Author Archive
Asian Goulash
The inspiration for this dish, as well as the name comes from a person who posted a similar photo of this dish, I took that as a challenge to make that dish, here is my results. Basically this is a minced pork and rice noodle dish, and it is delicious! Read the Variants in the Recipe Notes section, many ways to tailor this to your liking.
Ingredients
- 220 grams dry rice noodles, (7.7 oz)
- 500 grams ground pork, (1 lb)
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 spring onions, sliced, white and green parts, reserve some green for garnish
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil, plus extra for the noodles
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- salt and white pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Everything prepped and ready to start. Reserve some of the spring onion greens for garnish if desired.
- Heat a pot of water to a boil, then add the rice noodles, stir often and cook until tender, drain. Add a teaspoon or so of sesame oil to the drained noodles to keep them from sticking together.
- While the water is heating for the noodles, heat a non stick pan or a wok, on medium heat, add the ground pork and garlic. Break up the pork with your spatula as it cooks. Stir fry to cook the pork through, drain the fat. Add the spring onion and cilantro and stir fry to wilt the cilantro.
- When the noodles are cooked and drained, add the noodles to the pan and toss with the pork. Now add the fish sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar, and toss to mix.
- Divide into bowls, garnish with some spring onion greens, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Add sliced and sauteed Shiitake mushrooms. 2. Add some diced carrots or mixed vegetables. 3. Add sugar peas.
Inspired by wynnskitchen.
Chicken & Egg Curry
Sounds like an excellent dish, and easy to make. Common ingredients are used, this recipe assumes you have hard boiled already. On my to make and taste list.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, diced
- 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- 2 medium onions, grated
- 2 tablespoons ghee, or cooking oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, if using Thai, use ¼ teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- In a large non stick pan on medium heat, add the ghee or oil, when hot, add the diced chicken, cook, stirring often, until no longer pink. Use a slotted spoon and remove the chicken to a bowl.
- To the pan, add the cumin and onion, stir fry until the onion is golden colored and soft, about 5 minutes or so.
- Add the garlic, chili powder, coriander, turmeric, and salt, stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomatoes, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- To the pan, add the water, eggs, and chicken, cover again and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.
- Serve with rice, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Pasta with Herb Sauce
Basic recipe for an inexpensive meal, sounds like a winner. On my to make and taste list.
Ingredients
- 180 grams dry spaghetti, (6 oz)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to boiling, then add the spaghetti and cook until tender.
- While the pasta is cooking, in a small bowl, mix together remaining ingredients.
- When the pasta is tender, drain, and return the pasta to the warm pot, add the sauce mixture from the small bowl and toss together.
- Divide between two plates, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Pasta with Tuna Sauce
Sounds like an easy and quick dish to put together. On my to make and taste list.
Ingredients
- 1 can tuna in brine, drained, (185 g / 6.5 oz)
- 1 can diced tomatoes, (~400 grams or ~14 oz can)
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2-3 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper, as desired, to taste
- dry pasta, of your choice, for serving
- Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the garlic, stir for 30 seconds or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes and stir together. Stir in the oregano and season to taste with salt and pepper as desired. Reduce heat to low.
- Add the drained tuna, break that up a bit and stir into the tomatoes, let simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the sauce is simmering, heat a pot of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta of your choice, spaghetti or fettuccine would be perfect. Cool until tender, drain. For the pasta, figure about 160-180 grams (6-7 ounces) for 2 servings.
- After 15 minutes of simmering the sauce, stir in the drained capers and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Divide the pasta between two plates, spoon on the sauce, top with grated Parmesan, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Used canned whole tomatoes, chopped, plus juice. 2. Use fresh tomatoes, chopped, about 1 3/4 to 2 cups. 3. Add sliced black olives in place of the capers or in addition to the capers. 4. Add sautéed mushrooms.
