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Winter Melon & Minced Pork (冬瓜香菇炒肉粹)
February 25, 2019 Lee
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Winter Melon & Minced Pork (冬瓜香菇炒肉粹)

Peng's Kitchen, Singapore.
Great sounding recipe from a friend in Singapore. This is a Chinese dish and sounds easy, and tasty.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese, Singaporean
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 700 grams winter melon, (about 1½ lb)
  • 8 Shiitake mushrooms
  • 150 grams ground pork, (5-6 oz)
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 slices fresh ginger
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • salt, to taste, as desired
  • extra light olive oil, as needed

For the Marinade

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
  • dash white pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Add the ground pork to a bowl and add the Marinade ingredients, mix together and set aside to marinate.
  • Peel the winter melon, slice in half lengthwise and scoop out and discard the seeds. Cut the two halves into bite size cubes.
  • Chop or rangiri the carrot. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and dice the caps and finely dice the stems.
  • In a large non stick pan, heat 2 tablespoons of extra light olive oil, when hot, add the ginger and stir fry until fragrant.
  • Add the mushrooms and stir fry for 2-3 minutes to soften them.
  • Add the ground pork and mix into the mushrooms.
  • Add the melon, carrot, and water. Heat to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook until the melon is tender, stirring occasionally.
  • Drizzle in the sesame oil, taste, and season with salt as desired. Place in a serving bowl and serve family style. Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Rangiri cut for carrots - to cut carrots like this, cut a piece of the carrot off at an angle, then rotate the carrot ¼ turn, cut another piece off at an angle, repeat the turning and cutting. This makes for bite size pieces that gives more surface area per piece. This is a perfect shape for soups, stews, Japanese curry, simmered dishes.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: CHINESE,: SINGAPOREAN,PORK,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Chicken & Thai Basil
February 20, 2019 Lee
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Chicken & Thai Basil

This is an easy Thai dish that goes together quickly and is delicious, spiciness comes from green Bird's Eye Chilies and Thai Basil, and is delicious!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
  • 20 green Bird's Eye chilies
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled
  • soy sauce, as desired
  • 1 handful fresh Thai Basil leaves
  • cooking oil, as needed
  • cooked rice, for serving

Instructions
 

  • Slice the chicken breasts into small pieces, set aside. Add the chilies and garlic to a mortar and mash with a pestle.
  • In a large non stick pan (we use a marble wok pan) on medium to medium high heat, a tablespoon or so of cooking oil, when hot, add the chicken and chili garlic mixture. Saute until the chicken has mostly turned white, a little bit of pink here and there is no problem. Season with a splash of soy sauce as desired.
  • Add the Thai basil and stir into the chicken.
  • When the basil is wilted, cover the pan and turn off the heat. Now you can get the bowls and rice ready to serve.
  • Remove the lid from the pan, give the chicken a stir and pour the chicken into a serving bowl. Serve family style in the center of the table and people can just take and enjoy what they want.

Notes

Low cost per serving. Depending on the sides, this is 2-3 servings.
Recipe provided and cooked by my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Bitter Gourd & Tomato Soup (苦瓜番茄汤)
February 19, 2019 Lee
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Bitter Gourd & Tomato Soup (苦瓜番茄汤)

Peng's Kitchen, Singapore.
This is a Singaporean Chinese soup and it sounds delicious as well as easy to make. This is essentially how most soups in Asia are made.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese, Singaporean
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large bitter gourd
  • 4 plum tomatoes
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 slices fresh ginger
  • 350 grams pork ribs, (12 oz)
  • 2½ liters water, (2½ quarts)
  • salt, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Cut the ribs between each bone. Cut the bitter gourd in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon, cut each half of the gourd lengthwise into 2 or 3 strips then cut each strip into 1 inch pieces. Remove stem end of the tomatoes and cut into quarters. Chop the carrots into bite size pieces, Rangiri method works well for this. And finally, cut 2 slices from a piece of ginger.
  • Add all ingredients except the salt, to a large pot, and add the water.
  • Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, skim off any foam on the top, and cook for 2 hours.
  • Taste and season with salt as desired. Ladle into bowls and serve with rice on the side.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Rangiri cut for carrots - to cut carrots like this, cut a piece of the carrot off at an angle, then rotate the carrot ¼ turn, cut another piece off at an angle, repeat the turning and cutting. This makes for bite size pieces that gives more surface area per piece. This is a perfect shape for soups, stews, Japanese curry, simmered dishes.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: CHINESE,: SINGAPOREAN,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Homemade Lemon Pepper
February 18, 2019 Lee
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Homemade Lemon Pepper

