Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms
Simple and straight forward recipe. This is the alternate way to use teriyaki sauce, at the end of cooking, not marinating in it. One 3 ingredients, and one you can make yourself, and is highly recommended, the teriyaki sauce. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 250 grams fresh Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, (8 oz)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce, (Shortcut)
- 1 spring onion, sliced
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the mushrooms, saute, stirring them often, until golden brown and tender, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the spring onion and stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the teriyaki sauce to the pan and stir fry to coat the mushrooms in the sauce and cook until the liquid mostly evaporated.
- Serve as a side with any meal.
Notes
Shortcut: Teriyaki Sauce (照り焼きのたれ).
Common way to cook mushrooms.
Honey Za’atar Hot Wings
Hot wings with a Mediterranean / Middle Eastern touch from two ingredients used. I made these on 10 Sep 2018, the chicken is outstanding, tender, juicy, excellent flavor.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Sheet with Rack
- Foil
Ingredients
- 24 chicken wing sticks, or middle wings, skin on
For the Rub
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, or paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder, ½ to 1 teaspoon if using Thai chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons za'atar
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste, or 2 tablespoons of Sriracha sauce
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- white sesame seeds, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200° C (400° F). Line a baking sheet with foil and place a rack on the sheet. Oil the rack with some olive oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the Rub ingredients and mix together.
- Dry the wings with paper towels, add to the mixing bowl and toss together with the rub until all the wings are evenly coated.
- Place wings on the rack evenly so they are not touching.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes. Then place the baking sheet under your broiler (for counter top ovens, turn off the bottom coil and turn on the top coil) and broil until crispy, watch them so they do not burn. Remove from the broiler or oven.
- Now melt the butter in a sauce pan on medium heat, when melted, add the remaining Sauce ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally until slightly thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Place the chicken wings in a large bowl and pour on the sauce and gently toss together until the wings are evenly coated.
- Place wings on a serving tray, garnish with sesame seeds if desired. (This is without the sauce, which I did not make, family is not keen on sweet sauces with honey.)
- Serve with rice or sides of your choice and enjoy.
Notes
I bought 24 wings that weighed 2 kilos (just under 4½ lbs) for 139 Baht. For 4 servings, which is very conservative, this is about $1.05 per serving.
Corn Chowder
This sounds really good and is a great way to use fresh sweet corn, yummy.
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 ears fresh corn, cut of the cobs
- 1 cup long beans, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
- 500 grams potatoes, cubed, skin on or off your choice, (1 lb)
- 2 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1 can evaporated milk, (1 1/4 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and as desired
- 2-3 spring onions, chopped, white and green
- fresh chives, finely sliced for garnish, optional
- 1-2 cups chicken stock, if needed
Instructions
- In a large heavy walled pot, add the chopped bacon and bring to medium heat. Stir often and when the bacon is about halfway cooked, add the onion. Stir often and cook until the onion is softened.
- Add the potatoes, corn, long beans, salt and pepper.
- Pour in the milk, evaporated milk, stir and bring to almost a boil then reduce to a low heat and simmer.
- During the simmer, if too much water evaporates off, feel free to add chicken stock, or water, 1-2 cups, and continue simmering.
- Cook, stirring often until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the spring onion. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve. Garnish with chives if desired.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Cheese, Egg & Cucumber Appetizers
These are a twist on the Norwegian open faced sandwiches, called smørrebrød. These are excellent, very well liked by the family. This recipe will use Rosi Wheat Crackers here in Thailand, use your preference of wheat crackers in the US/Canada.
Ingredients
- wheat crackers, Rosi for Thailand, Triscuit in the US
- cheese, sliced, your choice
- cucumber, sliced thin
- hard boiled eggs, sliced
- butter
- mayo
Instructions
- Spread butter on the crackers, top with cheese of your choice, top with a slice of egg, then a small dollop of mayo, then a cucumber slice. Serve.
Notes
Variant: 1. Spread garlic butter on the crackers, then top with shrimp salad, then a thin slice of cucumber.
Magic Cracker Appetizers I
Nothing 'magical' about these, Magic is the brand name of the popular Ritz type of butter crackers in Thailand (we have Ritz crackers here as well but why pay twice as much for a cracker that tastes exactly the same). For Thailand, use Magic or Rosi brand, for folks in the US/Canada, use Ritz. Here is 5 outstanding sounding snacks/appetizers, the base is butter crackers and cream cheese.
Ingredients
For the Base
- butter crackers, Magic, Rosi, or Ritz brand
- 250 grams Cream cheese, softened, 1 block, (8 oz)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
add Radish
- fresh radishes, thinly sliced, mandolin recommended
- fresh dill, chopped
add Cucumber
- fresh cucumber, thinly sliced, mandolin recommended
- fresh dill, chopped
add Hard Boiled Egg
- hard boiled eggs, sliced
- capers
- fresh dill, chopped
add Chicken
- cooked shredded chicken
- seedless grapes, halved
add Strawberry
- fresh strawberries, topped and halved
Instructions
For the Base
- Mix the softened cream cheese with the lemon juice to a nice spreadable consistency.
