Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
This is a 2 in 1 recipe, Creamy Soup, and Regular Chicken Soup. Sounds great as I love a good chicken noodle soup. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken broth, fresh or from powder, Shortcut
- 5 cups water
- 3-4 chicken thighs, skinless, bone in for more flavor
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 3 medium carrots, see Step 1
- 2 stalks imported celery, or a handful of Thai celery, finely chopped
- 2 cups dry pasta, egg noodles, spirals, or wide Fettuccine would be good
- 1 can corn, drained, or 1 1/2 cups fresh cooked
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped, or 3 teaspoons dried
- 1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Seasoning, Shortcut
- salt, as need and to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- For the carrots, shred 2 carrots with the largest holes on a box shredder and thinly slice 1 carrot, halve that one if it is large. Now prepare all the rest of the ingredients so everything is ready. For the chicken, just remove the skin if using bone in, do not trim the fat, fat is flavor. (I made the broth from scratch, and when letting the broth and chicken cool, I prepped the vegetables.)
- Bring a large pot with the broth, water, and 1/2 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add the thighs, continue to boil for 20 minutes and spoon off any foam from the surface.
- While the chicken is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and cook until soft and starting to turn translucent, raise the heat to medium high and the celery and only the shredded carrots and cook for about 6 minutes or so until soft and beginning to brown, stir often.
- Remove the thighs from the pot and set aside to cool slightly. Skim off any remaining foam from the chicken then add the cooked celery, onion, and carrots.
- Add the dry pasta, the sliced carrot, and the corn to the soup and cook on a low boil to cook the pasta until tender, about 15 minutes. Spoon off any excess oil on the surface if you want a lighter soup, but keep in mind, the fat adds great flavor. (Showing the soup right after adding the veggies and egg noodles.)
- Shred the chicken with forks or just use your hands, discard bones and excess fat. Add the chicken back to the soup.
- For the REGULAR version of this soup, just go right to the last step. For the CREAMY version of this soup, continue here. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat then whisk in the flour and whisk continuously until just starting to turn brown, about 1 or 2 minutes. Remove 1 cup of broth from the soup and add to the flour butter mixture, whisk until blended and the mixture is smooth, then whisk in the cream until blended and stir this into the soup until mixed in well.
- Season the soup with Mrs. Dash Seasoning and salt to taste. A touch of black pepper would work well also. Add the fresh dill and return the soup to a boil for 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Serve with bread and enjoy.
Notes
For the chicken thighs, 4 thighs are probably less than a kilo, so I will estimate 60 Baht for the chicken. For 8 servings, this is about 23 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Chicken Broth (Pressure Cooker), Heavy Cream.
This recipe for Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup is from Natasha's Kitchen.
Mom's Meatball Soup
Not my Mom, Natasha's Mom. This is absolutely delicious! I made this on 26 July 2017, and as I predicted, big hit with the Thai family. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 15 cups water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 6-8 medium potatoes, cubed
- 2 large carrots, thinly sliced, halved first if very large
- ½ cup dry spaghetti, broken into ½ inch pieces
- ½ onion, finely diced
- 2 stalks import celery, or a handful of Thai celery, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- ½ teaspoon Mrs. Dash Seasoning, Shortcut
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Meatballs
- 1 kilo ground pork, (2 lb)
- 1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Seasoning, Shortcut
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ½ onion, finely diced
Instructions
- Add the water, potatoes, and salt listed for the soup to a large pot on high heat and bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes to soften the potatoes.
- Reduce the temp to maintain a medium simmer on the pot, add the carrots and the spaghetti pieces to the pot.
- In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients listed For the Meatballs. Once mixed well, use your hands to roll small meatballs, no need for perfection here, as you make them, add them to the soup. They will cook in the hot water and make the broth for the soup. (I chopped up 3 spring onions and added those as well after the meatballs were added.)
- Heat a non stick pan on medium heat and add the 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, your choice of oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and celery, cook until softened then add this to the soup.
