Archive for the ‘5 Ingredients or Less’ Category
Grilled Tilapia
Tilapia is a very common freshwater food fish, it grows rapidly, lots of meat, and only a backbone and rib bones, no Y bones in the meat. This is inexpensive, we normally grill 1 fish per 2 people and have a side of just raw cut cabbage, cucumbers and spring onions and fresh cooked rice. We have made this at the house many many times. This recipe is for 1 whole fish for 2 people, more people, just add more fish, if you are a big fish eater, grill two for 2 people.
Equipment
- Grill, Charcoal or Gas
Ingredients
- 1 fish large tilapia, whole
- lemon grass, fresh, several 3 inch pieces, smashed, see Step 2
- ginger, fresh, and 1 inch piece, sliced thin, see Step 2
- Kafir lime leaves, fresh, tear into several pieces, see Step 2
- salt, lot of salt, like a bag of salt, see Step 3
Instructions
- First thing you need to do is clean the fish, NO NEED to scale the fish, the salt will take care of that, just make a slit on the belly of the fish, or side, and remove entrails and wash out with clean water, remove the gills if leaving head on, if you wish to remove the head, no problem, do that now.
- For the lemon grass, lime leaves, and ginger; if you buy the fish from an open fresh market, many times these will be included with the price of the fish, they are tied together and simply added to the bag with your fish. If you are buying the fish in say, Tesco, then you need these items on hand.
- Stuff the cavity with the lemon grass, lime leaves, and ginger. Place in a large bowl.
- Now for the salt, regular table salt is fine, if you can locate sea salt, that is fine, the salt is not for a flavoring of the meat, it is to remove the skin, salt is cheap, let the salt do the work, hence the reason not to scale the fish.
- With the bag of salt, generously pour that over the fish in the bowl, you want to cover the fish in salt, spread it around with your hands as well, turn the fish over and repeat on the other side, you cannot have too much, you want the fish to be white.
- With a hot grill, place the fish on the grill and cook about 8-10 minutes or so, then flip the fish over and cook the other side. It will get charred, that is the salt charring.
- Take fish off from grill and place on a plate, at the table, using 2 forks, simply peel off the skin off and enjoy.
Notes
Tilapia runs about 60 Baht per fish, this is Blue Nile Tilapi. This would be $1 per meal per person for 1 fish, if you like fish and eat a whole one, then $2 per person, either way, a very economical meal.
A note about the lemon grass, use several short pieces or one long, piece, either way smash it up good to let the flavor come out, if using a long piece, as in the photos, tie in a over hand knot after smashing.
Skillet Ziti
Quick meal when served with a salad would be an excellent dinner. I adjusted the measurements I found on the internet to easier amounts, I increased the amounts. If you like cheese, go heavy with the cheese, that is the beauty of these recipes. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams minced pork
- 250 grams Penne pasta, uncooked, about 3 cups
- 3 cups tomato pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 cup Cottage cheese, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Cook pasta in pot with unsalted water until tender, drain well.
- Meanwhile, cook ground pork over medium-high heat in large, nonstick skillet about 3 minutes or until pork is no longer pink, breaking pork in to 3/4-inch crumbles. Drain off fat.
- Add hot pasta to ground pork in skillet. Stir in pasta sauce and Cottage cheese. Cover and cook over low heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve.
Notes
Minced pork runs about 120 Baht per kilo, recipe calls for 1/2 kilo so the cost is 60 Baht. The Ricotta cheese, if purchased will put this meal well over $1 per person, use the shortcuts on this site to make Cottage Cheese (a very good substitute) or Ricotta Cheese, then the cost is some milk, still not a show stopper. With the milk in a shortcut and the minced pork, this is still $1 or less per serving.
Shortcuts: Tomato Sauce, Cottage Cheese.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Hash Browns
This is an easy side dish to prepare, I do not state servings on this recipe, 2-3 medium potatoes works fine for my wife and I.
Ingredients
- 2-3 medium potatoes, washed, skin on or off, shredded
- 2-3 tablespoons butter, or bacon fat
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- After shredding the potatoes, place in cold water and swish around for a bit, then pick up the potatoes and squeeze all the water, and I mean squeeze! Change the water and repeat this, do this 3-5 times or until the water you are squeezing out is clear and the water is clear. What you are doing is removing the starch. Once the water is clear and the potatoes are well squeezed, place on a plate. If using in another recipe where the hash browns will be cooked, use them now and disregard the rest of the recipe.