- Break out the Magic crackers (or Rosi for those in Thailand, or Ritz for those in the US/Canada). Spread an ample amount of cream cheese on some Magic crackers.
add Radish
- Top the cream cheese with 2 thin sliced pieces of radish and a piece or two of chopped dill.
add Cucumber
- Top the cream cheese with 2 thin sliced pieces of cucumber and a piece or two of chopped dill.
add Hard Boiled Egg
- The use of an egg slicer is recommended but not required. Slice the egg(s), use the slices with the yolk (the end pieces, just snack on them when no one is looking).
- Top the cream cheese with a slice of egg, 1-2 capers (push them into the yolk just to hold them in place). Top the egg with a piece or two of chopped dill.
add Chicken
- Top the cream cheese with a bit of shredded chicken then top with half a grape.
add Strawberry
- Remove the green tops of the strawberries and cut in half. Top the cream cheese with half a strawberry.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Teriyaki Chicken Wings
You need two ingredients plus oil for cooking, and you can use any amount of wings you want. We used the drumettes, or in Thailand, called wing sticks. Homemade teriyaki sauce is highly recommended. These are delicious! This is one of two ways to use teriyaki sauce. One ways is the simply fry the wings, then add the sauce, and this way is to marinate in the sauce, and add sauce after as well. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo chicken wings, drumettes, (2 lbs)
- Teriyaki sauce, as needed, (Shortcut)
- cooking oil, as needed
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken wings and place in a mixing bowl, pour in some teriyaki sauce, mix the wings around to coat, adding more sauce as needed. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight. Overnight is preferred and is how we prepared this.
- Heat a large non stick pan with a splash of cooking oil, when hot, add wings in a single layer, we did this in two batches.
- Cook the wings, turning occasionally to brown them and cook them through, keeping in mind, there is sugar in teriyaki sauce so that will caramelize.
- Remove the first batch of wings when they are cooked through to a plate. Now cook the second batch.
- When the last of wings are cooked, leave them in the pan, and return the wings from the plate back to the pan. Pour in more teriyaki sauce, and stir stir stir, until the all the liquid is cooked off or coated on the chicken wings.
- Remove wings to a plate and serve.
Notes
Chicken wing sticks are 72 Baht/kilo (2 lbs), for 4 servings, this is about 55 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Teriyaki Sauce (照り焼きのたれ).
Common marinating method with teriyaki sauce, no secrets here.
Crustless Quiche
This is a base recipe with many options to make it your own or use what you have on hand. Sounds good, and no crust to worry about preparing is a bonus. Made this in 3 Sep 2018, and this is a winner! Recipe now reflects my findings. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
For the Base
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups cheese, shredded, your choice
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups Optional Ingredients, 1 item 2 cups, 2 items 1 cup each, etc.
Optional Ingredients
- ham, cubed
- bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
- breakfast sausage, (Shortcut)
- Italian sausage, (Shortcut)
- broccoli, chopped
- tomatoes, chopped
- fresh mushrooms, sliced and sauteed
- onion, thinly sliced, sauteed
- spring onions, chopped, white and green parts
- chives, chopped
- spinach, chopped
- asparagus, chopped
- potatoes, cubed and fried
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease a pie dish or 8x8 baking dish with butter.
- If using any ingredients that require sauteing, go ahead and do that now.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the evaporated milk, flour, eggs, cheese, and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Here the cheese is shredded (I used 225 grams / 8 oz of Moneterey Jack), and the fillings which are just over a cup of diced ham, then 2 spring onions chopped, and 2 plum tomatoes chopped, right at or just above 2 cups for the filling.
- Mix in the Optional Ingredients of your choice.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish of your choice and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Fresh out of the oven, let this rest for about 5 minutes.
- Slice and serve.
- Enjoy.
Notes
The cheese is the high cost item here, figure about 180 Baht for that. The package of ham was about 80 Baht. But on the plus side this makes a lot of servings. For 8 servings, this is about 98 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Breakfast Sausage, Jimmy Dean Sausage, Italian Sausage.
Adapted from several internet recipes.
Mexican Green Rice (Arroz Verde) (Rice Cooker)
As a fan of seasoned rice, this is really good, I made this on 8 Sep 2018 and was well liked by the family as well. This uses a simple cook and warm rice cooker.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ small onion, finely diced
- 1 cup dry Jasmine rice, or any long grain white rice
- 1½ cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced, stems are no problem as well
Instructions
- Add the butter to your rice cooker and place on Cook. When the butter is melted, add the onion and cook until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rice, stock, salt, and cilantro, and stir together. Place the lid on the cooker and allow to cook until it switches to Warm setting. Leave on Warm for 10-15 minutes.
- Fluff with rice paddle, serve as a side dish and enjoy.
Notes
Variant: 1. Add a diced poblano chili which will add to the green color of the rice, and the chili and cilantro can be optionally puréed, provided by H. Stave, United States.
