Easy Peasy Potato Salad

I'm back!

So here's a really simple recipe, inspired by a good friend.

Easy Peasy Potato Salad

What you need:

1 can of whole mushrooms
Light sour cream
A couple of russet potatoes

What to do:

1. Clean potatoes and chop them into cubes, leaving the skin on.

2. Sprinkle some salt on the potatoes, mix them up and chuck them into a steamer. Steam for 10-15 minutes or until just cooked.

3. Once cooked, leave potatoes to cool. Put into fridge.

4. Open the can of mushrooms and slice them thinly. Take potatoes out and mix mushrooms in.

5. Add 2-3 tablespoons of light sour cream. Add some salt and pepper to the mixture and mix well. Return salad to fridge until it is ready to be served.

Tadah!

The Really Simple Coleslaw

I must admit: when it comes to culinary vegetation, I'm not particularly imaginative. Steamed broccoli tossed in oyster sauce goes with rice, scalded choy sum goes with noodles, and raw green salad goes with everything else. So today, I decided to try something different: coleslaw - and we're not talking about the mass-produced shite from kay-eff-see. This recipe uses only cabbage and onion and you can add sliced carrots as well (I was too lazy, hence the omission) during the salting.

(sorry, no picture this time - too lazy to take one)

The really simple coleslaw
1/4 head of cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup white vinegar
6 tbsp sugar
Pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp salt

1. Using your hands, rub salt into the cabbage and onions. Mix well, and then drain in a colander using a weight. Squeeze dry for at least 45 min.

2. In a saucepan, heat vinegar over low heat and dissolve sugar. Once all the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and whisk in pepper and oil. set aside to cool.

3. Discard drained liquid from vegetables. Wash free from salt and squeeze dry again.

4. Place vegetables in a non-reactive container and pour vinegar solution over. Leave in fridge for at 6 hours, stirring every two hours.

5. After that, drain excess liquid and enjoy! Makes about 4-5 servings.

Cost Breakdown
Total Cost: RM3.35++
Cost per serving: RM0.70++
Cabbage RM2
Onion RM0.35
Vinegar RM1 (RM5 for the whole bottle)

Tags: Coleslaw

Sweet Couscous

This recipe is unique in the sense that it is sweet and can be eaten as a meal or dessert.

Either way, it is extremely appealing for sweet tooths and cashew lovers; very filling and comforting on a cold winter night.

Sweet Couscous

250g couscous
150g sultanas
150g cashew nuts
50g butter
120ml honey
600ml boiling water
2 oranges (peeled) - optional

1. Place couscous and sultanas in a large, heat-proof bowl and pour boiling water. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed and sultanas are plump. Use a fork to separate the grains.

2. Heat a frypan, throw in cashews and stir quickly until roasted. Set aside.

3. Melt butter in a pan. Add couscous mixture and honey. Cook stirring well until heated through.

4. Serve pipping hot with pieces of oranges and roasted cashews.

Lemony Prawn Salad

Like the previous recipe, the Chinese Duck Salad, this salad recipe's preparation is more in the prawns rather than the salad. Just slap on the greens and you have a great no-frills shrimp salad recipe! The prawns are great on their own as tapas, too.



Lemony Prawns (salad, optional)
1 pound of prawns/shrimp, meat only
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tsp olive oil
1 tsp freshly crushed black pepper

1. In a salted pot of boiling water, cook the prawns until pink - should take about a minute or two.
2. Marinade the cook prawns in lemon juice, oil and pepper. Place in a glass or non-reactive meal bowl and cover with cling wrap. Leave in fridge for at least two hours - overnight is better.
3. Dish out what you need, when you need it. Can last in the fridge for up to a week. Serves 2-4 portions.

Cost per serving: $2 (approx)
Cost breakdown:
SGD$2.00 - 1 pound shrimp (approx)
SGD$0.40 - 1 lemon
SGD$6.00 - Salad Mix

Tags: lemony prawns lemon shrimp salad seafood budget recipe

Chinese Duck Salad

Sometimes, I just get tired of cooking and so I assemble a salad instead. This Chinese duck salad is made with roast duck - although you can (and should, probably, since you'd be on a budget) use some leftover roast chicken instead. The secret is in the dressing though, which works well with both chicken and duck.


Chinese Duck (or Chicken) Salad

1 serve of salad greens
1 roast duck breast, sliced - chicken works fine too.

Dressing:
3-4 spring onions, white parts only
1 inch ginger
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp chinese rice wine
1/2 tsp sugar

1. Make the marinade by mincing the spring onions and ginger into a fine paste. Mix the sugar and liquids after and leave in fridge for at least an hour.
2. Assemble greens and duck in a bowl and mix well with 1/2 tbsp of dressing. Enjoy!

Tags: chinese duck chicken salad recipe

Thai Seafood Salad

I was in a bit of a Thai mood last week - probably because the week before that us officefolk were at Thai Express to celebrate one of my colleagues' birthday. This recipe is "inspired" from TE's seafood salad, but a side-by-side comparison will quickly show that they are completely different.

Thai Seafood Salad

The Salad
Bee hoon a.k.a. Rice vermicelli noodles, soaked in hot water
Coriander leaves
Mint leaves
Shrimp, cooked
Squid, scored and cooked
(all the ingredients above portioned out to the number of serves you want to make. It's your preference.)
1 and 1/2 tsp fish sauce
1 and 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1 and 1/2 tsp sesame oil
(sauces per serve)

The Dressing (for 1 serving)
2 tbsp Thai Sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp peanut butter (chunky preferred)
1 tbsp sesame oil
Juice of half a lime
Black pepper to taste

1. Set aside seafood and mix the rest of ingredients for salad together.
2. Combine dressing ingredients with a whisk. Reserve have the dressing and toss the rest of the mixture with the salad.
3. Toss the cooked seafood with the reserved dressing. Top salad. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Tags: thai seafood salad budget recipe

soba salad

As seen on real life! Serves 8! Here's what you need:



Got that? No? Okay, in words and numbers.

400g soba (green tea flavour preferred for colour)
sesame oil
sesame seeds
seaweed
seafood salad/fish sticks, shredded
light soy sauce
dark soy sauce

First, the soba. Boil the soba noodles as per packet instructions. Drain, and wash immediately in cold water. Place on dish and mix well with sesame oil so that they don't stick.



Mix in two tablespoons of light soy and one tablespoon of dark soy. Stir and mix well. Add and mix the sesame seeds and seafood salad seperately. Garnish with more seafood salad and seaweed. Serve cold.



Tags: soba salad cold noodle budget recipe

wurst and bierkraut

In the spirit of Oktoberfest!



Celebration food for my post-essay season. Actually, bierkraut doesn't really need a reason. I cheated a lot for this recipe, buying store-bought canned sauerkraut and sausages. But it's the flavor extention that makes it count, right?

Half-can sauerkraut
1 cup of beer (i used VB)
1 small onion, sliced
1 rasher bacon, cut in bits
2 - 3 sausages, of your choice. Of course, bratwurst is recommended. Weisswurst also can.
A little oil or butter

Heat the oil or butter in a heavy pan and fry the bacon until all the fat is rendered onto the pan. Move the bacon bits onto the side of the pan and fry the onion until soft. Add the sauerkraut and mix in the bacon and onions well. Place the sausages on top of the sauerkraut mix and top with beer. Cover the pan and simmer, letting the beer boil the sausages, making sure to turn the sausages occasionally. Boil until the beer simmers off, leaving a slight gravy. Serve with mustard and more beer. Prost!

Tags: sausages wurst beer bierkraut sauerkraut budget recipe