- Heat a large heavy pan, cast iron is a good choice, to medium low heat and add the butter or bacon fat. When the butter is melted, swish it around in the pan a bit to coat the bottom. Add the shredded potatoes and pat out flat with a spatula. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Now let it cook, you are not making a stir fry, no mixing, just let it cook, flatted out. Watch the edges and you will seem them start to brown up, using the spatula, lift up an edge and check the bottom, should be golden brown, when golden brown, try and flip the whole thing, think of it like a potato pancake.
- If it falls apart, no harm, just keep cooking, you will just have to turn more often. If the hash browns stayed together, when the other side is golden brown, using the spatula, cut in half or quarters and plate up with eggs for a hearty breakfast.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Simmered Black Beans
Easy to make recipe for a side dish or a quick lunch.
Ingredients
- 500 grams dried black beans, rinsed and picked over to remove bad beans and debri
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 onion, peeled but leave root end on and cut in half, so it does not fall apart
- 1 orange, rinsed and cut in half
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Place beans in a large pot and add water until beans are submerged by 3 to 4 inches. Add the garlic and onion, squeeze in orange juice, then add the squeezed orange halves. Cover and place over high heat until water comes to a boil, then uncover pot and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Cook until beans are completely tender and creamy, 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, and adding water if tops of beans become exposed.
- Remove orange and onion halves. Increase heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until reduced to a thick, creamy sauce that clings to the beans, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Serve as a side dish with fresh cilantro and a dash or two of hot sauce if desired.
Notes
This makes a pot of simmered beans, can use this for many sides or lunches, most expensive item is the beans, about 50 Baht for 500 grams (1 pound) and that is a lot of beans!
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Sausage Muffins
I have not tried this yet but sounds promising! Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Bisquick Mix, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/2 kilo sausage, cooked and crumbled, OR make from a shortcut
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C.
- Mix everything in a large bowl and spoon into a muffin pan filling each cell 2/3 full.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
Notes
Will provide pricing once I make this. Low pricing from what I see here.
Shortcuts: Bisquick Mix, Sausage, Breakfast Sausage.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Slow Cooker Duck Legs
I found this great recipe for cooking duck legs (leg and thigh) for tender and juicy duck legs on the internet. A number of months ago I picked up a package of 2 duck legs at the store in town, cost was actually comparable to chicken. Got home and put them in the freezer. Found this recipe so I decided to try it out. The meat nearly falls off the bone and is tender and juicy. My wife loved this, she even stated, most tender duck she ever had cooked in a house. This recipe is a keeper.
Ingredients
- 2 duck legs with thighs, skin on
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup red vermouth, OR use an additional cup of chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 onion, chopped
Instructions
- I added 2 cups of hot water to my slow cooker pot and used powdered stock to make the 2 cups of chicken stock. Turn on slow cooker to Low setting.
- In a low heat, dry, no oil added, non-stick pan, add the duck legs/thighs, skin side down until the fat runs out and the skin is golden brown. Remove the legs/thighs and add to the slow cooker skin side up.
- Add the chopped onion to the duck fat in the pan and cook until clear and softened, add the onions to the slow cooker.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on Low for 5-6 hours.
- Serve with some buttered pasta and a green vegetable.
Notes
Two duck legs cost me 90 baht in Tesco. That is 45 Baht per person, or about $1.35 per person, add pasta, still reasonable. I served this with pasta and fresh, local grown, corn on the cob, puts the cost to about $1.50 per person. This is a great treat for family members or visiting friends.
Tomato Salad I
I learned this from a good friend of mine, who is Italian. A tomato salad in an Italian restaurant in Thailand can run 60 to 150 Baht per person, this is so easy, and certainly much less!
Ingredients
- 2-3 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- olive oil, to taste
- pinch fresh basil
- ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine the tomatoes, garlic, and basil in a bowl, splash with olive oil and a pinch of black pepper. Done.
- This makes 1 serving, great for a light lunch or appetizer before dinner.
Notes
Well less than $1 per serving.