Homemade Hot Dogs
This was an experiment, and it turned out very well! I only used collagen casings and that was spot on, I am not a fan of hot dogs with a skin. These can be all beef, all pork, or a combination. For this first experiment, I made them as listed here, which is a combo of beef and pork. No food processor will be used, just ample use of my electric grinder and a mortar and pestle. Keeping the grinder and meats cold is essential. I used collagen casings which are removed after simmering in water. Feel free to use casings of your choice.
Ingredients
- 500 grams lean pork, cubed, (1 lb)
- 350 grams lean beef, cubed, (¾ lb)
- 120 grams pork fat, cubed, (¼ lb)
- ¼ cup onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, peeled, sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground marjoram
- ¼ teaspoon ground mace, or nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1 egg white
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- sausage casings, your preference, as needed
Instructions
- Place the onion, garlic, and mustard seed into a mortar. Feel free to use a food processor for this. The mortar we have is the granite type, weighs in at about 20 pounds. Need something mashed quick, use the granite mortars.
- Pound to a sort of smooth paste.
- Place the contents of the mortar into a mixing bowl then add the egg white, sugar, salt, coriander, marjoram, mace, paprika, white pepper, sugar, and salt. Mix well. Add the milk and mix that in well. Place seasoning mixture in the fridge while you continue.
- Thoroughly wash, rinse, and dry the grinder parts that will have contact with the meat, the plate you are going to use is the fine plate, then place the parts (not the motor assembly) in the fridge to chill.
- Cut the beef, pork, and fat, one at a time, into cubes that will fit into your grinder. As each item is cubed, place in the fridge to chill.
- Assemble your grinder using the fine plate. Remove and grind the meats and fat separately, place all in a large mixing bowl. For this photo, I ground the beef first, visible a little on the left, then the fat, then the pork on top.
- Using your clean hands or wearing gloves, mix the meats together, then mix in the seasoning mix, then mix in the liquid smoke.
- Run the mixture through the grinder again. Place mixture in the fridge to chill. Now wash, rinse, and dry the grinder parts that had contact with the meat. When dried, place in the fridge as well.
- When 30 minutes have passed, assemble the grinder again, and then, you guessed it, run the meat mixture through the grinder again, also using the fine plate. The mixture is pretty much a near paste now, which is desired.
- Stuff the casings in your preferred way, using the grinder, a funnel, or sausage stuffer.
- I measure out the collagen casings in 14 inch sections.
- Lightly oil the stuffer tube for first use and thread the casing onto the tube, tie the end off with string, then puncture a hole right near the knot to let air escape when you start. Fill the casing to the end, after all casings are stuffed, tie a string at the 6 inch mark, no need to twist, just tie, then tie another at the 12 inch mark, cut off the tails of the strings and squeeze out the remaining sausage mix after where you tied it, put that back in the bowl with the sausage mixture. Repeat this using all the meat mixture. Leave the sausages in 12 inch lengths, do not cut them apart.
- Heat a pot of water to simmering, when hot, place the links in the water for 20 minutes.
- Remove the links and place in a large bowl or pot of ice water and allow the links to shock and chill, this stops the cooking.
- Remove the links from the ice water
- Cut off the opposite ends of the links, no need to cut the center, and squeeze out the hot dogs, place on a rack to cool further. There is only 15 here, I am the cook, I am allowed to try things. 🙂
- Now the hot dogs are ready for use. You can store in the fridge (they are cooked) for up to 3-4 days, or freeze them for later use. To prepare them, just pan fry or grill, enjoy in a bun with your favorite sauces and toppings.
- Fried.
- Ready to be devoured, simple dish with spicy mustard and ketchup on one, regular mustard and ketchup on another one. Tasty!
Notes
I will price this when I prepare these. I will say Fair cost for now.
Black Bean Chili (Slow Cooker)
I created this using pressure cooked seasoned black beans. The beans were first used as a side dish and they are tasty, so I took the leftover beans, and there is a lot, and made some chili with what I had on hand. The seasoned beans add a lot of flavor to the chili as opposed to just plain cooked beans. The use of the slow cooker allows the chili to be simmered without burning, letting the flavors blend. I made this on 28 Aug 2018 and will be a regular now. For the beans, feel free to use your own recipe or use my shortcut for pressure cooker beans, or even used canned if you like. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 packet chili mix, your preferred brand
- 3-4 cups tomato juice, (Shortcut)
- 4 cups seasoned black beans, (Shortcut)
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- In a large non stick pan on medium heat, add a splash of olive oil. When hot add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the beef, breaking it up with your spatula,
- Cook the beef until no longer pink.
- Add the chili seasoning packet and stir that in.
- Add the beef mixture and beans to your slow cooker. Add tomato juice to just cover the beans. Stir everything together. Cover and set the slow cooker to Low and let simmer away for 4-6 hours.
- Remove the cover and stir.
- Serve and enjoy with toppings of your choice for chili.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcuts: Seasoned Black Beans (Pressure Cooker), Seasoned Black Beans (Stove Top), Tomato Juice.
Variant: 1. In place of ground beef, use Andouille or Spanish Chorizo.
I just threw this together and it worked well, Lee Thayer. Thailand.
Variant 1 provided by viewer, Martin Duke. United States.