Classic Tuna Salad Sandwiches
I have been making these for well over 30 years, about time I got around to actually writing this down, but I am going to post a friend's recipe here as a great guide. This recipe is wide open to changes to suit your taste. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 3 cans tuna in oil, drained well
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced, Thai celery 2-3 stalk
- 2 dill pickles, diced, Shortcut
- 1 spring onion, sliced, white and green parts
- ½ cup mayo, of your choice, and as needed
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
- salt and pepper, as desired
- lettuce leaves, as desired, 2-3 per sandwich
- 8 slices bread, of your choice, rye would be perfect
Instructions
- To drain the tuna, you can simply crack open the lid and drain the oil, but I prefer to use a strainer, and in this photo, a rice strainer, this ensures the best drained tuna. Once it is good and drained, add the tuna to a mixing bowl.
- Slice and dice the celery, slice the spring onion, and dice the pickles. Add these to a mixing bowl. (I did not have my homemade pickles made so I added a tablespoon of chopped capers.)
- To the mixing bowl add the mayo, mustard, and juice. Mix well, and season with salt and pepper as desired to taste. Start with the stated ½ cup mayo and mix, add mayo as needed to get the consistency you desire. I added about a tablespoon more.
- Once you have the salad to your desired consistency, cover and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to chill. This will store safely in the fridge about 2 days.
- When you are ready for a sandwich, or two, lay out the bread of your choice, add some mayo to each slice (I used Japanese Kewpie Mayo, it is in a squeeze bottle), add 2-3 lettuce leaves to a slice of bread.
- Top with ¼ of the tuna salad, top with another slice of bread, repeat for remaining sandwiches.
- Cut each sandwich in half, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Fridge Pickles.
Variants: 1. Serve as a salad on a bed of lettuce, serve in half an avocado, serve on a croissant. 2. Add a slice of Swiss cheese. 3. Add a chopped hard boiled egg. 4. Add a slice of tomato. 5. No pickles on hand? Use a tablespoon or so chopped capers. 6. If you prefer to used canned tuna in water, you may need to increase the mayo to ¾ cup.
Whitefish Mornay
The mornay term with this recipe is the cheese sauce used, the fish and the sauce are not cooked together, however, this meal goes together quickly. The fish is quite delicious, I was pleasantly surprised.
Ingredients
For the Fish
- 2 fillets whitefish, pangasius or barramundi would be perfect
- 1 cup milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 black peppercorns
- chives, chopped, for garnish if desired
For the Mornay Sauce
- 3½ tablespoons butter, (50 grams)
- 50 grams all purpose flour, or 6½ tablespoons if no scale
- 120 grams Cheddar cheese, or Gouda, shredded, (4 oz)
- milk, as needed
- black pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Add the fish fillets to a nonstick pan, pour in the milk, add the bay leaf and the peppercorns. Heat on low heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes to poach the fish, the fish will flake easily when cooked through.
- Remove the pan from heat, remove the fish from the pan to a plate and cover to keep warm. Remove the bay leaf from the milk. Keep that pan with the milk handy, you will need it soon.
- In a saucepan on low heat, melt the butter then whisk in the flour, continuously whisk for 2 minutes.
- Using the milk in the pan you poached the fish in, add a small amount to the saucepan and whisk in, repeat until all the milk from the pan is used. Now whisk in small amounts of fresh milk until you get a nice creamy consistency.
- When the sauce is a nice creamy consistency, increase heat and bring to a boil, whisking continuously. Once at a boil, remove from heat and whisk in the cheese until smooth.
- Plate the fish, spoon sauce over the fish, garnish with chopped chives if desired (I just added a little ground black pepper), serve with sides of your choice. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Garlic Mushrooms
This sounds good and is on my list to make after I get some more button mushrooms.
Ingredients
- 250 grams fresh white button mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
- salt and lemon pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Give the mushrooms a quick rinse under running water and shake off the excess. Cut the stems off even with the caps, keep those stems handy, they get cooked as well. For large mushrooms, cut the caps in half.
- Heat the oil in a non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds or so.