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Your first question is probably, why? Well, for me this sounds good because the bottled lemon pepper is not where I live, and I use it a lot (a good friend in the states has sent me two bottles). This is worth a try at least! Now for me, lemons, I have never seen the regulation sized lemons like the states, but I have seen lemons grown here in Thailand, in the village where I live, and they were huge! Think 1 kilo (2 lb lemons!). As a variant, I will try this with lime, Lime Pepper! If you add salt, then you have Lemon or Lime Pepper Seasoning.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 5 lemons
  • ⅓ cup ground pepper, see Step 1
  • ¼ cup kosher salt, only if making the if making the seasoning version

Instructions
 

  • For the pepper, get yourself several jars with the grinder attachment of black pepper or pepper medley, which is black, pink, green, and white pepper. Grind that into a measuring cup to get ⅓ cup. Place that in a mixing bowl.
  • Zest the lemons, add to the mixing bowl with the pepper and mix together.
  • Heat your oven to the lowest setting, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Spread the pepper and zest mixture out on the parchment paper evenly. When the oven is warmed, place the baking sheet in the oven. Your goal is to dry out the zest.
  • Bake until the zest is completely dry, toss the pepper and zest several times and smooth out to an even layer and continue until the zest is completely dry, about 1 hour.
  • After the zest is completely dry, run through a spice grinder, in batches if needed until the mixture resembles, fine sand, or you know, lemon pepper.
  • For the salt, this is optional. If you are avoiding salt, simply do not add it and you will have Lemon Pepper. If you add it, start with less than stated and taste and adjust to your liking. Simply mix the salt into the Lemon Pepper, and you will then have what I will call Lemon Pepper Seasoning.

Notes

Variant: 1. Use lime zest in place of lemon zest (I will try this).
Ingredients - Spice Mixes
Chives Omelet (韭菜煎蛋)
February 18, 2019 Lee
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Chives Omelet (韭菜煎蛋)

This recipe for Chives Omelet (韭菜煎蛋) is courtesy of Rasa Malaysia. United States.
This is a Chinese dish, and the method / seasonings is shared throughout Thailand and many Asian countries.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 85 grams Chinese chives, or chives, or spring onion greens, (3 oz)
  • 4 chicken eggs
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce
  • pinch salt

Instructions
 

  • Slice the chives into about 1/4 inch pieces. In a non stick pan or wok, heat the oil on high heat but not smoking.
  • While the pan is heating, crack the eggs into a bowl and beat until frothy. Mix in the sesame oil, fish sauce, oyster sauce, salt, then mix in the chives.
  • Pour the eggs into the hot pan.
  • As the edges set, check the bottom.
  • When golden brown, flip the omelet over and cook until the bottom is golden brown.
  • Flip again and remove to a plate.
  • Serve family style with rice or toast for sides. Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
 
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: CHINESE,EGGS - ALL,Eggs - Chicken
Lemongrass Chicken Wings
February 14, 2019 Lee
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Lemongrass Chicken Wings

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Sounds tasty and easy. On my to make and taste list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 40 minutes
Course Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo chicken wings, tips removed, (2 lbs)
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, hard layers removed, beaten, minced, or 1 tsp powdered
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
  • ¼ cup fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce
  • fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish if desired

