Archive for the ‘5 Ingredients or Less’ Category
Chicken Corn Egg Soup
September 26, 2018 Lee
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Chicken Corn Egg Soup

Easy, and is exactly what is states, chicken, fresh corn (you can used canned if you like), and eggs. How easy is this? And only 5 ingredients. On my to make list.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Asian
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skin on
  • 1 1/2 cups corn, fresh cooked or canned
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • salt and pepper, as desired
  • 8 cups water

Instructions
 

  • The corn can be fresh (needing a longer cook time), pressure cooked then cut from the cobs, frozen, or canned and drained. Totally up to you. Fresh corn just needs more cooking time.
  • Add the water to a large pot and add the chicken breasts. Bring to a boil and cook the chicken until done, about 15-20 minutes. Skim off any foam on top of the water.
  • Remove the chicken when cooked, leaving the broth in the pot. Add the corn to the broth, cook for about 10 minutes if using fresh corn, or cook until the corn is heated through.
  • Remove the skin from the chicken and discard, use some forks or your fingers and shred the chicken.
  • Once the corn is cooked or warmed through, add the shredded chicken to the pot.
  • Once the chicken is warmed through, stir the soup then pour in the whisked eggs. If you want smaller egg pieces, stir while pouring the eggs, if you want larger egg pieces stir, then remove the spoon then pour in the egg, wait about 5-15 seconds, then stir the soup to mix in the eggs. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Remove the pot from heat, season with salt and pepper to your liking.
  • Ladle into bowls and serve.

Notes

Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,CHICKEN & TURKEY,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Simple Frog Legs II
September 21, 2018 Lee
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Simple Frog Legs II

Rrayada Thayer, Thailand.
This is my wife's way to cook frog legs, very simple method. The frogs we get are locally harvested here in the village, they are not big but they are delicious. We get whole, cleaned, skinned frogs, I use the legs, the rest of the frog goes to the family and they use those to make a spicy Thai dish. This is a low ingredient recipe that makes a great meal. This is a make as much as you want recipe.
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • fresh frog legs
  • chicken stock powder
  • black pepper
  • all purpose flour
  • cooking oil

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the legs and separate them, cut off the feet, and place them in a mixing bowl. We received 15 frogs, so we had 30 legs.
  • Add chicken stock powder, about 1½ teaspoons is perfect, then sprinkle on some black pepper as desired.
  • Stir the legs to cover them with the stock powder and pepper. Place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
  • Add some flour to a zip lock bag, ½ cup or so, add the legs, close and shake to coat them with flour.
  • Heat some oil in a non stick pan, when hot, add some legs in a single layer, and fry until golden brown, turning them as needed. Remove to paper towels to drain. Repeat until all the legs are cooked.
  • Serve with sides of your choice. Enjoy.

Notes

I paid 300 Baht for the 15 frogs, and with the legs we cooked and the rest of the frogs cooked by the rest of the family, this provided about 10 servings. Plus I have some legs left over for dinner another day. This works out to about 90 cents per serving overall.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,FROG
Sauerkraut
September 20, 2018 Lee
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Sauerkraut

Brian Colligan, Thailand.
This is a homemade recipe for sauerkraut provided by a good friend in Thailand that likes to make items from scratch. Very important to weigh/measure the main items used, the cabbage and salt. The use of a digital scale is important. This is a lacto-fermented item, meaning this ferments on your counter top. I look forward to making this!
This recipe requires exact measurements for the cabbage and salt, you need to follow this. The kilo to lb measurements are accurate for this.
If you start with 3 heads of cabbage, you can make this in a ½ gallon mason jar, this recipe is based on 3 heads of cabbage, cored and sliced, then weigh it and adjust the salt and seasonings based on that. If you need help with how to figure out the ratio of cabbage and salt accurately, please let me know and I will certainly help you.
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Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Passive Time 7 days
Total Time 7 days 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine German
Servings 0

Equipment

  • Mason Jar (½ gallon)

Ingredients
  

Basic Ingredients

  • 1 kilo cabage, start with 3 heads, (2.20 lb)
  • 20 grams salt, (4 teaspoons)

Additional, per 1 kilo (2.20 lb) of Cabbage

  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced
  • ½ gallon mason jar, sterilized

Instructions
 

  • Cut each head of cabbage in half and then cut the core out. Then cut the two pieces into smaller sections to ease the slicing.
  • Thinly slice the cabbage to about ⅛ inch thick, the use of a mandolin would be perfect for uniform slices.
  • Place the cabbage in a large mixing bowl and add ¼ of the salt needed. Use your hands to mix the salt into the cabbage. Then add a ¼ more of the salt and mix in, repeat this 2 more times until all of the salt is mixed in. Set the bowl aside for 30 minutes.
  • After 30 minute, the cabbage will have wilted and reduced in volume and liquid accumulated in the bowl, perfectly normal.
  • Now sprinkle in the caraway seeds, mustard seeds, and garlic. Use your hands and mix together well. Once again, set aside for 30 minutes.
  • Now transfer the cabbage and liquid into the jar and allow at least 1 inch of space at the top of the jar. Making sure the cabbage is below the level of the liquid.
  • Cover the jar with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band or string. Write down the date you do this. Leave the jar on your counter top, (away from any cats, cats like to push things off counters).
  • Check the jar each day to make sure the cabbage is covered with the liquid. If it is not, remove the cheesecloth and tamp down the cabbage. If additional brine is needed, mix 1 cup of water with 1 teaspoon of salt and add that as needed.
  • Check the kraut each day for 7 days, adjusting as needed.
  • On the 7th day, sample the kraut, you should have good kraut now, use in other recipes as directed. If the taste is good, you can ferment longer for a stronger flavor.
  • You should now have ½ gallon of kraut.

Notes

Low cost.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,: GERMAN
Preparing Straw Mushrooms
September 20, 2018 Lee
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Preparing Straw Mushrooms

Straw mushrooms, according to Wikipedia, are the 3rd most consumed mushrooms in the world, rightfully so as it is an Asian mushroom. Is the US, Canada, and Europe, most straw mushrooms will be canned and there is some specialty farms that grow these as well. These mushrooms are normally sold fresh and what is termed, closed, meaning the cap has not emerged yet, so they look like just round or oblong balls. When the cap has emerged then they are termed as opened. I received 1 1/2 kilos (3 lbs) of these mushrooms from an inlaw, however, nearly all were the opened type, so this was a first for me to prepare these. But with the closed type, there is a proper way to prepare those as well. Opened do not have much market value, the closed are prized for stir frys and soups, however, neither type has long shelf life once harvested so markets will run out of these as well as restaurants. This mushroom also costs more than other mushrooms due to the short shelf life and excellent flavor.
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Cuisine Asian
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • fresh Straw mushrooms, opened and or closed types

Instructions
 

Cleaning

  • Normally when you buy these from a market the mushrooms are trimmed and free of any dirt or dark area where the ball of the mushroom came in contact with the straw (yes, they grow on a straw compost, hence the name). If you buy these direct from the grower, then just trim of any dark areas with a knife. Once trimmed, for the closed type, rinse under running water and shake off excess, for the opened type, very briefly rinse under running water and shake of excess water.

Opened Type

  • The closed type of mushroom looks like a ball as the veil (the outer covering of the mushroom has not opened), leaving the cap and stem inside. To prepare these, simply look for a flat or cut side, then place that on the cutting board and slice only in half from the top to the bottom, the halved pieces are on the right in this photo. If you cut them crosswise, you can see they will just fall apart into different pieces. These are compact and dense mushrooms with excellent flavor. This form of mushroom does not have much water to release when cooking.

Closed Type

  • The mushrooms on the left are closed (bottom one though has just opened), and on the right is the opened. The opened, the left side (the bottoms of the mushrooms) you can see the ball shape, parts of the veils (the covering over the mushroom in the closed type), the stems, and the caps. When these mushrooms open, it is just a day or two to look like these, so there is a lot of moisture in these as one would expect.
  • To prepare this type, same principle applies, a lengthwise cut. First lay a opened mushroom on your cutting board.
  • Slice the mushroom in half, crosswise through the stem, giving you 2 pieces. If the stem is long, then cut crosswise above the ball (the bottom end) and at the cap, giving you 3 pieces.
  • Now take the ball end and cut through the stem top to bottom, and the cap through the stem, giving you now 4 pieces. If you have a stem section from a mushroom with a long stem, no need to cut the stem, then you have 5 pieces. All the pieces, even the stem, are flavorful and tender.
  • Use the mushrooms in recipes of your choice, keeping in mind, the opened type will give off lots of water as it is cooked.

Notes

I will give a price per kilo when buy these again.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
 
Just helpful knowledge to pass along, Lee Thayer, Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,MUSHROOMS,SIDES
Teriyaki Straw Mushrooms
September 20, 2018 Lee
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Teriyaki Straw Mushrooms

Straw mushrooms, according to Wikipedia, are the 3rd most consumed mushroom in the world. That is believable as they are Asian in origin. This recipe is based on what I received so I used them all as these mushrooms do not last long once they are harvested. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine Asian
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1.2 kilos Straw mushrooms, this was the weight cleaned, (2 2/3 lbs)
  • 1 cup Teriyaki sauce, (Shortcut)
  • black pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Clean any dirt off the mushrooms and give a quick rinse, shake off any water. Slice closed mushroom in half lengthwise, and for open mushrooms, cut in half at the stem, then slice the two piece in half lengthwise through the stem. Place in a large mixing bowl.
  • Add a good shake or two of black pepper then pour in about 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (and I cannot stress enough to make your own as well). Give the mushrooms a mix with your hands, then let sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes.
  • Heat a non stick pan, no oil is needed. When the pan is hot, add the mushrooms, just pour the mushrooms and sauce that was not absorbed into the pan.
  • Stir fry for a few minutes to get them all heated through and they will release their water and the teriyaki sauce.
  • Simmer on medium to medium low heat, stir often, the open mushrooms release a lot, and I mean a lot, of water.
  • When most of the water is cooked off, add the remaining 1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce and stir that in.
  • Continue simmering to reduce the liquid a bit more.
  • Use a slotted spoon and spoon out the mushrooms to a serving dish or add as a side to plate, enjoy.

