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Indonesian Fried Rice
This is a classic Indonesian version of fried rice, simple but hearty, serve as a side dish or as a main dish. The purpose of fried rice is to use leftovers, not only does it reuse food, it prevents wasted food.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked white rice, add another cup to stretch this if you like
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 fresh green chili peppers, chopped
- 200 grams chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces, (7 oz)
- 200 grams prawn/shrimp, head and tail removed, peeled, (7 oz)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
- olive oil
- cucumber, sliced, for garnish
- tomato, cut into wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large nonstick skillet with a splash of olive oil. Pour eggs into hot skillet. Cook until the eggs begin to set. Flip omelet in one piece and cook until fully set, about 30 seconds. Slice omelet into 1/2 inch strips. Set aside.
- Heat a tablespoon or so olive oil in a wok (preferred) or large frying pan. Stir in the onion, leek, garlic, & chile peppers. Cook, stirring until onion is soft. Stir in the chicken, prawns, coriander, and cumin, mixing well. Cook and stir for approximately 5 minutes.
- Mix in the rice, sweet soy sauce, and omelet strips; cook until shrimp are bright pink and chicken is no longer pink in the center, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve on a platter, garnish with cucumber slices and tomato wedges.
Notes
The ingredients are minimal cost at best, and if you have leftover roast chicken or leftover prawns, even better and nearly zero cost for this dish.
Variants: 1. Omit the omelet slices and cook as listed, then top each plate with a fried egg. 2. Add chopped leftover vegetables. 3. No prawn or chicken on hand? Use any meat you have, keep in mind leftovers, perfect use and less waste.
Slow Cooker Pinto Bean, Jasmine Rice, Chicken Soup
This recipe comes from a good friend, he just threw this together and enjoyed it. This is a must try for me.
Ingredients
- 250 grams dry Pinto beans, soaked overnight, rinsed, drained, (1/2 lb)
- 1 cup brown Jasmine rice, soaked overnight, rinsed, drained
- 500 grams chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into large cubes, (1 lb)
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoon ground white pepper
- 1/2 cup dry Mung beans
- sea salt, to taste
- handful fresh peppercorns
- fresh chilis, to taste
Instructions
- Add beans and rice to the slow cooker, add water until it is about 1/2 inch above the beans and rice. Cover and set the slow cooker to High.
- After 2 to 3 hours, boil the chicken on the stove. Use just enough water to cover the chicken by 1/2 inch or so. Cook just long enough to cook the chicken through and get a bit of broth going. Pour broth and chicken into the slow cooker.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. This way you don't need to take the top off of the cooker again unless the water seems to get low. The goal is to keep the water in slow cooker just covering the beans and rice. Continue to cook on High setting for a total of 9 hours.
- This seams odd, but adding the rice early is crucial in making the soup a bit more gravy-like. The rice doesn't need that long to cook, but by cooking it for a long time, it sort of dissolves and makes the soup into a nice gravy.
Notes
1 kilo of chicken breasts will run about 80 Baht, easily making this a meal for under $1 per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Dave Williams.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
It has been probably 5 years since I had cabbage rolls, and they were delicious! Here is a cheater recipe, no need to boil the cabbage leaves or roll anything, just make on the stove top in a large pot. I have not tried this yet but it sounds really good and I will give my remarks after I make this. The recipe is normally made with beef but feel free to use pork or chicken. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo ground beef, OR minced pork, OR ground chicken
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped
- 1 head cabbage, small, chopped
- 1 cup rice, uncooked
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 425 gram can, OR fresh chopped tomatoes
- 1 can tomato sauce, 225 gram can, OR make from a shortcut on this site (1 1/4 cups)
- 1/2 cup water, OR beef stock
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet pot, brown the ground beef, onions, and garlic. Drain off the fat.
- Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce temp to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 25-30 minutes or until cabbage is tender.
Notes
Ground beef can run as high as 200 Baht/kilo. For this dish, that is your most expensive item, if using minced pork, you can almost cut the cost in half. For 200 Baht, 6 servings would be less than $1 per serving, less for 8 servings, and a lot less if using minced pork or ground chicken.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Big Mac Burgers
This is the home made version of the famous burger served all over the world. With this, you know what is in it, not the assembly line product that has an ingredient list longer than your arm. This a a double decker burger with a Big Mac sauce. I made these on 16 Feb 2017, very very good! I made the classic double decker for myself and just a jr Big Mac for my wife with just one burger. Highly recommended to make these with just one burger, much easier to handle. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 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
Burgers
- 500 grams ground beef, OR make from a shortcut
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 sesame seed buns, sliced into 3 pieces
Toppings
- 4 teaspoons onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups lettuce, shredded
- Cheddar cheese, use real cheese, not processed
- 8 slices dill pickles, OR make from a shortcut on this site
Instructions
- Mix together the sauce ingredients and set aside. Refrigerate for a while is even better.
- Mix the salt and pepper into the beef, split the mixture into 4 parts and roll into balls. Flatten each ball and shape into a patty.
