I actually make a lot of low costs meals (I've become really cost conscious about my meals lately. Robert Irvine once said that a restaurant's food costs usually sits at no more than 25% of the price... Then why should your home meals cost any more than 25% of what you'd pay for the same meal at a restaurant?)
Budae Jigae.
2-3 Hot Dogs, rough chopped into 2 inch sections
1 can of spam, halve the spam down the middle and then from there into 1/4 inch slices.
Kale, cut into 2 inch sections
Baby Bok Choi
1 large brown onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped.
4 tbsp red pepper paste (this can be found at your local K-Market)
Water... or 2 cans of stock... I use 1 beef 1 chicken.
The noodles out of a package of instant ramen noodles (optional)
soy sauce/salt to taste.
2 tbsp oil.
short grain white rice... cooked in a cooker.
In a medium stock pot or an extra deep wok style skillet, brown the onions in the oil, add the red pepper paste, and the garlic and mix until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the water or stock, dissolving all the red pepper paste. Add the hotdogs and spam, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Add your veggies (kale and bok choi). Taste your broth and add more red pepper paste or salt/soy sauce as necessary.
Take off of the stove, and if you choose, add ONLY the noodles from the instant ramen package, submerging the ramen under the broth. Cover for 2 minutes.
If you have scallions on hand, you can garnish it with bias cut scallions, but it's not necessary.
Serve with white rice.
The recipe makes enough for at least 4 people. If your total costs have exceeded 12 dollars, you are doing something wrong.
Char Siu Kimchi Fried Rice.
3 cups of white rice, cooked.
Use Jasmine rice that has been cooked 1 day prior and refrigerated OR do what I do, and use jasmine rice that has been cooked with a little less water, and then put the rice into the freezer as you do the rest of the prepwork.
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped.
2 or three stalks of green onions.
1 bag of nappa kimchi (approx 1 cup's worth)
1/2 bag of frozen veggie mix. (peas, corn, and carrots)
1 4-6 onz package of chinese char siu. Sliced or cubed.
2 tbsp sesame oil
4 tbsp canola oil (you COULD sub for 2 tbsp veg oil and 2 tbsp olive oil)
1-2 tbsp red pepper paste (optional)
salt
siracha
soy sauce
5 eggs.
using 2 tbsp olive oil or canola oil, brown the onions, then add the frozen veggies. When they're cooked. Add the green onions and fry a little then add the garlic.
When the garlic is fragrant, Add the other 2 tbsp of canola oil, and then add the rice. Fry the rice a little bit, mixing well, and sprinkle sesame oil on it. At this point, add the red pepper paste if you have it (It's not necessary, but you'll have a better product).
Then add the char siu pork. Fry some more.
Squeeze the kimchi out and add it to the fried rice. Mix well.
Add Siracha, soy sauce and salt to taste.
Serve with a fried egg on top with soy sauce over the egg. (sunny side up, or over easy)
This recipe feeds 5 people. If you have exceeded 12 dollars total, you are doing it wrong.
Yellow Curry.
3 cups of jasmine rice. Cooked.
1 large brown onion, julienned
2 cloves garlic, chopped.
2 carrots, cut into even sized chunks
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks.
1 can of coconut milk
3-4 tbsp yellow curry powder
2 tbsp fish sauce
3-ish tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp oil (I use olive oil)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 chicken breasts. cut into 1/2 inch cubes...
dash of salt,
dash of pepper
water to boil the carrots and potatoes.
In a medium pot bring the carrots to a boil.
When the carrots are about 1/3-1/2 done (you can check with a fork), add the potatoes to the carrots, and bring to a boil again.
Heat a large pan, brown the onions in the oil, add chopped garlic.
When fragrant, add about 2 tbsp of the coconut milk, and the chicken, and the salt and pepper.
Brown the chicken a bit, and then add the rest of the coconut milk and the heavy cream.
Stir in the curry powder.
Add the fish sauce and brown sugar.
The carrots and potatoes should now be done, drain them in a strainer.
Add them to the pan, stir gently, making sure everything is covered.
Adjust with more fish sauce, brown sugar, or heavy cream as needed.
Serve with rice.
This recipe makes enough for 5-6 people, if the total cost exceeds 10 (really, its more like 8, but you can't always find chicken breasts on sale) dollars, you are doing it wrong.
It's late, I'll post more later.