Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Baked Coconut Chicken
Good tasting chicken, subtle flavor of coconut, next time I make these I will make some shallow cuts on the chicken.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Sheet with Rack
Ingredients
For Marinating
- 5 chicken quarters
- ⅔ cup coconut milk
- 1½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
For Baking
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- extra light olive oil, as needed
Instructions
To Marinate the Chicken
- Separate the quarters into legs and thighs (there is a line of fat to follow). Trim off and discard any excess fat. (I used 4 quarters)
- In a mixing bowl, add the rest of the marinade ingredients, whisk together.
- Place the chicken pieces in a sturdy zip lock bag, then pour in the coconut mixture. Squeeze out as much air as you can and seal the bag. Squish the chicken around to get everything coated with the marinade. Place the bag on a plate and place in the fridge overnight.
To Bake the Chicken
- Remove chicken from the marinade and drain, discard the marinade.
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and whisk together. Pour a little bit of extra light olive oil in a small bowl. Line a baking sheet with foil, lightly oil a baking rack and place the rack on the backing sheet.
- Coat the chicken pieces in the flour mixture and place on the rack. Leave the chicken to rest for an hour.
- About 15 minutes before you are going to bake, preheat your oven to 200° C (390° F). Brush or spray the chicken with olive oil and place the baking sheet with the rack and chicken in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, turn the chicken pieces over and bake for another 25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. To check if cooked through, sacrifice a thigh and cut into one to verify it is cooked through.
- Serve with sides of your choice.
Notes
Low cost. I used 4 chicken quarters on 3 Feb 2019, that was 1 1/2 kilos (quarters are larger than the already separated thighs and legs), for 49 Baht/kilo, for a total cost of 73 Baht. For 5 servings, this is about 46 cents per serving.
Variants: 1. Use all thighs or all legs. 2. Make cuts in the meat to allow the marinade to soak into the meat.
Homemade Japanese Curry
This comes from a friend in Singapore and she states this certainly on par with the packaged Japanese Curry, and common ingredients as well. On my to make and taste list for sure!
Ingredients
- 45 grams unsalted butter
- 5 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala, use 1 tablespoon for a hotter curry
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
Additional Ingredients when Using Full Amount
- 2 apples, peeled, cored, grated
- 1 tablespoon honey
Additional Ingredients when Using Half Amount
- 1 apple, peeled, cored, grated
Instructions
- Have everything measured out and ready to use.
- On a saucepan on low heat, add the butter and melt.
- When the butter is melted, stir in the flour and continue stirring until the roux turns golden brown, this takes about 5-10 minutes. Important to not stop stirring, no one likes a burnt roux.
- Stir in the curry powder, paprika, and garam masala, and stir to mix evenly.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and ketchup, stirring to mix evenly, then remove from heat.
For Immediate Use
- At this point you can use the roux in any recipe that calls for boxed Japanese curry. Use half of this roux for recipes that state 100-120 grams (~4.2 oz) of boxed curry.
- When the recipe states to add the roux, also add the grated apple and honey as stated in the Additional Ingredients.
- Use all the roux for recipes that call for 200-240 grams (~8.4 oz) of boxed curry.
- When the recipe states to add the roux, also add the grated apples and honey as stated in the Additional Ingredients.
For Use Later
- Divide the roux into two containers with tight sealing lids, pack the roux down as well. There is no need to have the small cubes like the boxed kind unless you desire to do that, then an ice cube tray, or even the left over packaging from a boxed curry would even work, then just wrap in plastic and store in the fridge until use.
Notes
Low cost compared to what the boxed curry costs.
Inspired by Peng's Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
Singapore.
Singapore.
Soba Noodle Soup
This is a base recipe for a Japanese soba noodle soup, you can change this in many ways. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 bundle soba noodles
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons Bonito Flavored Soup Base, Mizkan is a popular brand in the US
- 30 grams Buna Shimeji mushrooms, roots trimmed, separated, (1 oz)
- 1 bunch baby bok choy
- 1 hard boiled egg, chicken or duck, sliced in half lengthwise, (Shortcut)
- fresh spring onion greens, sliced, for garnish, optional
- white sesame seeds, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water, large enough to hold the soba noodles completely in the water, to a boil. Add the soba noodles and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes, then drain and place in a serving bowl.
- While cooking the soba noodles, heat the 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Add the soup base, mushrooms, and bok choy. Boil for about 1 minute or until the mushrooms and bok choy are tender.
