Recipes

Easy and cheap meals from all around the world. Emphasis on one pot meals!

Rice Breads & Pastries Grains No Carbs Close tab

Rice


Lazy over rice ideas

  • laoganma
  • protein: sunnyside up, spam
  • veg: teochew ganlan cai, waipocai

Dip Tau Fan: Saucy Egg and Beef

  • eggs
  • liaojiu aka shaoxingwine
  • lean beef, e.g. loin 150g.
  • marinade:
    • salt
    • cornstarch
    • soy sauce
    • dark soy sauce
    • liaojiu
    • baking soda
    • white pepper
    • 1/2 egg white (from eggs above)
    • water
    • oil
  • aromatics: ginger, scallions
  • stir fry sauce: stock, salt, MSG, bouillon, sugar, white pepper

Dip Tau Fan: Saucy Chicken and Mushroom

  • dried shiitake mushrooms
  • water
  • soaking liquid seasoning:
    • salt
    • msg
    • white pepper
    • sugar
    • soy sauce
    • oyster sauce
  • mushroom marinade: salt, sugar, msg, soy sauce, liaojiu
  • chicken thigh, 375 grams
  • chicken marinade:
    • salt
    • chicken bouillon
    • sugar
    • soy sauce
    • dark soy sauce
    • white pepper
    • liaojiu
    • cornstarch
    • oil
  • aromatics: ginger, scallions
  • slurry: tapioca/potato starch, water
  • liaojiu
  • sesame oil

Over Rice: Diced Pork and Mushroom

  • Pork loin or chop, 200g
  • Fresh shiitake mushrooms
  • pork marinade:
    • salt
    • sugar
    • cornstarch
    • liaojiu
    • dark soy sauce
    • oil
  • aromatics: ginger, scallion, garlic
  • liaojiu
  • light soy sauce
  • water
  • seasoning: oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper, MSG
  • slurry: cornstarch, water
  • sesame oil

Over Rice: Steamed Squashed with Garlic Black Bean Sauce

  • Butternut squash or kabocha ~350g
  • garlic black bean sauce
  • slurry: cornstarch and water
  • sesame oil
  • oil

Over Rice: Steamed Egg with Pork

  • Eggs, 4
  • egg seasoning: salt, sugar, white pepper, bouillon/msg
  • water/stock
  • pork belly/ground pork of beef, 100g
  • scallions

Over Rice: Pickled Greens & Beans

  • Suan cai pickled mustard greens or kimchi, 100g
  • Kidney beans, 1 can
  • aromatics: ginger, scallion, garlic, dried chilis of choice
  • liaojiu
  • seasoning: salt, sugar, soy sauce, msg, dark Chinese vingar

Cabbage Sausage Pasta

peasant dish

  • cabbage
  • italian sausage
  • onion, chopped
  • dried chilis, chopped
  • red wine vinegar
  • parmesano reggiano, ground
  • parsley, finely chopped
  • big tubular pasta

Cut cabbage into wedges, and char in a hot pan with some oil. Remove and brown sausage into bits. Add in onion, cook unti soft. Add dried chilis. Remove core of cabbage and slice finely, then add to pan. Cover for 5 min, add in some red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Add into parm reg and parlsey. Cook pasta, add pasta water and pasta into pan, mix. Drizzle some olive oil.

Pasta l’amatriciano

peasant dish

  • pasta
  • guanciale
  • cherry tomatoes, halved
  • peccorino or parmesano reggiano

Cut up guanciale, render out fat until crisp, place bits aside. Add tomatoes, low heat, cover for 5-10 min. Mash up tomatoes, add water, salt, and pasta. Once nearly al dente, cut the heat, add parm reg, cover for 2-3 min. Plate and top off with guanciale.

Bread & Pastries


Let's make bread

Cream of Tartar Drop Biscuits

easy

  • 1 egg
  • ¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons milk
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup sugar

instructions


Bread is in it

Pancotto

peasant dish

  • guanciale
  • onion, carrot, parsley mix
  • stock
  • bread
  • parmesan
  • fun stuff: fresh herbs, garlic cloves

Render out fat and crisp the guanciale. Add in garlic. Once garlic is golden, remove and add in the mix and fresh herbs. Cook until veg are soft, then add in stock. Add parm and bread cubes or have bread on the side.

Strata

technique

  • bread, cubed
  • eggs
  • fillings of choice: use pre-cooked/quick cooking/non-watery ingredients
  • milk

Oil up and season bread and toast in oven. Make custard of eggs and milk, season and add mix ins. Toss bread and mixture together unitl bread is soaked. Transfer to baking vessel.


