Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Macaroni Salad II
This is an excellent macaroni salad, I made this on 11 Jan 2018. This is a very versatile recipe that you can make different each time.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dry macaroni, or any small bite size pasta
- 1 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cups import celery, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped, chicken or duck
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to boiling, add and cook the macaroni until tender, drain and rinse under cold water, set aside to cool.
- While you are cooking the eggs and pasta, prep the vegetables.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, vinegar, and mustard until smooth.
- Add the garlic, onion, celery, bell pepper, eggs, and parsley. Mix to coat then add the pasta and mix to coat.
- Refrigerate for several hours before serving as a side dish.
Notes
Low cost.
Variants: 1. Add 100 grams or so of shredded or cubed Cheddar or Swiss cheese. 2. Use any color bell you like.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Saffron Rice (Rice Cooker)
This is Indian in nature, if you have never used saffron, understand it is the most expensive spice in the world, this is not cheap, and top dollar is paid for this spice. I used my small rice cooker for this and this is really good exactly as written.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry Jasmine rice
- 1¼ cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- ¼ teaspoon saffron threads, (6-7 threads)
- â…› teaspoon ground turmeric
- â…› teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
- â…› teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon fish sauce
- lemon juice, just a squeeze or so
Instructions
- Add the stock into a small pot and place over high heat and bring to a boil then remove from heat.
- To the hot stock add the saffron, turmeric, cumin, garlic, chili powder, and fish sauce and mix well.
- Add the dry rice to the rice cooker pot then pour in the stock mixture. Stir, cover, and set to Cook mode.
- When the rice cooker switches to Warm, fluff the rice with a paddle. Taste for saltiness, add fish sauce to adjust, and if too salty, add a squeeze or two of lemon or lime juice.
- Serve as a side dish with any Asian or Indian dish.
Simple Salmon
This is your basic stove top recipe, and it could not be any easier. Only 4 ingredients and no quantities needed, figure 1 fillet per serving.
Ingredients
- salmon fillets, or steaks
- salt and pepper, as desired
- extra light olive oil
Instructions
- I used 3 skin on fillets from Tesco, each is 120 grams or about 4¼ oz. Rinse the fillets and check for and remove any stray scales and pin bones.
- Season the flesh side with salt and pepper as desired.
- Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a non stick pan on medium high heat, when hot, add the salmon skin side down. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, most of the cooking takes place with the skin side down.
- As the color of the flesh on the sides of each fillet changes from the bottom upwards, and the skin is crispy, turn each fillet over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Serve with sides of your choice.
Notes
At 69 Baht for each salmon fillet, this is about $2.15 per serving.
Fish Chowder I
This is delicious! I used Pangasius but any type of boneless and skinless whitefish can be used in this. I made this on 16 Oct 2017 and this is my new favorite. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo whitefish, boneless, skinless, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups onion, chopped
- 4-8 fresh Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 stalk import celery
- 4 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- 4 cups potatoes, diced
- 1 cup clam juice, or shrimp stock
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cans evaporated milk
- 1/8 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, OR make from a shortcut, optional
- bacon, cooked and crumbled, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot melt the butter on medium heat then cook the onions, mushrooms and celery until tender.
- Add the chicken stock and potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the fish and simmer for 10 minutes more. This photo was just after I added the fish.
- Mix together the clam juice (or shrimp stock) and flour until smooth, add to the chowder and season to taste with Old Bay, salt and pepper.
- Stir in the evaporated milk and on a low simmer heat until just before boiling, remove from heat.
- Serve with crumbled bacon on each bowl if desired.
Notes
Pangasius would cost about 120 Baht/kilo. For 8 servings, this is about 45 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Old Bay Seasoning.
Variants: 1. Use mushroom stock in place of chicken stock. 2. Omit the clam juice and flour part, it comes out very nice without this part. 3. Omit the Old Bay, not needed, and I like to taste the flavor of the chowder, not the flavor of a seasoning mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Persian Dill Rice (Rice Cooker)
This is a great alternative to plain white rice, made this on 17 Sep 2018, and this was very well liked by the family.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ¼ cup fresh dill, finely chopped, or 2 tablespoons dry
- 1 cup dry white rice, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- â…› teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add everything except the water to your rice cooker, mix together to coat the rice with oil and everything is mixed in well.
- Stir in the water, cover, and press Cook. When the cooker switches to Warm, open, fluff with a fork and serve as a side dish.
Notes
Variant: 1. Add ½ teaspoon of chicken stock powder to the first items added to the cooker.
Easy Spanish Rice (Rice Cooker)
Easy is an understatement, and this is delicious, made on 24 June 2018 and the family loved it!. Perfect change from plain white rice for a side. I made this as written in my small 1 liter rice cooker as well.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry Jasmine rice, rinsed
- 1 can diced tomatoes, with juice, (400 g/14-15 oz)
- 3½ cups water
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cubes chicken stock, crushed
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Place the rinsed rice in the bottom of the rice cooker and then add the diced tomatoes, onion, stock cubes, and spices.
- Add the water and stir to mix in the spices.
- Set your rice cooker to Cook setting, when it switches to Warm, mix with a large spoon, it will be wet, taste for salt and add as desired.
- Serve as a side dish.
Notes
Variant: 1. Use a can of whole peeled tomatoes, plus the tomato juice, and simply chop up the tomatoes, in place of the can of diced tomatoes.
Updated on 21 March 2022.
