Archive for the ‘PORK’ Category
Chinese Five Spice Pork Belly
My mother in law loves Chinese Five Spice Chicken, and loves it more when made using pork belly, so this is a slightly different recipe than what is on the spice pack. This is not a secret recipe or an internet recipe, this is a modified recipe based on the pack of spice you can buy in every town. The Lobo brand of spices have instructions in Thai and English on every spice packet I have used from them. I made this on 31 May 2017 and it was very well received by my mother in law, and it is delicious, my comments below. I did not get all the step by step photos so I will be making this again soon, so easy and inexpensive as well.
Ingredients
- 600-700 grams pork belly, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 7 hard boiled eggs, peeled
- 1 1/2 tablespoons 5 Spice Powder, rounded
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons black soy sauce
- water, as needed
- olive oil, as needed
- 1 package bean curd, this is tofu, amount is up to you, cut in 1 inch peices, optional
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 1 whole star anise
Instructions
- Prepare the pork belly by slicing into 1 1/2 inch pieces, we used 700 grams. Place the meat in a bowl.
- In the bowl of meat, add the 5 Spice Powder. Rub that in with your fingers until all pieces are coated. This photo is just before I added the spice powder.
- In a large pot, heat a splash of olive oil then add the garlic and sugar, when the garlic is fragrant, about a minute, add the pork, cook for a few minutes turning a few times. You are browning them, not needing to cook through, that will happen later.
- Add the eggs, salt, light and black soy sauces, and bean curd if using, add enough water to nearly cover the eggs, and simmer for an hour. This photo is right after the eggs and water was added.
- At 1 hour, the eggs should be a light brown, check for tenderness of the pork, if tender, serve over rice, add some of the broth as well to the rice.
Notes
Prices can very with pork, if you go with a local vendor at an open market, you are getting fresh and much lower cost. Pork belly at Tesco is 220 Baht/kilo, the pork belly used in this recipe and in the photos, I purchased from an open market, 140 Baht/kilo. For this recipe the pork cost about 105 Baht/700 grams. For 4 servings this is about 77 cents per serving.
Modified from a recipe on a spice packet.
Savory & Delicious Meat Patties
The beauty of these, you can make with beef, pork, chicken, or turkey. For a dinner, a patty, mashed potatoes and gravy, a vegetable, perfect dinner and low cost. This is like a meatloaf without the wait. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, see Step 1
- 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil, your preference
- 1/3 cup chicken stock, fresh or from powder
Instructions
- For the meat, feel free to use ground beef, pork, chicken, or turkey. If using beef or pork, use beef or pork stock instead of chicken stock.
- Add the ground meat to a large mixing bowl then add the breadcrumbs, milk, egg, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, onion, and garlic. Stir or use hands to mix. Shape mixture into 6 evenly sized balls.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. At the meatballs and press to flatten slightly. Cook the patties until browned for about 5 minutes each side.
- Add the chicken stock to the skillet and continue cooking the patties, turning as needed until they are cooked through, maybe 5 minutes more.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy and a vegetable, complete meal.
Notes
The highest cost would be using beef and I will say 100 Baht/500 grams. For 6 servings, this is about 50 cents per serving. Other ground meats would be less.
Shortcuts: Seasoned Breadcrumbs, Italian Seasoning.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Stuffed Eggplant (Rellenong Talong)
This is another dish from the Philippines, and sounds really good, this will use Chinese eggplant, which is readily grown here, unlike the larger purple eggplant that was just recently introduced and is grown in a limited number of areas and is more expensive.
Ingredients
- 2 Chinese eggplant
- 250 grams ground pork
- 1 plum tomato, diced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
- cooking oil, as needed
Instructions
- Split each eggplant in half, but not all the way through and spread apart, grill skin side down until steam rises from the eggplant, remove from the grill, let them cool, and peel off the skin, set aside. Internet photo.
- In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and cook the garlic, onion, and tomato until starting to get soft. Then add the ground beef and brown until cooked through, maybe 8 minutes or so.
- Add the soy sauce, pinch of salt and pepper, remove from heat and set aside.
- Pour the eggs into a large shallow bowl. Heat a clean a pan with about 1/2 cup of cooking oil, type of oil is up to you.
