7 types of meals to give to friends in need

Nourish both body and soul with a well-timed, thoughtful dish.

A life-saving casserole. Credit: Kitti Gould

--- The Cook Up with Adam Liaw airs weeknights at 7pm on SBS Food (Ch.33). All episodes are available anytime on SBS On Demand. ---

You may feel powerless when a friend is going through a rough time. While simply 'being there' is often all your friend requires, there's another gentle way to support them through their troubles.

A 'doorstep delivery' is basically a dish you make ahead that can be left for your friend. It's a dish that's therefore portable, stable, and easy to reheat. Bonus points if it's freezable - your mate may not want to dig in straight away.

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And that's okay. The true beauty of a doorstep delivery is that it takes the pressure of both food and company off your friend. In times of need, often the last thing a person wants is company. This way, you're still showing up for your friend, without overwhelm nor expectation.

You'll therefore want to cook as much comfort into your dish as you can possibly muster. This is a dish that's going to sing with love the moment your friend takes a mouthful.

Here are seven types of meals with both hug and heart cooked right in. Leave one in an esky by your mate's front door and ring the bell. Although, if company is what they crave, these dishes are easily shared.

Topped with love

Nothing cheers a person up faster than a spicy pizza. Credit: Jiwon Kim

When it comes to wrapping up a meal to reheat later, pizza is an absolute star. Especially when it's an Italian-Korean mash-up in the form of a classic pepperoni pizza with added spicy kimchi and gochujang. There is so much going on in this pizza that it's bound to help your friend forget their cares for a while.

Drown their sorrows

This recipe transforms the classic sweet corn soup by infusing it with Japanese flavours. A flavourful surprise to really make your friend's day. Credit: Jiwon Kim

Soup hits every aspect of the comfort food delivery: easy to make, easy to transport, easy to reheat, easy to eat.

The whole casserole

Life saver. Credit: Kitti Gould

Betty was a Jewish confidante who helped Jason Om and his dad cook after 12-year-old Jason's mum died. He reckons her recipe saved their lives and that's the power of a casserole.

Layered with love

When life gets tough, there are few things better than having a delish, heat-and-serve meal on hand. Credit: Mary Makes It Easy

An individual spin on a classic friendship dish, lasagne roll ups freeze super-well. So make as many as you can so your friend has dinner ready to go in the freezer for as long as they need.

The good stuff

Stuffed full of love. Credit: Jiwon Kim

You know someone really loves you if they're willing to stuff a vegetable for you. In this case, it's stuffed artichokes, but the love is also there in stuffed mushrooms, tomatoes and capsicums.

Pasta rescue

This dish is saying, "Hello my friend, I'm here for you, I love you, everything is going to be okay." Credit: Jiwon Kim

No matter how down and out we're feeling, we can always muster the strength to eat pasta. This chicken and cream cheese penne is a crowd-pleaser, so hopefully it will hit the spot for your harried friend, too.

Curry the load

That's healing, right there. Credit: Kitti Gould

Adam's eggplant curry is exactly the kind of dish we'd welcome in times of need. Any curry, really. It's that combination of creamy, spoonable, distracting heat that wins it for us.

Just remember, take your friend's lead when it comes to the timing of your offering. They might be overwhelmed with dishes from well-meaning friends and you really don't want to add to that pile. Sometimes, the best time to deliver your home-cooked hug is a week or two after your friend goes down.