the lack of a cheap, local supermarket on Saadiyat makes him go to the dining hall more often.

Now he cooks mostly for special occasions and when the dining hall is closed. In the meantime, recalling his Sama Tower days, Mistry said he is grateful to see the convenience store’s fresh market come so far in the variety of fruits and vegetables it now offers.