1. For a quick meal based on what we have in fridge, etc., I do find a veggie stir fry actually quite fast. It's no more work than making a salad since I use veggies that don't require eons of cooking time.

Perhaps it's a matter of perspective of what constitutes a "normal pantry". We don't buy fresh shrimp frequently but I do love it and make stuff.

But for other things, we always have in our pantry or fridge:
powdered curry, (green) curry paste, chili paste (takes us ages to finish a tiny bottle), Chinese black bean sauce or garlic chili sauce, fresh ginger root, garlic, lower sodium soy sauce, buckwheat/light wheat linguine noodle Asian style (Italian dried pasta takes much longer to cook and I find heavier), canned clams, canned smoked mussels or oysters (latter makes a great smoke mussel, tomato pasta dish), etc.


2. Or just drain a can of salmon or tuna, add dijon mustard and a bit of pepper. (I only need 1/2 tin of fish for myself.) With some light linguine noodles that take under 10 min. to cook. Noodles after draining can be mixed in or on side with canned fish.