Mushroom Rice I (Rice Cooker)
This is an excellent rice! I modified this to use my basic Cook / Warm 1 liter (1 quart) rice cooker.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6 fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped, button or Shiitake
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 spring onion, sliced
- 2 cups chicken broth, fresh or from powder
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- I use a knifed slicer that slices a whole mushroom at once, then just chop them after. Here the mushrooms (I used Swiss Brown), spring onion, and garlic is ready.
- Add the butter to your rice cooker pot and set to cook to melt the butter. When melted, add the mushrooms, spring onion, and garlic.
- Cook, stir often, the mushrooms will release water, cook until the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the broth, parsley, and rice, stir together. Season salt and pepper as desired.
- Now add the cover and let the cooker complete the cook cycle.
- When the cooker switches to Warm, fluff with a spoon.
- Serve as a side dish and enjoy.
Notes
Updated on 9 February 2022.
Mushroom & Egg Salad
The mushroom part intrigued me with this recipe. I have made several recipes from this friend and I have to say, they are all spot on, as well as this one! I made this on 29 Oct 2017 and this is really good. I used small Shiitake mushrooms which will result in a browner appearance than using white button mushrooms.
Ingredients
- 500 grams button mushrooms, or Shiitake, diced
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- 4-5 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or lime juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- For the mushrooms, white button mushrooms or white Shimeji give the best appearance, Shiitake, brown Shimeji, or Cremini will result in a browner appearance to the salad. If you have seen what the Thais cook, appearance is not a show stopper here, just as long as it tastes good. I used Shiitake with the stems removed and just sliced, not diced.
- Heat a large non stick pan on medium heat and add a splash of olive oil, when the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and saute for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and no liquid is in the pan.
- Put the mushrooms in a large mixing bowl. Photo showing the browned mushrooms just before I took them out of the pan.
- Same pan, and another splash of olive oil, when the oil is hot, add the onion and saute for 10-12 minutes or until golden, then add in the garlic and cook for another minute and remove from heat.
- Add the onion, eggs, and dill to the mixing bowl and mix together to combine.
- In a small bowl, mix together the mayo, mustard, and lemon (lime) juice, stir the dressing into the salad until evenly coated, add more mayo if needed. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
- Chill for several hours in the fridge before serving. Serve with a little bit of fresh dill sprinkled on top.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
This recipe for Mushroom and Egg Salad is from Natasha's Kitchen.
Chicken Olivye (Chicken Potato Salad)
This is a potato salad that is very popular in Russia and Eastern Europe. This is a two for one recipe, you can make chicken broth you can save and use in another recipe. I made this on 26 Oct 2017, absolutely brilliant salad, highly recommended. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken breasts, (1 lb)
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled or unpeeled
- 2 carrots, peeled or unpeeled
- 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
- 5 hard boiled eggs, peeled, diced
- 2 cups baby dill pickles, diced, Shortcut
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
- 1 cup mayo
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Chicken can be prepared two ways:
- First way: In a medium pot, add the chicken, fill with water and a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked through, remove chicken and allow to cool and handle, then dice that and add to a large mixing bowl. Strain the broth and save (refrigerate) for use in another recipe.
- Second way: In a medium pot, add the chicken, fill with water and a teaspoon of salt, add trinity (1 carrot large pieces, 1 onion quartered, 1 stalk celery large pieces), and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the pot from heat and let sit until room temp with the chicken in the broth, this makes for juicier chicken. When cooled, remove the chicken and dice and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Strain the broth and save (refrigerate) for use in another recipe.
- Dice the potatoes and carrots to the same size and place in a medium sized pot (same pot used for the chicken would be ideal). add enough water to cover the vegetables by an inch, stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil uncovered and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, drain well to remove any water. Add to the mixing bowl with the chicken.
- Add the peas, eggs pickles, onion, and dill to the mixing bowl, give it a quick stir to mix everything, then add the mayo, salt, and black pepper and mix that in. (I used 3 chicken eggs and a handful of quail eggs, plus I used diced celery in place of peas.)
- For the mayo start out with less than a cup and add as needed to fully coat everything.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. Serve as a side dish, or in my case, this is a light main dish for me. I can see this being a main dish with a fresh cooked cob of corn on the side.
Notes
The chicken breasts will cost about 35 Baht/500 grams. For 8 servings (as a side), this is about 13 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Refrigerator Pickles.
Variants: 1. Substitute cooked diced ham or kielbasa for the chicken. 2. Add sliced red radish or diced daikon. 3. Use a combination of chicken and quail eggs. 4. Substitute diced celery for the peas.
Chinese Tea Eggs (Marbled Eggs)
Tea eggs are a popular Chinese street snack. I have heard of these, never had one until today, 24 Oct 2017, and they are good! Wonderful flavor. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 5-6 hard boiled eggs, or 15 to 20 hard boiled quail eggs, Shortcuts
- 1 tablespoon loose tea leaves, or 2 tea bags
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rock sugar
- 3 pieces whole star anise
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, or black peppercorns
- 3 slices fresh ginger
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the unpeeled hard boiled eggs in a pot and cover with about 1-2 inches of water, then remove the eggs and set aside. This step is just to get the right water level in the pot.
- Main ingredients measured out. Star anise and cinnamon, black peppercorns, and the tea.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, except the salt and eggs, to the water and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
- While waiting on the water to boil, use the back of a spoon and tap all over each egg, this makes the cracks needed for the marble effect.
- When the water is turned down to a simmer, place the eggs into the water with a slotted spoon. Simmer for 1 hour, then add the salt and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and leave the eggs in the liquid for 1-2 hours. At this point they are ready, and for a stronger flavor, refrigerate in the liquid overnight.
- Serve as a snack or with a noodle or porridge dish.