- Soup is simmering after the onion and celery were added.
- While stirring the soup, pour in the lightly beaten egg. Season with the dill, black pepper, and Mrs. Dash Seasoning. (I also added the chopped tops of the celery.)
- Serve with fresh bread.
Notes
Ground pork at Tesco will cost about 100 Baht/kilo, another option is to grind your own pork with the medium plate on your grinder, use pork shoulder for this as fat is needed. Pork shoulder is also about 100 Baht/kilo. For 12 servings, this is about 25 cents per serving, very reasonable.
Shortcut: Mrs. Dash Seasoning.
Variant: 1. Add some chopped spring onions to the soup after the meatballs are in.
Chicken & Mushroom Patties (Kotlety)
Kotleti is Russian meat cakes that are juicy and delicious due to the mushrooms. These are unbelievably delicious! I made these on 26 July 2017, excellent, even my wife who does not care for chicken, loved these. Juicy patties and a wonderful flavor from the mushrooms.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground chicken, thighs would be best if grinding, (1 lb)
- 500 grams fresh cremini mushrooms, or button mushrooms, (1 lb)
- 1 small onion, grated, large grate
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- ½ cup all purpose flour, for dredging
- olive oil, as needed for frying
Instructions
- For the mushrooms, White Button or Cremini (which is a brown button mushroom) work well. For those in Thailand, think White Shimeji or Buna Shimeji (brown) mushrooms or Shiitake mushrooms. For this recipe I used mostly Buna Shimeji and Shiitake mushrooms.
- Slice/chop the mushrooms and cook in a non stick pan with 2 tablespoons of heated olive oil. Cook until lightly browned and softened and most of the water is cooked off. Drain.
- Add the cooked mushrooms into a food processor and mince, or if grinding the chicken yourself, just run them through the grinder. If you really have time, mince yourself by hand if desired. (I course ground chicken thighs then simply ran the mushrooms through the grinder right after the chicken was run through.)
- In a large bowl, add the chicken, the mushrooms, onion, eggs, panko, salt and pepper, mix to combine. I just used a large spoon, it mixes very easily.
- Use an ice cream scoop to make perfect size small patties, hand shape into 2-3 inches across for fritters , or just make larger patties for say a sandwich roll.
- In a large non stick pan, heat a splash of olive oil, add the patties, cover and cook about 3-4 minutes per side. When golden brown on each side, remove to paper towels to drain.
- Serve with a dipping sauce of your choice, or if you make lager patties, enjoy on a sandwich roll with lettuce and mayo.
Notes
I will price this when I get the rate for 500 grams of mushrooms. I will estimate right now, low cost.
Variants: Think large patties, use on a sandwich roll or hamburger bun, dress with lettuce and mayo.
Traditional New Mexico Sopaipillas
These sound real good, these get hollow when you fry them, perfect for butter and honey.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 512 grams all purpose flour, 4 cups if no scale is used
- 4 tablespoons shortening, (1/4 cup)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- shortening, for frying
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and cut in shortening.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add water to dry ingredients and work into the dough.
- Knead dough until smooth, cover, and set aside for 20 minutes.
- Heat 2 inches of shortening in a heavy pan at high heat, about 205 C is what you are looking for.
- Roll dough to a 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured board. Cut dough into 4 inch squares and fry until golden on both sides, turning once. If shortening is hot enough, the sopaipillas will puff and become hollow shortly after being placed in the shortening. If you can’t get them to rise, try spooning the hot oil over the top of them.
- Drain on paper towels. Serve as a side or at the end of a Mexican meal, have butter and honey available as well.
Notes
Low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Jerry Juliana.
United States.
United States.
Creamy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole III
Sounds like another winner of a casserole, on my to cook list for sure, hard to go wrong with a casserole, especially one with chicken, ham, cheese and white sauce.