Instructions
 

  • In a mixing bowl, add the lemongrass, garlic, shallot, ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, oil, and sugar. Whisk together until the sugar is dissolved.
  • Place the wings in sturdy zip lock bag and pour the marinade into the bag. Squeeze out the air and zip the bag closed, then squish the wings around to coat them with the marinade. Place the bag in a large dish and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours and overnight for more flavor.
  • When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F) and line a baking sheet with foil. Mix together the honey and soy sauce.
  • Remove the wings from the marinade and drain, discard the marinade. Place wings on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.
  • 15 minutes into baking, baste the wings with the honey and soy sauce mixture. Continue baking, a few minutes before the 30 minutes are up, baste the wings one more with the honey and soy sauce mixture.
  • Remove wings to a serving platter and sprinkle with the cilantro if using.
  • Serve with sides of your choice.

Notes

Chicken wings will cost about 84 Baht/kilo (2 lbs), for 4 servings, this is about 65 cents per serving.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: CHINESE,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Chicken & Mushrooms (Slow Cooker)
February 14, 2019 Lee
1 Comment

Chicken & Mushrooms (Slow Cooker)

Moms with Crockpots, Amanda, United States.
This is a delicious meal and comes from a good friend, I served with plain rice, but feel free to serve over rice or mashed potatoes. Common ingredients is a bonus. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker (3½+ quart)

Ingredients
  

  • 750 grams chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, (1½ lb)
  • 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
  • 500 grams button mushrooms, sliced, (1 lb)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • fresh parsley, chopped, good handful or two
  • 1½ cups chicken broth, fresh or from powdered, Shortcut
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch, or tapioca starch
  • salt and pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Heat a non stick pan with with the oil, when hot, add the chicken, working in batches if needed, and brown each side. When browned, place in your slow cooker. (These 3 chicken breasts were about 800 grams.)
  • Once all the chicken is done, using the same pan, add the onion, cook, stirring often until tender. Remove from heat and add the onion on top of the chicken in the slow cooker.
  • Now add the mushrooms, garlic, and parsley to the slow cooker. (I used cilantro in place of the parsley, worked perfectly, and I did use my 3½ quart slow cooker for this.)
  • Pour in the chicken broth, season with salt and pepper as desired, tamp everything down level, no need to make sure in broth as it will make liquid shortly. Cover and set the cooker to Low setting for 4 hours.
  • When 4 hours have passed, leave the slow cooker on Low setting and remove the chicken from the cooker with a slotted spoon, leaving as much liquid as you can and the mushrooms in the cooker.
  • Whisk in the cornstarch into the cooker until smooth.
  • Return the chicken to the cooker and cook until the sauce has thickened, about 20-30 minutes.
  • Server over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes, and the gravy is excellent. Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Chicken Broth (Pressure Cooker).
Variant: 1. Use fresh cilantro in place of parsley.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Chicken - Slow Cooker,MUSHROOMS
Soy Sauce Chicken Wings (Slow Cooker)
February 11, 2019 Lee
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Soy Sauce Chicken Wings (Slow Cooker)

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is the Cantonese version of Taiwanese 3 Cup Chicken, and is tasty. This is normally made with whole plump chickens and once they have cooled completely, they are simply chopped. This recipe will use wings, drummettes (called wing sticks in Thailand) and middle wing sections (called middle wing sticks in Thailand) cooked in a slow cooker.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 cup light soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
  • water, as needed
  • 1 - 1 ¼ kilos chicken wings, (1 - 1 ½ lbs)
  • 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 2 pieces whole star anise
  • 2-3 spring onions, chopped
  • fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Prep the chicken by rinsing it, then cut the tip off, then separate the drummette (wing stick) from the middle wing (middle wing stick). You can use the tips if you like or discard.
  • Add the ginger, star anise, cinnamon, garlic, sugar, and both soy sauces to your slow cooker. Give the mixture a stir.
  • Place the wings in your slow cooker.
  • Add water as you stir the wings around to get them settled into the liquid, add just enough water to cover the wings.
  • Place the slow cooker on High setting 1 hour. Give the wings a quick stir then turn the cooker to Low setting and let cook for 2 hours. Sprinkle the chicken with the spring onion about 10 minutes before serving.
  • Use a spoon to remove the chicken to a serving platter or bowl and spoon the sauce over the wings.
  • Serve with rice or noodles, spoon sauce over the rice or noodles as desired. Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: CHINESE,Chicken - Slow Cooker
Baked Eggs with Saffron & Cumin
February 11, 2019 Lee
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Baked Eggs with Saffron & Cumin