Pies and the like

Sardine Tarte Tatin

one pot

  • 5 white onions, diced
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp dried oregano
  • pinch Espelette chili pepper flakes
  • 3 tins sardines
  • 1 sheet puff pastry thawed, if frozen

Preheat the oven at 350°F. Cook onions in oil until transluscent and starting to brown. Add tomatoes, chilis, salt & pep, sugar, and cook for another 15 min to remove moisture. Cut fish in half and remove bones, line pie plate with fish. Cover fish with veg mix and then the puff pastry, cutting off excess and wrapping edges around the food. Poke holes and press pastry to remove air pockets. Bake 35-40min, cool for 10, then flip onto a plate.


Enjoy with bread

Prženi Kupus sa Kobasicama

one pot

  • 1 kg jar pickled cabbage not red or sauerkraut
  • tomato puree, 4 tbsp
  • onion, finely chopped
  • suho meso slices (smoked cured beef) to taste
  • Vegeta (Balkan seasoning) to taste
  • kransky (or similar) sausages
  • crusty bread for serving

Sautée onion in pot, brown sausages whole. Once onions are cooked, remove sausages, add tomato puree, cabbage, and seasoning. Add sausages on top, water just enough to cover cabbage. Cover and bake in over for 40 min at 350˚F. Uncover and bake to brown a bit.

Menemen

one pot

  • tomatoes, finely chopped
  • onion, finely chopped
  • bell peppers, finely chopped
  • eggs

Heat olive oil/butter in pan, sautée in order onions, peppers, tomatoes on medium heat until slightly thickened. Salt & pep, maybe even chili flakes. Crack and stir eggs into pan until scrambled.

Pèsols Estofats

one pot

  • 250 g frozen peas
  • onion, finely chopped
  • garlic
  • bell peppers, finely chopped
  • any other leftover veggies you may have finely chopped
  • vegetable stock cube
  • herbs: bay leaves, thyme, oregano
  • fun: fried egg as topping

Cook onion on low heat. Add the peas, salt, herbs. Add any other veggies/seasonings as desired. Then add the water, enough to cover the ingredients, and cover. Once boiling, turn heat down and cook slowly for 20-30 min.

Grains


Milho

one pot

  • instant polenta
  • potato, cubed
  • garlic, chopped
  • lots of fresh thyme
  • kale
  • red onion and tomato, chopped for topping
  • red wine vinegar
  • fun stuff: tuna or sausage on top

Season throughout. Fry garlic, thyme, and potatoes in olive oil. Add kale, until soft. Add water then polenta, continuously stir. Plate and add toppings and splash of vinegar.

Spanakorizo

one pot

  • onion or shallots, chopped
  • fresh dill, chopped
  • garlic, crushed
  • 2 large bags of baby spinach
  • tin diced tomatoes or 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup long grain rice
  • 4 cups stock/water

Sautee aromatics until soft, then add dill. Add spinach, cook until wilted. Add diced tomato or paste, salt & pep, and stock. Once stock has boiled, add rice and stir. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer until rice is cooked.

Mujaddarah

one pot

  • 1 cup brown lentils, washed
  • 1 cup long grain rice, washed
  • 1 yellow onion, julienne
  • 1 Tbsp flour
  • yogurt for serving

Cook lentils in 3 cups of water until almost soft. Then salt and boil until completely soft (total time, 20min). Cook rice with 3 cups of boiled water around 10min of lentils, salt. Fry onions until golden brown. Drain rice and lentils, mix into onions, cook until residual moisture is gone.

Chicken & Rice

worldwide

  • rice
  • chicken
  • garlic, chopped
  • dry brine: salt, pepper, spices.
  • aromatics

Pat chicken dry and sprinkle dry bine all over. Soak the rice. In cold pan, put chicken skin side down and sear. Take out chicken, blend up aromatics or finely chop, and cook down in the pan until carmelized and concentrated, making sure there's little moisture left. Add water, bring mixture to simmer.

Some inspiration

  • Spanish Paella
  • Chicken Biryani
  • Hainese Chicken & Rice
  • Arroz con Pollo
  • Galinhada

No Carbs


Meatballs

technique

  • panade: bread and milk (I know this section says "no carbs", let's pretend the bread doesn't count)
  • minced meat
  • seasoning and mix ins, chopped fine

Mix up panade, add other add ins and meat and knead it like bread dough. Rest dough for 24 hours. Brown meatballs all around.