- Add the mushrooms, caps and stems, stir until the mushrooms have soaked up the oil. Turn the heat to low and saute the mushrooms until they release any any water.
- Add the lemon or lime juice and season as desired with salt and lemon pepper as desired. Increase the heat to medium and saute until nearly all the liquid is evaporated.
- Add the parsley and stir into the mushrooms, remove from heat.
- Serve as a side with any dish, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Lebanese Style Chicken Livers
This is a really tasty dish if you like chicken livers. The mint is perfect in this.
Ingredients
- 400 grams chicken livers, (14 oz)
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2-3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
- fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish, or mint
Instructions
- Prep the livers by cutting in half, then cutting the two pieces into 2-3 smaller pieces.
- In a large zip lock bag, add the liver, oil, salt, mint, and garlic. Squeeze out as much air as possible, and zip closed. Squish the livers around to get everything mixed and the livers coated. Place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
- When ready to cook, heat a large non stick pan on medium high heat and add the contents of the zip lock bag.
- Saute for 5-10 minutes are until no pink remains visible, almost ready, just another 1-2 minutes to go at this point. Remember, over cooked liver is tough liver, slightly pink inside is perfect.
- Stir in the lemon or lime juice and saute for another 30 seconds.
- Divide between two plates, garnish with chopped parsley or min, serve with sides of your choice. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
German Meat Salad II
This is a Thai version of what is called Fleischsalat but I am not using German Bologna, just regular bologna from Tesco, and adding some items that my Thai step daughter would like. There is two dressings listed as well, a Thai dressing and mayo, use either one per your preference.
Ingredients
- 115 grams bologna, (~4 oz), German Bologna if you have it
- 85 grams Swiss cheese, (~3 oz)
- 85 grams Vietnamese sausage, cha lua (plain) or cha hue (pepper and garlic), (~3 oz)
- 85 grams smoked ham, (~3 oz)
- 85 grams imitation crab sticks, (~3 oz)
For the Thai Dressing
- light soy sauce, as needed
- lime juice, as needed
For the Mayo Dressing
- mayo, as needed
Instructions
- Stack the bologna and ham, slice into 1/4 inch wide strips. Slice the cheese into long thin slices, then stack and slice those into 1/4 inch wide strips. Slice the pickles, you guessed it, into 1/4 inch wide pieces. Remove the casings on the crab sticks and Vietnamese sausage, slice into 1/4 inch strips.
- Place the sliced items into a mixing bowl, add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of lime juice, toss to mix together, adjust the soy sauce and lime juice as needed to fully coat everything.
- Or place the sliced items into a mixing bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons mayo, toss to coat, adding more as needed, goal is coated, not dripping in mayo.
- Cover and place in the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours.
- Serve as is or on a bed of lettuce. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Inspired from an internet recipe.
German Meat Salad I
This should be called Fleischsalat or Wurstsalat depending on where you are in Germany, but I am not using German Bologna, just regular bologna from Tesco here in Thailand. There is two dressings listed as well, a vinaigrette and mayo, use either one per your preference.
Ingredients
- 400 grams bologna, (14 oz), German bologna if you have it
- 200 grams Swiss cheese, (7 oz)
- 4 small dill pickles, German if you have them
For the Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1 tablespoon vinaigrette dressing
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice
For the Mayo Dressing
- 4 tablespoons mayo, or as needed or desired
Instructions
- Stack the bologna and slice into ¼ inch wide strips, add to a mixing bowl.
- Slice the cheese into long thin slices, then stack and slice those into ¼ inch wide strips, add to the mixing bowl.
- Slice the pickles, you guessed it, into ¼ inch wide pieces like the bologna and cheese, add to the mixing bowl.
- Mix together the vinaigrette dressing and pickle juice, add the dressing to the mixing bowl and toss to mix together.
- Or toss with the mayo.
- Cover and place in the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours.
- Serve as is or on a bed of lettuce. Enjoy.
Notes
Fair cost per serving.