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This sounds interesting and the first recipe I have seen that calls for saffron outside of rice or curry, so this is on my make and taste list for sure.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
  • 1 large shallot, finely diced
  • 3 plum tomatoes, diced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 eggs
  • salt and black pepper, as desired
  • 1 pinch saffron threads, (6-8 threads)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 160° C (325° F). Get out 2 medium ramekins (4 1/2 oz). (I will be using 2 small Pyrex baking dishes (6 oz) and will report on how that works out after I make this.) Line a baking sheet with foil.
  • Heat a non stick pan on medium to medium low and add the cumin to the dry pan, toast it briefly, stirring constantly, then remove the cumin to a small bowl.
  • Same pan, add the oil, when hot, add the onion and saute until softened.
  • Add the tomatoes and sprinkle in the cumin, stir and cook until the tomatoes have softened up, just a few minutes, season with salt and pepper as desired. Place half of the tomato mixture into each ramekin.
  • Crack and egg into a small bowl, then slide that into a ramekin. Repeat with the second egg. (I like to crack eggs in bowl first to make sure no shell fragments are in the egg.) Crumble up the saffron threads and sprinkle half on each egg.
  • Place the ramekins on the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven, bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the whites and yolks are set. For runny yolks, bake a few minutes less.
  • Remove from the oven, sprinkle with salt and black pepper as desired and let cool for 3 minutes.
  • Serve with rice, noodles, or buttered toast, enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: CHINESE,BREAKFAST (for dinner!),EGGS - ALL,Eggs - Chicken
Salami Cream Cheese Sandwich
February 10, 2019 Lee
1 Comment

Salami Cream Cheese Sandwich

This recipe comes form a good friend, and it is delicious! I made this on 9 Feb 2019, the same day I came across this. Highly recommended.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 sandwiches

Ingredients
  

  • 250 grams Cream cheese, room temp, (8 oz)
  • 1/4 cup spring onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 8 slices sandwich bread
  • 280 grams salami, thin sliced, (10 oz)
  • 8 lettuce leaves, or as desired

Instructions
 

  • For the salami, I used Haus (German style), produced here in Thailand, which is beef and pork. Imported Genoa salami, one would need to take out a small loan to get that. This Haus salami is excellent. I used one pack, 70 grams (2 1/2 oz) for each sandwich.
  • Add the cream cheese, spring onion, dill, and garlic to a mixing bowl.
  • Mash together with a fork to completely mix.
  • To make a sandwich, spread some cream cheese mix onto two slices of bread, top one slice of bread with the lettuce leaves.
  • Top the lettuce with the salami slices from the whole 70 gram package or 2 1/2 ounces if the salami you are using is larger diameter.
  • Top the sandwich with the other slice of bread. Slice in half, and enjoy. Repeat for remaining sandwiches. The cream cheese mix will keep refrigerated for 3 to 5 days.

Notes

The salami I used is 88 Baht/70 gram package (2 1/2 oz), that is 352 Baht. The cream cheese is 120 Baht/250 gram package. For 4 sandwiches, this is about $3.70 per sandwich. High cost but oh so good for a once in a while treat.
This recipe for Salami Cream Cheese Sandwich is from Natasha's Kitchen.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* High Cost $1.51+ per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES