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Archive for the ‘5 Ingredients or Less’ Category
Pork Liver
Probably not a favorite of many readers, but I like fried liver, chicken, beef, and pork (and for some who have had it, bear liver is hands down, the best there is). Liver is the easiest thing to cook, but if over cooked, it can be tough. Once in a while the store in town will have pork liver, and on Tuesdays in the village, sometimes beef liver is available. No serving amounts are given as that varies from one persons preference to another. Cook time is not listed as liver is cooked in batches.
Ingredients
For Liver
- beef or pork liver, cut into ⅜ to ½ inch thick slices
- 1-2 cups all purpose flour, for coating liver slices
- butter
- olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
For Onions if desired
- 1-2 onions, thinly sliced
- olive oil
Instructions
For Liver
- Melt a tablespoon or so of butter with a splash of olive oil in a heavy bottom non stick pan on medium to medium high heat.
- If the liver slices are large, cut them in half. Place some flour on a large plate and roll the liver pieces in the flour to coat and add each slice to the hot pan. Cook in batches, do not overload the pan at one time. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown then turn and cook for another 2 minutes or so until golden brown. The KEY to good liver is to not over cook it, light pink on the inside is perfect for tender liver. As the liver cooks, remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep them warm and continue cooking the rest of the liver in batches. Add butter and olive as needed but allow it to heat before adding more liver.
- Serve with a side of your choice, and I really like spicy mustard as a sauce on the side as well.
For Onions if desired
- In a second pan on low temp, heat a splash of olive oil, when heated, add the sliced onion, stir to break up rings, and cook until limp and browning, stir occasionally. Plate the liver and spoon the onions over the liver pieces.
- My photo did not do this justice, this liver is still pink in the middle. Plated with baked butternut squash and spicy mustard on the side as well. Easy and nutritious meal.
Notes
Pork liver runs about 130 Baht/kilo. I really have no idea how much I get when I buy liver or even how much I cook up at a time. I get beef liver from an open market in the village and I have no idea how much this is. I will report prices and pricing when purchase more liver. I will safely say the cost per meal would $1 or less per serving.
Scrapple
This is a an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe that in my opinion is very good, an acquired taste really. Recipe is based on making your pork sausage. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Equipment
- Loaf Pan (4x8 inch)
Ingredients
- 750 grams pork sausage, Shortcut
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1 cup yellow corn meal
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and rinse in colander under cold water, breaking sausage into pea sized pieces. Return to skillet along with the condensed milk, and heat over medium until just bubbling. Immediately stir in the cornmeal and pepper and reduce heat to simmer. Continue cooking, 5 minutes total; mush will be stiff.
- Remove from heat and pack into 8x4 loaf pan, cover and chill overnight, pack tightly. To serve, cut into ¼ to ½ inch slices and sauté until golden in nonstick skillet.
- Removed from the fridge the next morning, the end piece fell apart when I floured it, the other pieces, cut about ⅜ inch thick, held together well for the most part.
- I did the optional step and floured the slices and fried them in bacon fat.
- Browning in the pan.
- Served.
Notes
Minced pork is about 130 Baht/kilo, 750 grams would be about 98 Baht. For 8 servings minus sides (like eggs and hash browns), this is about 37 cents per serving.
Optional, slice about ¼ inch thick, roll in flour then fry, also, slice thin for crispy fried slices or slice a bit thicker for a softer less crispy variant.
Shortcut: Pork Sausage.
Seasoned Citrus Fillets I (Slow Cooker)
This sounds easy and is very versatile with the fish fillets used. Basically white fish, such as Pangasius, Barramundi, or even Tilapia. You will need fillets, boneless and skinless, so with Barramundi or Tilapia you will need to fillet those.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 4 white fish fillets
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 oranges, sliced
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- First, make your garlic butter, melt the butter in a small sauce pan, add garlic and simmer for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Lay out a large piece of aluminum foil, season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides and place in the middle of the foil side by side. Drizzle the garlic butter over the fish, spread the orange slices on top of the fish. Fold up the foil to seal it and place this in your slow cooker. Cover and cook on High setting for 2 hours. Use a large spatula or two to get the foil pack out. Serve on a bed of rice with a tomato salad on the side.
Notes
Four Tilapia would be about 60 Baht, this dish is well under $1 per serving, even with the sides.
Baked Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Breasts
This is easy and delicious! Would work well for thighs, which I think would be tastier. Just five ingredients and while it is baking, you can make your side dish.
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, or large thighs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 cup mayo
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Notes
Minimal costs, well under $1 per person per meal.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Zucchini Parmesan Crisps
This looks like a really good appetizer or side dish, a must try for me.
Ingredients
- 500 grams zucchini or summer squash
- 1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese, heaping, shredded
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs, heaping
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 C. Line two baking sheets with foil and lightly coat with butter.
- Slice zucchini or squash into 1/4 inch thick rounds and toss with olive oil to coat.
- In a large bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Place rounds in breadcrumb mix, coating both sides of each round, pressing to adhere. The mixture will not completely cover each round, but provides a light coating on each side. Place rounds in a single layer on baking sheets. Sprinkle any remaining breadcrumb mixture over the rounds.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown, no need to flip them, they will cook up on the other side as well. Serve.
Notes
Nothing really high cost here, this is well under $1 per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
South Africa.
Egg Salad I
Basic Egg Salad, enjoy as is or make a sandwich from this. I have been making this for years. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs, hard boiled, chopped
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 3-4 slices pickle, diced, optional, (Shortcut)
- mayo, as needed
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Notes
Less than $1 for the whole thing.
Shortcut: Dill Pickles.
Family recipe I have been using for many years.
Broccoli & Potato Soup
Sounds like a great soup, a must try.
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes, roughly diced, skin on
- 1 head large broccoli, roughly chopped, including stem
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium sized pot, boil potatoes until soft, then add chopped broccoli and cook for about 5 minutes more, there is no need to cook the broccoli until soft. Keep a lid on the pot at all times while boiling. Remove from heat and let cool for a little while.
- Once cooled a bit, use a slotted spoon to scoop out the potatoes and broccoli into your blender. Add some water from the pot. Save the rest of the water in case you need to change the consistency later. The water is also rich in the water soluble vitamins. You can refrigerate the water for several days and use in any recipe that calls for water.
- Blend thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste, then blend some more. Add water from the pot to get the smoothness that you desire. Serve with rice crackers or any bread not made with eggs or dairy and you have a great meal.
Notes
Well under $1 per serving.
Chicken, Chili, and Basil
No set recipe here, and no measured ingredients per say. This is a typical Thai meal, spicy, and goes together quickly. Photos are mine that I took yesterday while my wife cooked this.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken legs, skin and bones removed, slightly chopped
- 20-30 Bird's Eye Chilis, slightly mashed, seeds and all
- 4-6 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- fresh Thai Basil, several good handfuls
Instructions
- Heat a heavy non-stick pan (or a wok) with some oil and add the chilis and garlic and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the chicken meat and stir to combine with the chili and garlic and cook until juices run clear, about 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
- Rinse the basil and squeeze dry and add to the pan.
- Cook until the basil is wilted, serve with rice.
Notes
The cost for the 4 chicken legs is minimal, the chilies came from our garden. This is probably a 30 to 50 cent meal per person, for easily 6 people.
Provided courtesy of my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Pinto Bean Chili
An easy chili using our Chili Beans recipe listed on this site. The chili beans are the bulk of the recipe, just add ground meat, an onion, tomatoes and chilies. I made this on 1 Aug 2016, excellent, my comments below. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4 cups Chili Beans and Sauce, Shortcut
- 750 grams ground beef, OR pork, OR chicken, (1 1/2 lbs)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped plus juice
- 1-2 Bird's Eye Chilis, chopped
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef in a large pot along with the onion, when cooked, drain off fat, not all, just most of it. Add the chili beans, chopped tomatoes, juice from the can, chilies, stir to mix and simmer for about 20 minutes to heat it through.
- Serve and enjoy.
- Or serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, diced onions, sour cream, well, you get the point. Enjoy.
Notes
The chili beans would cost about 65 Baht for 8-10 cups worth, 3-4 cups is minimal. Ground beef would be about 75-100 Baht for 500 grams, pork and chicken would be less. Easily less than $1 per meal for 4 people.
Shortcut: Chili Beans.
Variants: 1. Use a 1 lb 8 oz (680 g) can of ground pork or beef, drained, in place of fresh beef or pork. 2. Use a can of diced tomatoes in place of chopped whole tomatoes.
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.