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Thai Ginger, Prawns, and Glass Noodles
February 1, 2017 Lee
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Thai Ginger, Prawns, and Glass Noodles

This recipe comes from a friend in Singapore and is spot on as this is a Thai recipe. I have had many versions of this over the years and it is good. This can be served as is or with rice.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 80 grams dried glass noodles, see Step 1
  • 8-10 large prawn, head on preferred with legs and antennae removed
  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 15 slices ginger
  • 3 pieces coriander root
  • 1-2 spring onions, chopped into 2 inch pieces

For the Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, IF not serving over rice, reduce this to 1 teaspoon
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock, fresh or from powder

Instructions
 

  • Glass noodles are also known as Vermicelli and as Bean Thread, these normally come in smaller packs of 40 or 80 grams per pack and sold in bundles of 10 packs, normally. This is a common brand here in this photo. Can also find individual packs of 80 grams as well. Photo courtesy Tesco Thailand.
  • In a bowl of water at room temperature, soak the glass noodles for about 10 minutes to soften them.
  • Using a small pair of pointy scissors, cut along the back of each prawn and remove the vein. Optional, I have had this dish with deveined prawn and vein in, personal preference really.
  • Make the sauce by whisking together the Sauce ingredients, then place the glass noodles and prawn in the sauce and toss to coat well, marinate this for about 10 minutes, tossing every few minutes to make sure everything is coated.
  • Using a mortar and pestle crush the peppercorns then add the garlic and coriander root pieces and smash those lightly, set aside.
  • Add a splash of olive oil to a pot that has a lid and set to medium low heat, and add the mixture from the mortar and cook for about 30 seconds then add the ginger and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
  • Take the prawn out of the bowl they are marinating in and place the noodles in the pot along will all the sauce they were marinating in, then place the prawn on top. Cover and cook until the sauce starts to boil, then turn the heat down to low and cook for about 3-4 more minutes.
  • Then give everything in the pot a good stir, prawns can get mixed in now, cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the prawns are cooked through. If the liquid is too low, ad a bit more water.
  • Turn of the heat and add the spring onion to the top and cover and the heat in the pot will wilt the spring onion. Serve.

Notes

For 8-10 large prawn, I will estimate about 100 Baht, for 4 servings this is about 74 cents per serving.
Provided by The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and the link to this recipe is here.
Singapore.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,SEAFOOD - ALL,Seafood - Shrimp/Prawn
Copycat Rice-A-Roni
February 1, 2017 Lee
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Copycat Rice-A-Roni

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Probably not something you would expect from a recipe site based in Thailand, but this is an excellent side dish and very inexpensive to make. This is the base recipe, you can tailor this many ways. I made this on 1 Feb 2017.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup dry spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
  • ¾ cup dry white rice
  • 2½ cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder, or beef stock
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Everything ready, I used beef stock from the powder dissolved in hot water.
  • In a non stick skillet on medium heat, heat the olive oil and add the spaghetti, stirring constantly until the spaghetti starts to brown.
  • Add the rice, stirring to coat the rice with the oil remaining in the pan and browning the spaghetti just a bit more, carefully pour in the stock and reduce temp to a simmer, stir then cover, and stir occasionally until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. If you run out of liquid and the rice is not quite done, just add a bit more stock as needed until the rice is tender.
  • Almost done, you can still see liquid and the rice not quite tender enough. Just stir and cover, if the burner is too hot, just move the pan off the burner for a few minutes at a time.
  • Perfect consistency, rice is tender, serve as a side dish with any meal.

Notes

Variants: 1. Add cooked mushrooms, garlic, onion, ginger, turmeric, diced bell pepper, chopped spring onion, parsley, chopped broccoli, etc. 2. Add 2 cups of cooked and shredded chicken. 3. Add a good shake of black pepper.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
#1 Go-To Recipes,5 Ingredients or Less,SEASONED RICE,SIDES
Big Mac Sauce
January 31, 2017 Lee
1 Comment

Big Mac Sauce

This is the home made version of the sauce used all over the world. With this, you know what is in it. I made this on 16 Feb 2017 and I will say the taste is very close to the McD's sauce.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 1 cup+

Ingredients
  

  • 2/3 cup mayo
  • 1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
  • 2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
  • 3/4 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions
 

  • Mix together all ingredients and refrigerate for an hour or so and use as a sauce for hamburgers.

Notes

Minimal cost.
Used in Recipe Listed on this Site:
Big Mac Burgers, Made it, GO-TO recipe.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
CONDIMENTS
Italian Seasoning
January 27, 2017 Lee
1 Comment

Italian Seasoning

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is a shortcut to make your Italian seasoning instead of buying the ready made in the small bottles for a huge price.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Cuisine Ingredient
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons dried basil
  • 2 tablespoons dried organo
  • 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons dried marjoram
  • 2 tablespoons dried thyme

Instructions
 

  • Add everything to a small container, mix, and store tightly sealed until needed. Use as you would the premade seasoning.

Notes

Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
#1 Go-To Recipes,5 Ingredients or Less,INGREDIENTS,Ingredients - Spice Mixes
Thin Cornmeal Tortillas
January 20, 2017 Lee
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Thin Cornmeal Tortillas

I was looking through a recipe that called for Doritos as an ingredient, since those are not available where I live, I found a recipe to make Doritos, but that recipe called for corn tortillas, which are also not available here where I live. Further research revealed corn tortillas are made from masa harina, also not available here. So I did more research and found a recipe to make tortillas using all purpose flour AND cornmeal, this sounds like a win win here, the recipe states flexible and soft like a flour tortilla, and a bit of the corn taste. I will be testing this out soon, lot of possibilities if this works out as I will post recipes using these.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 10 tortillas

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup water, +1 tablespoon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, salt, and oil. Gradually mix in the water. Knead briefly, just until the dough is smooth.
  • Divide the dough into 10 pieces. (If you have an accurate digital scale, each piece should weigh about 1 3/8 ounces each or 38,98 grams.) Round the pieces into balls, flatten them slightly, and allow them to rest, covered with a towel for at least 30 minutes.
  • Heat a large, non greased skillet over medium heat, a cast iron pan would be a good choice.
  • Working with one piece of dough at a time (keeping the remaining dough balls covered), roll the balls out until they're about 8 inches in diameter. Cook each one in the hot skillet for about 30-45 seconds on each side. Stack the cooked tortillas on top of each other on a plate and cover with a towel to keep them soft and pliable.
  • Serve hot using them as tacos, making small burritos, etc. Store tightly wrapped in a plastic bag at room temperature, freeze for longer storage.

Notes

Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,SIDES
Swiss Steak
January 20, 2017 Lee
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Swiss Steak

My Mom can make a great Swiss Steak so this recipe interested me, and it is a slow cooker recipe which is a bonus, let the appliance do the work for you. I made this on 22 Jan 2017 and it is good! I modified the recipe slightly with my findings. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo beef round steak, OR any beef just cut into large chunks
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
  • 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped and drained but retain juice
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Tenderize the steak with either a mallet type tenderizer or a needle tenderizer. Season the steak pieces with salt and pepper on both sides, arrange the pieces in your slow cooker. If using local sourced beef where you just get large chunks, slice into 3/4 inch to 1 inch steaks first.
  • Place the onion and bell pepper on top of the meat, pour the tomato sauce and chopped tomatoes over the onions and bell pepper. Cover and cook on Low setting for 8 hours.
  • At 8 hours on Low the beef should be fork tender, serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Notes

Local beef, not beef from Tesco will run between 150 to 260 Baht/kilo. Using the highest figure, for 4 servings, this is about $1.43 per serving.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,Beef - Slow Cooker
Basic Spinach Quiche
January 20, 2017 Lee
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Basic Spinach Quiche

This is the basic quiche recipe. A quiche (French) is essentially a custard made with milk and eggs in a pie dish, what you add to the quiche is up to you to tailor the quiche to your preference. If you make this without adding any of the fillings, then you will be making a giant egg tart. This is a basic spinach quiche. What you can add is listed in Step 1 as options. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine European
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup mayo
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 5 eggs
  • 1-2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1-2 cups fresh spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1/4 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 pie crust, OR make from a shortcut

Instructions
 

  • Options for fillings, there is no measurements here, but it is safe to assume 1/2 to 1 cup of each. The goal is layer in the fillings then pour the milk and egg mixture over that to fill up the pie crust, if feeding a crowd, use two pie crusts and different fillings for each: Spinach, chopped Onion, sliced Mushrooms, Broccoli, cubed and cooked Ham, Bacon, chopped Bell Pepper, chopped Tomatoes, other types of Cheese, you get the idea.
  • Preheat your oven to 200 C. Line a cookie sheet with foil. If using a frozen ready made pie crust, thaw that before you preheat the oven. Place the pie crust in a pie pan and set aside.
  • Whisk together the milk and mayo until smooth, then whisk in the eggs.
  • In a skillet with just a splash olive oil, heat up the spinach and onion until the onion is just soft. If using other items, cook those as well until almost cooked through.
  • Add the spinach and cheese in layers in the pie crust, making several layers of each. Pour the milk mixture over the filling until the pie crust is not quite full to the top. Place the pie dish on the cookie sheet, cover the pie dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes, serve.

Notes

I cannot price this until I prepare it once. Basically it will be a fair price meal based on the cheese.
Shortcut: Basic Buttery Pie Crust.
Inspired by and photo courtesy of good friend, Mark Bowen.
Guinea.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,EGGS - ALL,Eggs - Chicken
Shrimp Jambalaya
January 19, 2017 Lee
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Shrimp Jambalaya

Key word here is shrimp, for any Jambalaya experts, there is many ways to prepare Jambalaya. This recipe is in 2 parts, 1 to make the shrimp stock, and 2, to make the Jambalaya. This does sound good!
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 31 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Shrimp Broth

  • shells, tails, and heads, from your 500 grams of shrimp
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1/2 onion, just half an onion, no need to chop this
  • 1 stalk celery, import, chopped into large chunks
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 5 cups water

For the Jambalaya

  • 500 grams shrimp, the ones you peeled and cleaned
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, import, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 bunch spring onions, chopped, green and white parts seperated
  • 2 links smoked sausage, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup dry white rice
  • 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved for a drink for yourself
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • salt, to taste

Instructions
 

For the Shrimp Broth

  • Remove the shells and tails from the shrimp and put the shells and tails in a pot with 5 cups of water. If the shrimp have heads, remove and add those to the pot as well. Clean and devein the shrimp and refrigerate until ready to use to make the Jambalaya.
  • Same pot, add the remaining shrimp broth ingredients minus the water and bring to a high simmer and then lower the heat to maintain a low simmer. Cook until the water has reduced by about a third, 20 to 30 minutes. Let the broth cool completely and then strain, you should have about 3 cups of broth, if you have less than 3 cups, add enough water to make up the difference.

For the Jambalaya

  • Now heat the butter in a large non stick skillet over medium heat, then add the flour and use a whisk to constantly stir until the mixture is combined, then add the bell pepper, white part of the spring onion, sausage, tomato paste, onion, celery, garlic, 2 bay leaves and a 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes (add splashes of your shrimp broth if the mixture sticks at all). Add the rice and stir to coat.
  • Pour in the remaining broth, chopped tomatoes, thyme, cayenne, half the spring onion green parts, and salt to taste. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Adjust the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add the shrimp, cover and continue to cook until the rice is tender and the shrimp are cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes more. Remove the bay leaves. Sprinkle the top of the Jambalaya with the parsley and remaining spring onion green parts. Serve with hot sauce if desired.

Notes

500 grams of shrimp, say medium whites will cost about 70 Baht. The sausage might cost 50 Baht for 2 links. For 4 servings this is about 88 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friends, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SEAFOOD - ALL,Seafood - Shrimp/Prawn
Chicken Liver, Bacon, and Eggs
January 19, 2017 Lee
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Chicken Liver, Bacon, and Eggs

Lee
In keeping with the traditional Thai cooking style of minimal ingredients, I put this together last night just to clean out the freezer. Actually quite good as well. I like quick, easy, and low cost meals, and this fits the bill perfectly. Serve as a breakfast or dinner.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Breakfast, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 200 grams bacon, (7 oz)
  • 200 grams chicken livers, (7 oz)
  • 3-4 eggs
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a cast iron pan heated with just a small splash of olive oil, add the bacon and the chicken livers. Separate the bacon as it cooks and turn the livers occasionally and cook until the bacon is just near crispy.
  • Push the liver and bacon to one side and crack in the eggs, season with salt and pepper to your liking, and cover with a lid to cook the eggs.
  • When the eggs are set and the whites cooked through, serve as a breakfast or as a dinner.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Notes

The bacon is 62 Baht per 200 grams, the liver is about 30 Baht. For 2 servings this is about $1.35 per serving, very reasonable.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,Chicken - Giblets,PORK
Sweet & Sour Meatballs
January 15, 2017 Lee
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Sweet & Sour Meatballs

These sound really good, think meatball sandwiches, spaghetti and meatball soup, stews, macaroni and meatballs, or even served as is over rice. I need to test this recipe out.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 3 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 340 grams chili sauce, I will clarify this when I make it
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Mix together beef, garlic powder, onion powder, egg, and bread crumbs. Form into small balls and set aside.
  • Pour chili sauce into medium saucepan. Refill bottle with water, shake well, and add to pot. Add the brown sugar and lemon juice, and mix. Bring sauce to a boil. Taste and adjust amounts of lemon juice and brown sugar to taste. Drop in meatballs. Return to boil, reduce to a simmer and cover, and cook about 30 minutes. Serve as is over rice or use in any number of recipes calling for meatballs.

Notes

Ground beef will run about 100 Baht/500 grams, for 4 servings this is about 73 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,MEATBALLS