Ingredients
For the Casserole
- 5-6 cups chicken, cooked, shredded, breasts, thighs
- 250 grams ham, sliced, thin sliced is perfect
- 2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded
For the White Sauce
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika, smoked paprika woulb be best
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the Topping
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Casserole
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. Butter 9x13 baking dish. Put the chicken evenly in the bottom of the dish, layer the ham, then sprinkle with the cheese. Set aside.
For the White Sauce
- Melt the butter in a medium size sauce pan over medium heat, once the butter is melted, add all the flour stir to make a thick roux, will look like thick paste.
- Once it is smooth and bubbly, slowly pour in the milk while whisking to make a smooth sauce. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens.
- Whisk in the lemon juice, mustard, salt, paprika, and pepper. Bring the sauce barely to a boil then remove from heat and pour over over the cheese in the dish.
For the Topping
- Melt the butter in a medium size sauce pan, when the butter is melted, mix in the panko, salt and lemon pepper. Sprinkle on top of the casserole.
- Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until the top is just starting to brown up. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
I will price this when I make it due to the amount of chicken needed, I will have to determine what that is. I will estimate low cost for now and will revise that after I make this.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Pulled Pork Green Chile Cheese Melt
This would be a leftover meal for sure to use up pulled pork and any roasted green chilies. Since this is a thicker sandwich, key is to cook slower to keep the bread from over toasting, unless you have heated up the pulled pork to pipping hot just prior to making the sandwich.
Ingredients
- 1/2 tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup grean chili, roasted, skinned, seeded, diced
- 2 slices bread
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 cup pulled pork
- 2 slices Cheddar cheese, or of your choice
Instructions
- Spread butter on one side of each piece of bread. Heat a non stick skillet medium low heat. Add remaining butter to the skillet and one slice of bread, butter side down, then add one slice of cheese, half the green chili and half of the diced tomatoes, then add the pulled pork, the other half of the green chili and tomatoes, and top with the second slice of cheese, and the second slice of bread, butter side up.
- Keep an eye on the sandwich, when the bottom slice of bread is toasted and the cheese beginning to melt, carefully flip the sandwich and toast the other side.
- When the cheese is melted and bread is toasted, remove from the skillet, cut in half and serve.
Notes
Low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Jerry Juliana.
United States.
United States.
Banana with Coconut Milk Sauce
This is one of the more different Thai dishes, not eaten with rice, but with a chili sauce. Used is banana buds, banana stalk, and Chinese eggplant, sauce is simply coconut milk and shallots with sugar and salt. The chili sauce is just chilies, shallots, shrimp paste, and a locally made liquid best described as lime vinegar, I am still working out what that is. Lot of ingredients, few steps. The Chili sauce is made ahead. The Coconut Milk sauce can be made while the vegetables are boiling.
Ingredients
- 2 fresh banana buds, cut in half lengthwise
- 2 handfuls fresh banana stalk, cut into 2-3 in narrow strips
- 2 handfuls fresh Chinese eggplant, whole, stem end cut off
For the Coconut Milk Sauce
- 1 cup coconut milk, one 250 ml carton is fine
- 4-6 shallots, peeled and smashed
- pinch salt, or to taste
- 1-3 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
For the Chili Sauce
- handful red Bird's Eye chilies, thinly sliced
- handful orange Bird's Eye chilies, thinly sliced
- handul yellow chilies, thinly sliced
- 3-4 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons shrimp paste, or to taste
- vinegar, see Chili Sauce step 2
Instructions
- Add the banana buds, stalk, and Chinese eggplant to a pot, fill with water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and drain and set aside.
For the Coconut Milk Sauce
- While the vegetables are boiling, heat a non stick pan over medium heat, add the shallots and the coconut milk and let it heat up, when bubbly, reduce heat to a low simmer, and a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar, stir and taste, add more sugar as needed. Let this simmer for just a few minutes then remove from heat.
