Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Pork Rib Soup I (ต้มจับฉ่าย)
The Thai writing is simply 'boiled bok choi'. For better terms, I call this Pork Rib Soup. This is a common Thai soup, other than the ribs and bok choi, everything is optional, how easy is that? This is a non spicy soup and it is delicious. The ingredient measurements are approximations, this is not set in stone.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo pork ribs, the short ones, (2 lbs)
- 2 daikon, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- 2 large bunches bok choi, chopped into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces
- 90-180 grams fresh Shiitake mushrooms, (3-6 oz)
- 1-2 bunches Chinese celery, chopped, this is much thinner than US/import celery
- 2 teaspoons pork broth powder
- 5 coriander roots, rinsed clean
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled
- 10 black peppercorns
- dash light soy sauce
- dash oyster sauce
- pinch salt
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the ribs and fill about 2/3 to 3/4 full with water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a high simmer. Cook until the ribs are just tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Skim off and discard any foam that forms on the surface.
- While the ribs are cooking, prepare the daikon, bok choi, celery. To prepare the mushrooms, remove the stems but leave the caps whole and for a nice touch, cut an X, very gently onto the top of the caps, not very deep, when they cook, the X will show for a nice presentation.
- To prepare the coriander roots, garlic, and pepper corns, place them in a mortar and pound with a pestle for a minute or two. You are not look for a paste, just crushed up. This is optional but makes the soup more traditional. (Coriander root is a different taste than the green leafy part, there is no green leafy coriander in this soup,)
- When the ribs are tender, add the bok choi, daikon, Chinese celery, mushrooms, pork broth powder, and contents from the mortar if using those. Season with a dash of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and just a pinch of salt.
- Let this simmer for 30-40 minutes. Add more water as needed. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Serve with rice on the side. This is a common lunch and dinner soup.
Notes
Pork ribs are about 115 Baht/kilo, even less from a local vendor in a market, for 8 servings, certainly low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Use pork neck bones in place of ribs. 2. Add sliced carrot but they can turn to mush if simmered too long. 3. Add some chopped cabbage. 4. Can add some chicken feet when you start to cook the pork ribs to make the broth even better.
Recipe provided by my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Stir Fried Straw Mushrooms
A local vendor in the village had some Straw mushrooms available so I bought the bag, about 500 grams (1 lb). The plan was for a stir fry, the simplest dish you can prepare on short notice. I made this on 27 Aug 2018, very well liked by the family.
Ingredients
- 500 grams fresh Straw mushrooms, (1 lb)
- 2-3 bunches fresh spring onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- oyster sauce, as needed
- mushroom sauce, as needed
- light soy sauce, as needed
Instructions
- Rinse the mushrooms and slice in half lengthwise. A note about Straw mushrooms, these are unopened mushrooms, meaning there is no veil or stem, they pretty much look like a oblong ball, try your best to slice lengthwise to keep them intact, if you cut crosswise, they fall apart. For these in the photo, they would not have lasted another day, this type of mushroom has a very short shelf life once harvested.
- Heat a non stick pan on medium heat and add the oil and butter, when the butter is melted and the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and stir fry. This after they have leased just a little water, and that is cooked off.
- Now add the spring onion, stir, then add a splash each of soy sauce, mushroom sauce, and oyster sauce. Keep stirring to mix in the sauces.
- When the spring onion is wilted, taste and adjust the sauces as desired.
- Served as a side dish.
Notes
Low cost.
Common stir fry procedure, nothing secret here.
Pork Kidneys in Mushroom Sauce
This is an easy and delicious meal, that goes together quickly but the preparation of the kidneys does take some time, well worth it in my opinion. I made this on 25 Aug 2018 and was very well liked not only by me, but by my wife, sister in law and her husband.
Ingredients
- 4 pork kidneys
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- 250 grams fresh mushrooms, Shiitake or Oyster is perfect, (8 oz)
- ¾ cup whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Rinse and prep the kidneys, there is a Shortcut listed in Recipe Notes to describe how to do this. After the one hour soaking, as described in the Shortcut, drain and rinse the kidney pieces. This photo is 4 pork kidneys prepped and ready for use.
- Rinse the mushrooms. If using Shiitake, remove stem and slice. If using Oyster, tear into pieces.
- Heat a large non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the shallots and kidney pieces. Cook and stir, the kidneys will give off a lot of liquid. and I mean a lot! Season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook and reduce the liquid by half. Remove the kidneys and onions to a bowl and set aside.
- Same pan, add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are wilted and tender, and some of the liquid is reduced.
- Add the kidneys and shallots back to the pan, stir in the cream, paprika, and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Simmer for 3-5 minutes and the gravy will thicken, and the kidneys heated through.
- Serve over rice or pasta. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Pork Kidneys 101.
Egg Butter (Munavoi)
This is a Finnish appetizer, and it is exactly what it sounds like, hard boiled eggs mashed with butter. The west has their egg salad with mayo, the Finns and Estonians use butter. This is surprisingly good! Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled, chopped, Shortcut
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- sea salt, to taste
- pepper, as desired
- butter crackers, as needed
Instructions
- Let the butter soften in a bowl, then added the chopped eggs.
- Mash together the eggs and butter with a fork until the mixture is spreadable, as you can see the yolks will mash and the whites are finely minced from the fork. Season with sea salt as desired.
- Spread on your favorite butter crackers, bread, or even place on top of several lettuce leaves. Sprinkle some black pepper on if desired, enjoy.
Notes
Shortcut: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
Ham & Olive Rollups
These sound like delicious appetizers. I made these on 29 Aug 2018, excellent snacks or appetizers! This is a make what you need recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 jar green olives with pimento
- 1 package sliced ham
- 1 package Cream cheese, softened
- toothpicks
Instructions
- Drain the olives well in a strainer. Dry both sides of each ham slice you are going to use and lay them on a cutting board. I found it easy to lay down a double layer of paper towels, place two slices of ham near an edge and fold the paper towel over, pat dry then place on the cutting board.
- Spread softened cream cheese on each ham slice. Right side is spread, starting left side, it is not a thick layer.
- Add a row of olives on one side of each ham slice. Slice the ham into strips between each olive. I found a pasta cutter works wonders with this. (Yes, I ate the missing one on the left, and for the scrap piece on one side of the ham, I ate that too, I call that a pre-snack snack.)
- Starting on the end with the olive, rollup each strip and secure with a toothpick. Place rollups in the fridge until ready to serve. (Yes, this was the second batch, first batch was only 7.)
Notes
Low cost.
Variant: 1. Replace the olives with spring onions.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Variant 1 provided by good friend, Mark L.
United States.
United States.
Egg & Mustard Crackers
This is a sliced hard boiled egg recipe that not only sounds good, they are! I made these on 27 Aug 2018, very tasty. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled, (Shortcut)
- 12 wheat crackers, think Rosi brand in Thailand
- whole grain Dijon Mustard, as needed
- fresh chives, minced
- black pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Slice the eggs with a slicer or knife.
- Spread some mustard on each cracker, top with a slice of egg, skipping the end pieces, sprinkle on some chives then black pepper. Serve.
Notes
Cheater Deviled Eggs
Easy to prepare snack or appetizer. I made these on 27 Aug 2018. absolutely delicious! Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled, (Shortcut)
- 18 butter crackers, or whole wheat crackers
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- paprika, as needed
- fresh dill, as needed
- black pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Mix together the mayo and mustard in a small bowl.
- Slice the eggs crosswise with a slicer or knife.
- Spread some mayo mixture on each cracker, top with a slice of egg, skipping the end pieces with no yolk. Sprinkle a pinch of paprika, then pepper, and top with a small snippet of fresh dill. Serve. The 4 on the left are made with whole wheat butter crackers, and the 4 on the right are regular butter crackers.
Notes
Low cost. Use Rosi or Magic brand, less than half of Ritz, which is available but an import, and the taste is the same.
Shortcut: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Classic Seasoned Black Beans (Pressure Cooker)
Excellent beans for a side dish or for use in other recipes. I used my large 9 liter (9½ quart) stove top pressure cooker for this. Follow the safety precautions for your model of pressure cooker at all times.
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 500 grams dry black beans, (1 lb)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 8 cups chicken broth, fresh or from powder
- 1-2 Bird's Eye Chilis, seeded diced, optional
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil, very important, do not skip this
Instructions
- Rinse the black beans then place in a large bowl and cover with at least two inches of water. Let the beans soak on the counter top for 6-8 hours, or if soaking overnight, place in the refrigerator to prevent fermentation. This is after soaking for 8 hours on the counter, the water will be discolored so you really need to rinse these well.
- When you are ready to cook the beans, drain then rinse the soaked beans. Add the beans to your pressure cooker. Add in all the remaining ingredients, except the broth.
- Add the broth and give it a good stir, then add the oil, do not forget to add the oil, which prevents foaming.