Notes

I need to get a cost per kilo for straw mushrooms so I can price this, as they are more expensive than the Japanese mushrooms. For now I will say low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Teriyaki Sauce (照り焼きのたれ), Preparing Straw Mushrooms.
Common method to cook teriyaki mushrooms.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,MUSHROOMS,SIDES
Brian’s Crispy Fried Chicken Wings
September 13, 2018 Lee
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Brian's Crispy Fried Chicken Wings

Brian states: "This is more a technique than a recipe. This is how I make super crispy wings. As far as the sauce, most any sauce can be applied after frying the wings. Limit the number of wing pieces in the oil to 6 as the temperature will drop. If using a deep fryer with several liters of oil, additional wings can be added depending on size of fryer." These do sound tasty!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 29 minutes
Course Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 kilos chicken wings, (4 lbs)
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons corn flour
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 quart vegetable oil, (4 cups)

Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the flours and water, mix well to make a batter.
  • Place 6 wings in the batter to coat them.
  • Heat the oil in a large wok or pot, heat the oil, use a probe thermometer to monitor the temp, for this step you need 180 C (350 F) degree oil.
  • When the oil reaches 180 C, add the 6 wings from the batter and set a timer for 7 minutes.
  • At 7 minutes, remove the wings to a rack. Repeat until all the wings are cooked. Keep the wings in order of cooked from first to last.
  • Now increase temperature of the oil to 190 C (375 F). When the oil is at temp, place the first 6 wings into the oil and fry for another 7 minutes.
  • At the 7 minute mark, remove the wings to a rack and repeat with the next 6 wings, repeating this until all the wings are cooked.
  • Get out your favorite sauce, and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost.
Recipe provide by good friend, Brian Colligan, Pleasures & Pastimes (which is a great resource for gardening seeds and other items).
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Za’atar Roasted Potatoes
September 11, 2018 Lee
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Za’atar Roasted Potatoes

Excellent roasted potatoes, very nice flavor, and easy to prepare.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 750 grams potatoes, (1 1/2 lbs)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons za'atar
  • lemon or lime zest, as desired, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F). Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
  • Scrub the potatoes then cut into quarters or slice 1/2 inch rounds. Add the potatoes to a large mixing bowl.
  • To the mixing bowl, add the salt, za'atar, and olive oil. Toss the potatoes until they are evenly coated.
  • Spread out the potatoes on your prepared baking sheet, bake for 35-45 minutes. You are looking for crispy and tender potatoes.
  • Sprinkle some fresh lemon or lime zest on the potatoes, serve and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,POTATOES,SIDES
Homemade Ghee (Slow Cooker)
September 9, 2018 Lee
3 Comments

Homemade Ghee (Slow Cooker)

Ghee is clarified butter, meaning that the milk solids are removed from butter, much the same way lard or tallow is rendered. For some humor, if you are cooking an Indian dish, call it ghee, if cooking a French dish, call it clarified butter, either way, same thing 😉
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 2 minutes
Servings 1 pint ghee

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams unsalted butter, (1 lb)
  • 1 pint mason jar
  • cheesecloth

Instructions
 

  • Add the butter to your slow cooker, place on Low setting.
  • Place the lid on, slightly tilted to allow steam to escape. Time to cook this is 2-4 hours. The time depends on the quality of butter and the temperature of your slow cooker on Low setting.
  • No stirring, start checking on it at the 2 hour mark then every 30 minutes until the milk solids are browned and fall to the bottom and stick to the sides of the pot. Hard to see here, but there is milk solids on the bottom of the cooker.
  • When the ghee is ready, place 3-4 layers of cheesecloth in a strainer, and place the strainer over a clean pot. Pour the ghee into the cheesecloth and let the strainer drain for a few minutes.
  • Pour the ghee into a sterilized pint mason jar and allow to cool to room temperature.
  • This is the cooker with the ghee poured out, showing the milk solids on the bottom and sides.
  • Once the ghee is cooled, you can store it on the counter, however, if there is any milk solids left in the ghee, it can spoil rather quickly, so once it is cooled, place a lid on the jar and store in the fridge and use as needed.

Notes

Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
 
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,5 Ingredients or Less,CONDIMENTS
Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms
September 7, 2018 Lee
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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.
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 servings

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.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,MUSHROOMS,SIDES
Teriyaki Chicken Wings
September 1, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

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.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 4 servings

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.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,: JAPANESE,CHICKEN & TURKEY