- Place patties into a non stick pan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and cook the patties for 3 minutes each side. Meanwhile, slice the burger buns into 3 parts and slightly toast them. (I do not mess around with burgers, I make thick large burgers.)
- To assemble, spread the sauce over the base and middle bun. Add onion and lettuce on both buns. On the bottom bun add cheese and one of the burger patties, on the middle bun add 4 pickle slices and burger patty. Lift the middle bun onto the top of the base and finally add the top of bun.
- To make a Jr. Big Mac, use only 1 burger and no middle bun. On the bottom bun add sauce, lettuce, onion, and cheese, and one of the burger patties, top that with 4-5 pickle slices, add sauce to the top bun and cover the top with that.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
- And the Jr. Big Mac.
Notes
Ground beef runs about 100 Baht/500 grams. For 2 servings, this is about $1.47 per serving. If you went the route with just 1 burger patty and made 4 Jr. Big Macs, you could stretch this to 4 servings at a cost of 74 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Dill Pickles, Best Hamburger Meat.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Bangers & Mash Rolls
I do love a good plate of Bangers & Mash with a side peas and a bowl of onion gravy. Here is a twist on the common sausage roll to include mash as well. Bangers being thick pork sausages and mash being mashed potatoes. This is a must do for me, and I will take photos as well.
Ingredients
- 4 thick pork sausages, aka Bangers
- 1 package puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten
- mashed potatoes, cold, can even be leftovers
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190 C. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Brown the Sausages on all sides in a large skillet - until mostly cooked through. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Unroll a sheet of puff pastry and cut into 4 pieces. Spread mash down the center of each pastry, top with cooked sausage and add additional mash to the top and sides. Roll up each sheet - pinch together to seal and trim off any excess. Place on the baking sheet - seam side down - and brush each roll with beaten egg.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes - until the pastry is golden and crispy on all sides and the meat has cooked through. Serve with a side of Onion Gravy as a dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Thick pork sausages, Bangers, run about 200-250 Baht for 10 sausages in Makro. 4 sausages (figured at 250 Baht) would be about 100 Baht, for 2 servings this is about $1.50 per person, more than reasonable.
Variants to this would be to add shredded Cheddar cheese to the top before rolling.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Chicken Cacciatore Slow Cooker Style
Use your favorite brand of pasta sauce, make from tomato paste, use or tinned chopped tomatoes. Add chicken, green peppers, onion, garlic and mushrooms and you're done (at least for 7-9 hours). The slow cooker does the rest. Serve with roast potatoes, mash, rice, or pasta. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1 can tomato sauce, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- 2 green bell peppers, diced
- 250 grams fresh musrooms, sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cover, and cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours. Check at 7 hours for tenderness. How easy is that?
- Serve with roast potatoes, mash, rice, or pasta.
Notes
A kilo of Chicken Breast is about 88 Baht, 6 breasts would run about 120 to 140 Baht, for 140 Baht, for 6 servings, that is about 70 cents per meal.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Stuffed Pizza Crust
This is really good, this can be made with cheese or sausage (I chose sausage this time). This recipe is my modified thin crust pizza dough recipe and my sauce recipe as well. I had to modify the recipe since you need a bit larger crust rolled out to start the process. My report in the comments section.
Equipment
- Pizza Pans (two 12 inch)
- Oven
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon instant yeast
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1â…› cup water
- 1½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, optional, or herbs of your choice
- 1 package Mozzarella Cheese sticks, About 6 to 10 sticks, or cooked sausage links
- melted butter
Sauce
- 1 can tomato paste, (170 g / 6 oz can)
- â…” cup water
- ¼ cup olive oil
- salt, to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250° C (480° F).
- Measure out the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and dried Italian seasoning/herbs of your choice (if using) and yeast, use your hand or a whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the water. Use your fingers or a wooden spoon to combine everything together. When it comes together into a cohesive ball, turn it out onto the counter along with any extra flour in the bowl that hasn’t yet gotten worked in.
- Knead the dough until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth/elastic to the touch, about five minutes. The dough should still feel moist and just slightly tacky. If it’s sticking to your hands and counter top like bubble gum, work in more flour one tablespoon at a time until it’s smooth and silky. Then divide the dough into two parts.
- Sprinkle some corn meal around on each pan, the place one ball of dough in the center. Use the heels of your hands and working from the middle gently press the dough outward until it’s about ¼ of an inch thick or less, while rotating the pan, keep doing this until the dough is actually overlapped the edge of the pan by 1½ to 2 inches. You can also use a rolling pin for this on a floured surface, then roll up on the pin and lay over the pizza pan.
- Take the cheese sticks and tear in half lengthwise (If you want a lot of cheese, leave the sticks whole). Take each piece of cheese, or sausage link, and press into the dough at the edge of the pan, and do this all the way around the pan. Take the excess dough and fold over the cheese and using a fork, just lightly crimp down the folded over part to the dough on the bottom of the pan.