- Place the lid on the pressure cooker and lock, add the weight (jiggler) and turn on the heat to high. When the jiggler starts to move and vent pressure, indicating full pressure, reduce heat to low or medium low, to keep the pressure venting and the jiggler moving. Start timing for 6 minutes.
- When 6 minutes have passed, turn off the heat and move the pressure cooker to an unused burner. Allow a natural pressure release, meaning just let the pressure drop to zero without any actions from you. Takes about 10-20 minutes.
- When you have indications that pressure is zero, normally a lid lock will drop, remove the weight then the lid. Scoop out beans with a large slotted spoon (don't forget to taste a few). Then they are ready to use in recipes of your choice calling for canned or cooked black beans or simply serve as is as a side dish.
- Served as a side dish here, the remaining beans, and this makes a lot, are destined for a chili.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Black Bean Chili (Slow Cooker), made it, GO-TO recipe.
Teriyaki King Oyster Mushrooms
Excellent use of King Oyster mushrooms, and tasty as well. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 400 grams King Oyster mushrooms, (14 oz)
- ¼ to ½ cup Teriyaki sauce, Shortcut
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil, as needed
- fresh spring onion, sliced
- hot cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- King Oyster Mushrooms. These come trimmed, just a quick rinse and we are ready to start. This type of mushroom keeps well in the fridge for several days, so when I see these in the market, we buy them then plan a meal with them a few days later, no need to cook them the day of purchase.
- Slice the mushrooms in half lengthwise. Take each half and further slice it lengthwise into about 1/8 inch slices. For the side pieces, lay them cut side down and just trim of the edge of the cap to make a flat piece, as shown on the piece on the right. Place the slices in a shallow dish.
- Pour the teriyaki sauce over the mushroom slices and use tongs to mix the slices to coat them well. Start with 1/4 cup of sauce and use more as needed. Let this marinate for 15 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a non stick pan on medium heat, when hot add some of the spring onion. Stir the spring onion until fragrant.
- Place the mushroom slices in a single layer without overlapping, work in batches. Retain the teriyaki sauce for another step.
- Cook the slices without moving them, when the bottom is browned, turn the slices and cook the other side until nice and golden brown, and the edges can even be a bit charred. Transfer browned slices to a plate. Continue cooking until all the slices are browned, adding additional oil and spring onion between batches.
- When the last batch is browned, return all the removed slices back to the pan.
- Pour in the reserved teriyaki sauce and cook, turn the mushrooms as needed until the liquid in the pan is absorbed, just a few minutes.
- Serve over rice or with noodles, garnish with spring onion if desired.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Teriyaki Sauce.
Barley, Lentil & Mushroom Soup
Another great recipe using barley, This is very delicious and well liked by the family. Lots of variants listed in the Recipe notes section. Keep in mind, when looking at the photos, the pot is for my pressure cooker, this soup is NOT a pressure cooker dish, I simply use the pot as a good thick walled soup pot when not pressure cooking.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 stalk import celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped or Rangiri (see Recipe Notes)
- 3/4 cup dry barley
- 3/4 cup dry brown lentils
- 2 quarts beef broth, fresh or from powder, (8 cups)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups fresh Shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced, or button or straw
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat, when hot, add the onion and cook, stirring often to just soften the onion, not browned. About 5 minutes.
- Add the carrot and celery and cook another 5 minutes.
- Now add the barley and lentils and stir to coat them with the oil. Cook, stirring often to lightly toast them.
- Add the broth, thyme, parsley, pepper, and bay leaf, stir together, and bring to a boil. Stir in the mushrooms, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, stir occasionally.
- When the lentils and barley are good and tender, remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
I will price this when I can source lentils. Barley is cheap. For now, for 8 servings, I will say this is low cost.
For the carrots: I use a Japanese style of chopping carrots, called Rangiri, which is basically, cut a piece of the carrot off at an angle, then rotate the carrot 1/4 turn, cut another piece off at an angle, repeat the turning and cutting. This makes for bite size pieces, and a larger surface area giving two uses, first, it absorbs more of the stock flavor, and second, it cooks faster with a larger surface area.
Variants: 1. Add a diced potato. 2. Add 1/2 cup broken spaghetti. 3. Add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. 4. Replace the beef broth with vegetable stock. 5. Increase the broth or stock to 3 or 4 quarts. 6. Brown 500 grams (1 lb) ground beef and add to the soup.
Adapted from an internet recipe.