- Pour the soup over the noodles, place the two haves of the egg in the bowl, garnish with a little bit spring onion greens and sesame seeds as desired.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs, Perfect Hard Boiled Duck Eggs.
Variants: 1. Use chicken broth/stock instead of the soup base. 2. Add a drop or two of sesame oil to the completed soup. 3. Use vegetables other than bok choy. 4. Add fried tofu to the soup. 5. Add cooked and chopped chicken to the soup.
This recipe for 15 Minute Soba Noodle Soup Recipe is courtesy of Rasa Malaysia.
United States.
United States.
Whitefish Fillets (Pressure Cooker)
This recipe comes from a very reliable source regarding pressure cooker usage. I figured if a pressure cooker makes vegetables, beans, and meats more flavorful, why not fish, so I researched and found this. For this you need a 3 quart or larger pressure cooker, electric or stove top. I will be using my 9 liter (9½ quart), 12 psi (80 kPa) stove top pressure cooker. This will use a steamer tray or basket in your pressure cooker. Follow all safety precautions for your model of pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 4 whitefish fillets, boneless, skinless
- 500 grams cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise, or roma, sliced, (1 lb)
- salt and lemon pepper, as desired
- 1 bunch fresh thyme, or dried, as desired
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
Instructions
- Add 1½ cups of water to your pressure cooker. Add the steamer tray to your pressure cooker, or a steamer basket. For the basket, you can line that with parchment paper if desired.
- Add a layer of cherry tomato halves or sliced roma tomatoes to the tray.
- Add the fillets, season with salt, lemon pepper, and thyme, as desired.
- Place more tomatoes on top of the fillets.
For Stove Top Pressure Cooker, 12 psi
- Place the lid on the pressure cooker and add the weight. Bring the heat up to high. When the weight (jiggler) starts to vent pressure, reduce heat to low or medium low to maintain pressure venting. Set your timer for 4 minutes.
- When 4 minutes have passed, turn off the heat and move the pressure cooker to an unused burner. Now we are going to do a normal pressure release. DO NOT pull the weight off the lid!Grab an oven mitt and just tilt the weight to the side to vent pressure, hold for 10 seconds, then let go for 10 seconds, repeat until the pressure is completely vented and the lid lock has dropped. THEN remove the weight and then open the lid. Since the fish is not in water, there is zero chance of creating a rapid boil that would possibly tear the fish up.
- Remove the fillets to plates, top with some of the tomatoes and sprinkle on the capers, add a drizzle of olive oil if desired, and salt and pepper as desired. Serve.
For Electric Pressure Cookers, with adjustable pressure settings
- For this type of pressure cooker, these are guidelines only, I have no experience using of these models, so use your best judgement. There is my disclaimer for these steps.
- Close the lid and turn the vent to sealing, and select Low pressure. Set your timer for 7 minutes, 8 for thick fillets. When the time is reached, do a normal pressure release, I assume you turn a lever to vent. When you have indication of zero pressure in the cooker, open the lid.
- Remove the fillets to plates, top with some of the tomatoes and sprinkle on the capers, add a drizzle of olive oil if desired, and salt as desired. Serve.
Notes
Low cost, 4 pangasius are about 96 Baht for 4 fillets. For 4 servings, this is about 75 cents per serving.
Sesame Chicken Rolls
This is a twist on spring rolls and was brought up by a friend who has eaten sesame chicken rolls in Hong Kong, so with the help from another friend, in Singapore, I modified a spring roll recipe to reflect the changes for the sesame chicken version. I have not tested this yet, but I will in the near future. Not all the ingredients will have quantities, I will figure that out when I make these. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
- spring roll wrappers, refrigerated
- chicken breasts, or fillets
- Cheddar cheese, sliced
- 3 tablespoons tahini, aka sesame paste, Shortcut
- 3 tabelspoons water
- 1½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- white sesame seeds
- olive oil, as needed
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into strips lengthwise and about ½ inch square, and the strips about 3 to 3½ inches long. Maybe start with one chicken breast and test the recipe before making more, I will estimate 2-3 strips of chicken per roll.
- In a non stick pan on medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken strips and stir fry until no longer pink and just cooked through, this goes quickly as the chicken is thin strips. Don't over cook the chicken or it will be dry. Remove the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels to cool. Allow the chicken to cool completely.
- While the chicken is cooling, prepare the other items you need. The reason for letting the chicken cool is you never fill a spring roll with hot filling as they tend to break apart doing that, so let the filling cool completely.
- In a small bowl, mix together the tahini, water, and brown sugar until smooth.
- In another small bowl, add the egg yolk and lightly mix with a fork. Get a pastry brush ready.
- Slice the cheese into strips about ½½ inch wide, I am estimating 2-3 strips of cheese per roll.
- In another small bowl, mix together the 1 tablespoon of corn starch and the 2 tablespoons of water, this is your glue.
- When the chicken has cooled, now we are going to warp the rolls, and it is good if you have two people do this, one to pull the wrappers apart and one to roll. If there is only one person to assemble the riolls, Keep in mind there is a smooth side and a rough side to spring roll pastry wrappers.
- Place a pastry wrapper, smooth side down, on your work surface with one corner pointed towards you. Place 2-3 strips of chicken near the corner nearest you, so that it is closest to you without overhanging the pastry. Two strips on the bottom and one strip on top would be perfect.
- Spread some sesame paste mixture over the chicken.
- Top the chicken with 2-3 strips of cheese.
- Preheat your oven to 180°° C (350° F), line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Now fold up the corner nearest you, over the chicken, and roll tightly away from you until you almost get near the widest part (the left and right corners). Now at this point, dip two fingers in the corn starch slurry and rub your fingers along the two edges that are pointing away from you.
- Tightly fold the left side towards the middle, then the right side towards the middle. It should look like an open envelope now.
- Continue to tightly roll away from you, ending up with the point end away from you, nicely sealed to the wrapper, and you just made a chicken spring roll. Place the roll on the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat the process for as much chicken you have ready. Continue placing rolls on the baking sheet and keep them evenly spaced apart.
- Once your rolls are completed, brush the rolls with the egg yolk, then sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve with a small bowl of tahini for dipping, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Homemade Tahini (Sesame Paste).
Mushroom & Clove Spaghetti
I love mushrooms and spaghetti, so this sounds like a win win. I made this on 2 Feb 2019, and I was pleasantly surprised, this is very delicious, Even my wife liked this dish. This is not like a typical spaghetti with a tomato sauce, this is not drenched in sauce. The clove is a subtle flavor but very nice.
Ingredients
- 250 grams dry spaghetti, (8 oz)
- ¼ cup butter, (½ stick / ¼ block)
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 red onion, diced
- 3 whole cloves, or ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 200 grams button mushrooms, sliced, (7 oz)
- 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablsspoon light soy sauce
- fresh spring onion, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water and bring to a boil, add the pasta and cook until tender. Drain and run under cold water. Set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, go ahead and start cooking the rest. Melt the butter in a large non stick pan on low heat, when completely melted, whisk in the flour until mixed together, then add the onion, cloves, coriander, black pepper, and garlic.
- Stir until the onion is soft and garlic is fragrant. The kitchen will have a wonderful aroma.
- Add the mushrooms and tomato paste. I got snap happy with the camera and took this before adding the tomato paste.
- Saute for 4-5 minutes or until the mushrooms are nice and tender. You will not get a lot of liquid from this, this a dry sauce.
- Add the spaghetti and soy sauce, and mix with the mushroom mixture. Saute for 1-2 minutes to heat the pasta through.
- Place pasta on plates, garnish with chopped spring onion if desired, serve with sides of your choice, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Add blanched spinach. 2. Add smoked ham sliced into strips (highly recommended).
Variant 1 provided by Mike Early, United States.
Pork Rib Curry II
This is another version of pork rib curry, this will use young kaffir lime leaves, they have to be the tender ones as they are eaten. Many ways to prepare this each time to make it different and by regional areas as well. This is a spicy version.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo pork ribs, (2 lbs)
- 2-3 handfuls young kaffir lime leaves
- 1-2 handfuls Thai basil leaves
- 1/4 cup red chili paste
- 2 tablespoons shrimp paste
- pork broth, as needed, you make this during the cooking
- salt, to taste, as desired
Instructions
- Rinse the strip of ribs and cut between each bone.
- Place ribs in a pot and cover with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low boil. Cook the ribs for about 30 to 40 minutes. Use a large spoon and skim off any foam. You are making a basic pork broth and the ribs will be nice and tender.
- While the ribs are cooking, prep the kaffir lime leaves, rinse them, makes sure all are tender, and just roughly tear them up.
- Pull the basil leaves from the stems, rinse, and squeeze out the excess water.
- When the ribs have cooked 30-40 minutes and are good and tender, you can turn them off. Place another pot on the stove, add the red chili paste and shrimp paste.
- Now ladle in some of the pork broth from the cooked ribs, about 1 1/2 to 2 cups.