- Spoon ONLY the sauce into the center of each pizza and use the back of a spoon to spread it out to the edges. Brush melted butter over the crust area where the cheese or sausage is. Put into the preheated over for 5 minutes, then rotate it 180 degrees so it is evenly cooked for another 3 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Now add the toppings of your choice, return to oven for another 3-5 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack, repeat with second pizza. Each pizza should cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
- Note, if using sausage, pick a thin pork sausage link or thin Italian sausage link, you need to cook these first before placing on the dough. Just pan fry them and drain on a paper towel to remove extra oil.
- Note, if using bulk Italian sausage, sliced sausage, bacon, prawn, onions, peppers, you need to cook any meat products first, and cook onions and peppers just to soften them, prior to using as a topping.
Notes
The basic pizza is a fair value, the cheese or the sausage will determine that, then when you start adding toppings, then the price goes up, and can go up a lot, but is so good, and is a good treat for Thai relatives and neighbors.
Eggs in Clouds
I just seen this posted today and it sounds really good, I will have to give this a try.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 chilled metal bowl
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 230 C. Lightly grease a baking sheet using butter.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and separate the yolks from the white (use a empty water bottle for this) and place the yolks in separate small bowls. Pour the whites into the chilled metal bowl and whisk the whites until stiff peaks form. Mix in whatever you want, think chopped cooked bacon, chopped spring onions, shredded cheese, etc.
- Spoon the whites into even piles on a baking sheet and create a well in the center of each pile with the back of the spoon. Using 2 eggs, make 2 piles, if making 4 eggs, 4 piles. Bake in the oven for 3 minutes.
- Remove baking sheet, add a yolk into each well, bake another 3 minutes. Serve.
Notes
No need for math here, two eggs and added ingredients of your choice, under $1 per person with a serving of two eggs.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Eggs in a Basket
This is certainly nothing new, but this is a creative way to make eggs, and toast, at the same time. I thought this was a notable post just to post something a bit different. A number of years ago, my wife, I, and our daughter were in Pattaya on holiday from Japan (I worked in Japan). One morning when we got up, I asked my daughter if she wanted to go have breakfast with me, she said yes and away we went. We stopped at my favorite place opposite the beach and we were given menus. My daughter was about 6 years old at this point. I ordered my breakfast, and my daughter said she wanted Eggs in a Basket, they of course were not on the menu, the waitress was very nice and helpful and asked if something special was needed, I described Eggs in a Basket and away she went, big smile on my daughter's face. About 10 minutes later, Eggs in a Basket was placed in front of my daughter, she was happy to say the least!
Ingredients
- 2 slices bread, any kind you want, thick sliced is best
- 2 eggs
- butter
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan to medium low or medium heat. Add a bit of butter.
- Take the bread and using the open end of a drinking glass, cut a hole in the center of each slice of bread. When the butter is melted and hot, add each slice, and crack an egg into the hole in the bread, place the round bread pieces in the pan as well.
- When the bottom is golden brown, like a slice of toast, flip and cook for a few more minutes until golden brown as well.
- Serve with bacon or sausage.
Notes
No math needed here, under $1 per meal of two eggs, even with bacon or sausage. A simple breakfast does not have to be hard.
Variant: 1. Use an egg and milk mix like making French Toast, cut the circles out first, use the egg wash, and put into the pan then add the egg in the center, egg wash the circle and cook that as well.
Recipe I learned from my Mom and that I have been making for 25+ years.
Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Cucumber-Jalapeño Salad
Chicken Satay is a natural here in Thailand, nearly every Thai can make this, so here is your chance.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut lengthwise in 1/2 inch strips
- 500 mililiter coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 1 to 2 tablespoons red or green Thai curry paste, red is hotter
- 1/2 cup peanut butter, chunky
Salad
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher sa
- 1 cucumber, large, cut into half moons, about 500 grams or so
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- vegetable oil, OR olive oil
- 1/2 cup lightly salted peanuts, light chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk the coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon curry paste until thoroughly mixed. If you would like more heat and flavor, add additional curry paste. Place the chicken strips in a medium bowl and cover with half of the coconut milk mixture (about 1 cup). Toss to coat, and then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Marinate, refrigerated, for 1 hour to overnight.
- Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
- Place the remaining coconut milk mixture in a small saucepan with the peanut butter and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and then reduce the heat to low and gently simmer for 3 minutes, whisking often. Cool, and then pour into a serving bowl.
- In a medium bowl whisk the vinegar, sugar, and salt until the sugar dissolves. Add the cucumber, shallot, and jalapeño and toss well to coat. Let the salad sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- Pat the excess marinade off the chicken strips with a paper towel. Brush the chicken strips on both sides with oil, and then skewer the strips lengthwise, threading in and out on the skewers.
- Prepare your grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350° to 450°F).
- Grill the chicken over direct medium heat, with the lid closed, until fully cooked in the center, 8 to 12 minutes, turning once. Remove from the grill, top the salad with the peanuts and cilantro, and serve immediately with the peanut sauce.
Notes
One kilo of chicken breasts will run about 85 Baht, for 6 servings, this meal is well under $1 per person.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
United States.