- Arrange the vegetables on a plate, and spoon the Coconut Milk sauce over the top.
For the Chili Sauce
- Add the slice chilies and shallots to a large bowl. Step daughter was in charge of slicing the chilies, she just chopped them, what you see in this photo could have been sliced thinner.
- To the bowl add the shrimp paste and mix that in, then add the liquid best described as lime vinegar (I am actively researching what this liquid is). You are looking for a near soupy consistency. This is used as a dip for the banana buds, stalks, and the eggplant.
- Served. There is a pork with red chili paste dish, that is eaten with the rice and lime leaves, and there is the plate of cooked banana buds and stalk with the coconut milk sauce spooned over that, and the large bowl of chili sauce. Perfect, low cost meal.
Notes
Low cost.
Watched my wife, Rrayada Thayer make this.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Pork with Red Chili Paste
This is a simple Thai dish with 5 ingredients, this shows just how easy and simple a basic Thai dish can be.
Ingredients
- 1-2 teaspoons red chili paste, or to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons shrimp paste, or to taste
- 500 grams pork, sliced into thin pieces
- handful kaffir lime leaves, chopped, young leaves best
- splash cooking oil
Instructions
- Heat a splash of cooking oil in a large non stick pan, add the chili paste and shrimp paste and cook until that bubbly and fragrant.
- Add the pork and mix into the sauce, stirring occasionally. until the pork is cooked through, about 15 minutes or so. Sprinkle in some lime leaves, young leaves being better and mix in.
- Ready to serve with rice on the side.
Notes
Figure about 60 Baht for the pork, for 4 servings, this is about 44 cents per serving.
Watched my wife, Rrayada Thayer make this.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Sweet Eggs (Kai Wan - ไข่หวาน)
This is a Thai dessert, eggs cooked in water with brown cane sugar and a touch of ginger. Sweetness depends on how much sugar you use. I seen my step daughter cooking these on 18 July 2017 and got a few photos as well.
Ingredients
- brown cane sugar, 1/4 to 1 cup
- water, as needed
- eggs, as needed
- 1/2 inch ginger, optional
Instructions
- Add the sugar and the piece of ginger to a medium sized pot of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, start cracking in eggs. I think the step daughter used 10 eggs in this.
- Reduce heat and simmer the eggs until the yolk is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
- Serve with some of the liquid from the pot. This served 6 people as a dessert at a lunchtime meal.
Notes
Low cost.
Watched my Step Daughter make this.
Cheesy Chicken Fritters
This sounds not only tasty and easy to prepare, they are! I made these on 3 Sep 2017, exactly as written, perfect.
Ingredients
For the Fritters
- 750 grams chicken breasts, cut into 1/3 inch cubes, or coarse ground
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cup Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- cooking oil, any high heat oil is fine
For the Garlic Aioli Dip
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place the cubed (or coarse ground) chicken in a large bowl, add the rest of the Fritter ingredients except the oil.
- Mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or even overnight.
- When you are ready to cook, heat the cooking oil in a large non stick pan over medium heat. Add heaping tablespoons of the meat to the hot pan, use the back of the spoon to slightly flatten each fritter. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the bottom and edges are golden brown, flip and cook the other side until golden brown and chicken is cooked through.
- To make the Garlic Aioli dipping sauce, just add all of the aioli ingredients to a small bowl and mix together. Feel free to use any dipping sauce you prefer, toum would be a good choice, and for a Thai flair, use chili garlic sauce for dipping.
- Serve with the dipping sauce.
Notes
The chicken would cost about 60 Baht 750 grams. I will estimate about 4 servings, that works out to about 44 cents per serving.
Variants: Change the dill to parsley or rosemary. Add minced spring onion, shallots, or garlic. For dipping sauces, try just mayo, sour cream, toum, chili garlic sauce, etc. You could make this a different fritter each time you prepare this dish.
This recipe for Cheesy Chicken Fritters is from Natasha's Kitchen.