- Place a split eggplant in the hot oil, scoop about half of the ground pork mixture and distribute on top of the eggplant and pat that down, then pour on about 2-3 tablespoons of the beaten egg over the ground pork. Hint, scoop some of oil in the pan over the egg mixture, this will help keep it from falling apart when you flip it.
- Gently flip the eggplant using 2 spatulas if possible to cook the other side. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on low to medium heat.
- Remove from pan and serve, 1 split eggplant per serving. Serve with a sauce of your choice and steamed rice.
Notes
Low cost.
Provided by Panlasang Pinoy and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Unstuffed Bell Peppers
I love Stuffed Bell Peppers, and not only does this recipe sounds like a very good alternative, it is delicious as well. I made this on 1 July 2018, very well liked by the family. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- olive oil, as needed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bell peppers, any color, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 500 grams ground beef, or ground pork, (1 lb)
- 1 can diced tomatoes, or whole, chopped, with juice, 565 g can
- 1¾ cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- 1 cup tomato sauce, Shortcut
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- 1 cup cheese, Cheddar, Edam, or Jack, shredded
- salt and pepper, to taste
- spring onions, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Garlic, peppers, and onion prepped. Reserve some of the diced bell peppers to sprinkle on top for garnish if desired.
- Saute peppers, onions, and garlic in a splash of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
- Once the peppers and onions have started to soften, increase heat to medium high and add the ground beef to the pan, season with salt and pepper.
- Once the ground beef is cooked through, drain off excess fat.
- Then add the chicken broth, can of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and soy sauce. Stir together.
- Bring the tomato mixture up to a simmer, then stir in one cup of uncooked rice. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Let mixture cook 20-30 minutes, or until rice is tender.
- At the 20 minute mark, start stirring the pan occasionally so the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan. One rice is tender, sprinkle the cheese on top.
- Cover the pan with the lid to let the cheese melt.
- Spoon onto plates, garnish with fresh diced bell peppers and green onions if desired, serve.
Notes
The beef would cost about 100 Baht/500 grams. For 4 servings, this is about 75 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
World's Best Meatloaf
Now I cannot vouch for world's best, but this does sound good, on my to cook list as I do like a good meatloaf. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 750 grams ground meat, beef, or beef and pork mixed
- 1 1/2 cups torn bread
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 onion, diced
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 can condensed tomato soup, OR make from a shortcut
- 3/4 cup celery, grated
- 3/4 cup carrot, grated
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C.
- Place ground meat in a large mixing bowl, add the rest of the ingredients BUT only 1/2 can of the soup, use your hands for a good mix.
- Turn into greased loaf pan or glass casserole dish 7x11 and pat out flat, pour remaining soup over the top, smoothing it evenly over all.
- Bake for 75 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve. Some potato mash and a vegetable, you have a good meal.
Notes
Beef would cost about 150 Baht/750 grams, pork would cost about 125 Baht/750 grams. Going with 150, and for 6 servings, this is about 75 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Condensed Tomato Soup.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Homemade SPAM
I really like canned SPAM but the price is very costly, and has preservatives and a load of salt as well. So I set out and found a couple of recipes on the internet. This version has NO curing salt to keep the color a nice pink shade and cannot be stored like the canned stuff.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 kilos pork shoulder
- 250 grams ham
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup corn starch
Instructions
- Take the pork should and cut into large cubes/strips that will fit in your grinder, fat and all. Place the chopped pork in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Cut the ham into large cubes/strips that will fit in your grinder. Mince the garlic and mix into the ham chunks, place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 150 C. Set up your grinder. Remove the ham from the freezer. Grind the ham with the finest grate on your grinder. To the ground ham, add the salt, sugar, and corn starch, mix with your hands. Remove the pork from the freezer, add the ground ham to the pork chunks and mix in with your hands, then grind the pork with the ham mixture with the finest grate on your grinder. After grinding, give it a mix with your hands as well.
- Pack the ground meat mixture into a loaf pan and cover with foil. Place the loaf pan in a large baking dish and fill that dish with water to 3/4 full. Carefully place this in the oven and cook for 3 hours, the target internal temp of the SPAM should be minimum 68 C at 3 hours.