- Stir and mash the pastes into the broth until you get a nice smooth curry. There, you just made a standard red Thai curry.
- Use a slotted spoon and scoop out the ribs from the first pot and place into the curry.
- Stir the ribs into the curry, and turn the heat on to bring to a low boil.
- Add the Thai basil.
- Stir and let the basil completely wilt and mix into the curry.
- Add the kaffir lime leaves.
- Stir the lime leaves in, turn off the heat, and pour into a large serving dish, serve family style with plenty of rice.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Recipe provided and cooked by my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Pork Rib Soup with Winter Melon
This is a Thai, non spicy soup, that is common in the rural areas due to the melon being very common and low cost. It is delicious yet so simple to make. There is many ways to make pork rib soup, this one uses winter melon. The melon, called Fock in Thai, is often grown in peoples yards, and readily available in local markets for low cost, so the only items to purchase are large shallots and pork ribs.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo pork ribs, (2 lbs)
- 1 large winter melon
- 2 large shallots
- salt, to taste, as desired
Instructions
- Rinse the strip of ribs and cut between each bone.
- Place ribs in a pot and cover with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low boil. Cook the ribs for about 30 to 40 minutes. Use a large spoon and skim off any foam. You are making a basic pork broth and the ribs will be nice and tender.
- While the ribs are cooking, prep the winter melon by peeling it first. slice off each end. Cut the melon in half lengthwise, use a spoon and scrape out the seeds, then cut each half into 2-3 long slices as well. Chop the long slices into about 1 inch pieces.
- This is what a winter melon looks like, you will want to peel it before you cut it apart. Winter melon is also known as wax melon and ash gourd.
- Prep the large shallots, trim of each end, peel, then quarter. Use a heavy pestle, rolling pin, or meat tenderizer and smash the quarters, this does two things, releases the liquid in the shallots, and keeps the pieces large, as a diced shallot would simply disappear in the soup during cooking. This photo shows our tool of choice for this, a 3 lb granite pestle.
- Add the shallot to the pot between 30 and 40 minutes into cooking, leave on a low boil for another 5-10 minutes. Taste the broth and season with salt as desired.
- Add the winter melon and cook on a low boil for about 20 minutes or until the melon is tender. Taste the broth and season with salt as desired.
- Typically served family style in a large serving bowl in the center of the table, and people have a bowl of rice, they scoop out some ribs, melon, and broth over their rice.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Recipe provided and cooked by my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Creamy Ham & Egg Casserole
Not only does this sound good and tasty, it can use leftovers as well, so this may be a nice recipe to keep handy when you have leftover potatoes and hard cooked eggs. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled, and sliced
- 4 hard boiled eggs, chicken or duck, chopped, (Shortcut)
- 1 cup cooked ham, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream, (Shortcut)
- 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs, (Shortcut)
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease with additional butter, a 7x11 baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the potatoes, hard boiled eggs, and ham, toss to combine, then sprinkle in the salt and pepper and toss to mix in.
- In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and the egg. Gently toss this with the potato mixture.
- Pour the potato mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- In a bowl, toss the breadcrumbs with the melted butter, sprinkle over the casserole.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly hot and the top is starting to brown.
- Serve and enjoy for breakfast or as a breakfast for dinner (my preference).
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs, Perfect Hard Boiled Duck Eggs, Sour Cream, Bread Crumbs.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Creamed Chicken on Toast
This sounds really good, and easy, with common ingredients. Don't let the name fool you, you can serve this over toast, biscuits, rice, or even pasta. This recipe is very versatile. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into bit size pieces, (1 lb)
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, (Shortcut)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1/2 cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded
- olive oil, as needed
- salt and pepper, to taste, as desired
- toast, for serving
Instructions
- Plan according to what you are going to serve this over, toast, biscuits, rice, or pasta, your choice, and prepare those items according to your own recipes or package instructions. I using biscuits, rice, or pasta, prepare those now. If serving over toast, you can prepare that while the chicken is simmering.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the cubed chicken, season with salt and pepper as desired. Saute until the chicken is just done, takes just a few minutes, don't over cook the chicken or it will be dry. Turn down heat to low.
- Add the soup, milk, and peas, and stir together. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese and simmer for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted in. Prepare toast if using that.
- Serve over toast, biscuits, rice, or pasta, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.
Variants: 1. Used mixed vegetables in place of peas. 2. Use Cheddar or Swiss in place of Colby Jack to change the flavor.
Adapted from an internet recipe.