Variant: 1. Add a few pieces of homemade sardines into it with a spoon of the olive oil. Great lunch and nutritious.
Adapted from a friend's recipe.
Beer Braised Pork Knuckles
To start off, this is not a $1 meal by any means. Simple recipe however. The crackling (skin) was perfect, the internal temperature was spot on for pork, bone pulled right out (great treat for our dog), and the meat was fork tender with a delicious flavor.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (7x11 inch)
Ingredients
- 2 pork knuckles, these were 800 grams each
- salt and pepper, to taste
- garlic powder, to taste
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 cans beer, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220° C (425° F). Get out a 7x11 inch baking dish.
- Score the skin of the knuckles.
- Slice an onion and place that on the bottom of the baking dish, place knuckles on top, extra onion, just put that around the knuckles.
- Pour a can of beer over the knuckles then generously add garlic powder and ground black pepper to the knuckles, add salt to your liking.
- Put in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, remove and pour another can of beer over the knuckles. Reduce heat on the oven to 180° C (350° F) and put the baking dish back in the oven for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, increase heat back to 220° C (425° F), remove the pan and baste the knuckles with the liquid in the pan, put back in the oven for another 30 minutes.
- You can either carve these or leave whole, in Germany, I guess it is tradition that one knuckle is one serving to a person and plated like that.
- Sides would be mashed potatoes, potato salad, buttered egg noodles, or sauerkraut, and as green vegetable.
Notes
I found these in Makro, frozen. Each is 800 grams and cost is 200 baht each. If serving one knuckle for 2 people (easily done), the cost would be about $2.95 per person. A bit more expensive than other meals listed here but is a great treat for yourself.
Thai Omelet
Thai omelets are generally airy and fluffy cooked eggs, not folded over. This is quick and easy, served with rice on the side, is a simple and filling meal for 3 people. This is the basic recipe with no fillings, for fillings, use those of your choice and fold over to make a stuffed omelet, or just mix the fillings into the eggs and no folding over is required.
Ingredients
- 4-5 eggs, chicken or duck
- 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce, OR use a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder, optional
- cooked rice, for serving
- cooking oil, as needed, DO NOT use olive oil!
Instructions
- Put a wok or non stick pan on high heat and add about 1/2 cup of cooking oil. For a non stick with the rounded sides, a 10 inch pan is perfect and you want about 1/4 inch of oil on the bottom of the pan.
- While the pan is heating, break eggs into a bowl.
- Add the fish sauce to the eggs, and chicken stock powder if using that, and beat with a fork until frothy.
- When the oil just starts to smoke, turn the heat to low and quickly pour in the beaten eggs, it will fluff before your eyes.
- Using a spatula, lift the edges to get the liquid part of the eggs onto the pan, do this several times.
- Keep checking the bottom and when getting nice and browned and set well (remember, from pouring into the pan to flipping takes only 45 seconds to a minute) flip the omelet over, 20-30 seconds later, the bottom should be browning nicely.
- Remove from the pan to a plate and serve with rice on the side.
Notes
Low cost.
Variants: 1. Add chopped spring onion, chopped tomato, cooked minced pork, cooked chopped chicken, etc, can be added to the egg mix or added to a side when cooking for a folded stuffed omelette. 2. Add a few drops of lime juice or vinegar for a even more fluffier omelette.
Well known Thai recipe than my family has been making for years.
Italian Chicken (Slow Cooker)
Two ingredient dish that is very nice on pasta, this can take some time depending on how long you wish to marinate the chicken.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1 bottle Italian salad dressing
Instructions
- Prep the chicken for marinating, place chicken on a cutting board and stab numerous times with a fork, this will allow the marinade to soak in.
- To marinate the chicken, pour salad dressing into a large, resealable plastic bag. Add chicken breasts, seal bag and shake to coat. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight (the longer you marinate, the more flavor the chicken will absorb). I do this overnight.
- For a slow cooker, place the chicken in the slow cooker pot, pour the marinade over the top, cook on low for 6-7 hours, high for 3-4 hours. Serve over pasta with a salad or green vegetable.
Notes
6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts last time we bought them, no more than 120 Baht. The bottle of Italian dressing, made in Thailand, 54 Baht.
So total of 174 Baht for this meal, for 6 servings, this is about 86 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