- Take out the baking dish carefully and remove the foil on the loaf pan it will be full of fat. Carefully drain this off (you can save this for fried potatoes if you like or discard). Cover the loaf pan loosely will foil, set another loaf pan on top and fill with weights, like bricks that are covered with foil, etc, place this in the fridge overnight. The next morning, the SPAM is ready for use. Slice, fry, enjoy.
Notes
Pork shoulder will cost about 125 Baht/1.25 kilos. Ham (Makro has good ham) will cost about 100 Baht/250 grams. This will make about 1,500 grams of SPAM, minus the fat you will drain off. This makes 4 cans of SPAM.
One can of SPAM (US import) is about $6.15 (340 grams), one can of Tulip brand SPAM equivalent (Denmark import) is about $3.07 (340 grams).
This homemade type is about $1.65 per can. Great savings!
Per serving, figuring about 3 slices per person, 9 slices in a can, this is about 55 cents per serving. This can be used in many recipes, Mac and Cheese comes to mind.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Pork Chop Supreme
Sounds great and I will use sliced pork loin for this as true pork chops are not available in my location. Several shortcuts good savings as well. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops, boneless
- 4-5 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/4 cup milk
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C.
- Brown the pork chops in a hot skillet with a splash of olive oil, drain and set aside.
- Slice potatoes into a medium casserole dish in even layer. Place the pork chops on the potatoes.
- Combine onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, and milk, pour over top of pork chops. Bake for 1 hour. Serve.
Notes
I cannot price this for pork chops, however for pork loin, this is about 115 Baht/kilo. Buy a kilo and cut 4 good slices from that and use the rest for another recipe. For 4 servings, this is about 85 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Dry Onion Soup Mix, Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Chicken Liver, Bacon, and Eggs
In keeping with the traditional Thai cooking style of minimal ingredients, I put this together last night just to clean out the freezer. Actually quite good as well. I like quick, easy, and low cost meals, and this fits the bill perfectly. Serve as a breakfast or dinner.
Ingredients
- 200 grams bacon, (7 oz)
- 200 grams chicken livers, (7 oz)
- 3-4 eggs
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a cast iron pan heated with just a small splash of olive oil, add the bacon and the chicken livers. Separate the bacon as it cooks and turn the livers occasionally and cook until the bacon is just near crispy.
- Push the liver and bacon to one side and crack in the eggs, season with salt and pepper to your liking, and cover with a lid to cook the eggs.
- When the eggs are set and the whites cooked through, serve as a breakfast or as a dinner.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
The bacon is 62 Baht per 200 grams, the liver is about 30 Baht. For 2 servings this is about $1.35 per serving, very reasonable.
Ham & Beans
Sounds good, minimal ingredients, on my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 500 grams dry Great Northern beans
- 250 grams cooked ham, diced
- 1 small onion
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Sort and rinse the beans and place in a container that has a lid. Add water to cover by about 2 inches and refrigerate over night.
- Drain and rinse the beans and place in a pot, add the rest of the ingredients and cover with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the beans are soft. Add more water as needed. Serve.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Pork Tacos (Slow Cooker)
I found this recipe as originally stated as roast in the oven with the meat stacked on a skewer and called for achiote paste, which I am not going to find nor do I think I can make that here. I am going to write this as a slow cooker recipe as well.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons black pepper
- 6 tablespoons vinegar
- ½ cup pineapple juice, from a carton, not fresh
- 1½ kilos pork shoulder, cut into ¾ inch cubes, (3 lb)
To Prepare
- 6-10 tortillas, corn or flour
- onion, chopped
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- salsa, of your choice, Shortcut
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients except the pork.
- Cube the pork and add to the mixing bowl, and mix together with the marinade. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 2-24 hours.
- After marinating, place the pork in your slow cooker and cook for 6-10 hours on Low setting, remove and drain the meat, place a few spoons of meat on a tortilla, top with some onion, cilantro, and salsa, fold and enjoy!
Notes
The pork would cost about 100 Baht/kilo, so 150 Baht for that. The tortillas, flour, import from the states (actually good quality) will run 240 Baht/pack of 10. For 10 servings, this is about $1.15 per serving, not bad for visiting friends and family.
Shortcut: Salsa.
