Budget Recipe – Chicken Fried Rice

Sam — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:20:30 +0000

This recipe is particularly budget-friendly as it uses a lot of things you probably already have in your pantry / fridge and is a great way to use up leftovers like cooked meats (I use chicken, but you can use seafood too) and cooked rice. It serves 6.

500g (2 1/2 cups) long-grain rice
1 tbs peanut or vegetable oil
800g cooked chicken (I like to use a roasted one from the supermarket, shredded. You can easily shred cooked meats, by using two forks in a tearing motion on a chopping board.)
6 bacon rashes, rind removed, coarsely chopped, about 1.5cm squares
3 eggs, lightly whisked
8 green shallots, ends trimmed, thinly sliced diagonally
100g (1 1/2 cups) bean sprouts, ends trimmed
80ml (1/3 cup) light soy sauce
100g frozen pea & corn mix

Cook the rice following packet directions or until tender. Spread the rice over a baking tray. Place in the fridge overnight to cool completely.
Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan over high heat until just smoking. Add the bacon and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate.
Add the egg and swirl about in the wok/pan slightly. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until almost set. Use a wooden spoon to stir and break up the egg. Add chicken, bacon, rice, peas, corn and soy sauce and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until the rice and chicken are heated through.
Add the shallot and bean sprouts and stir-fry for 1 minute or until combined. Spoon into serving boxes or onto plates and serve immediately.

Budget Tips For This Recipe: You can use any frozen vegetable combination that you have in your freezer or is on sale, such as peas, corn, carrots, etc. Sometimes you’ll see asian greens in the frozen aisle at the supermarket and they work very well too! Whatever you do, don’t use aborio rice otherwise this will end up tasting like asian risotto so stick to long grains. Bacon can be substituted for ham, just chop it up and add it in step 3 instead of frying it.

Enjoy!

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Cheap Recipe – Olive Risotto

Sam — Mon, 25 May 2009 07:31:02 +0000

This is a great recipe for the winter months ahead (in the southern hemisphere, anyway!). All the ingredients can be easily obtained from the supermarket, keeping your costs down considerably. This risotto is particularly enjoyable with a warm side dish or two. It serves four as a main course when served with sides.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
200g risotto rice
600ml vegetable or chicken stock, simmering
400g can peeled tomatoes, chopped (you can buy diced ones too)
1 1/2 tbsp olive tapenade
100g tiny black olives, pips removed
4 sprigs basil, leaves shredded
50ml dry white wine
30g unsalted butter or butter substitute (eg. nuttex or margarine)
75g parmesan, finely grated
Black pepper (freshly ground tastes best)

Heat oil in a sturdy pot over medium heat; add onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add rice and stir with a wooden spatula until all the grains are coated with oil. Cook for a few minutes. Have the stock ready and simmering gently. Using a ladle, add enough stock to come almost to the top of the rice, but don’t drown it.

Stir until the stock evaporates. Continue adding stock little by little as needed, stirring most of the time. After 15 minutes, add tomatoes, tapenade, olives and basil. Continue stirring and adding stock. At 20 minutes, taste rice to check if al dente (still a little firm).

When al dente, remove from the heat, add the cold wine, stir and add the butter and half the parmesan. Season to taste. Cover tightly and leave to fluff up for 2-5 minutes.

Serve at once on hot plates, sharing the rest of the parmesan at the table.

Budget tips for this recipe: Macadamia oil, whilst more expensive than olive oil is better for you (has been proven to lower cholesterol, and is happily heated for long periods). You can substitute both the olive oil and the butter in this recipe for macadamia oil if you wish. The black olives are cheapest when bought in a jar at the supermarket and not from the deli counter. Use bin-end or cleanskin wine to keep the cost of this down. The very cheapest way to get stock is to make your own, but it’s very time consuming! For health reasons, I use and recommend Gravox liquid stock, but stock cubes work too.

Bon appetite!

Budget Recipe – Chicken Fried Rice This recipe is particularly budget-friendly as it uses a lot...

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Budget Recipe – Chicken Fried Rice

Cheap Recipe – Olive Risotto