So, I made something with the kids this morning that I was going to use for my Thrifty blog post. But, the flavor was NOT there. So, I will have to try again. (It was homemade corn tortillas. Cheap. Easy. Fun. Not as good as store bought - so far, for me.)
Instead I'll tell you about a super tasty way (& cheap) way to serve plain old chicken & rice.
Boil your whole Chicken.
We usually fancy up our rice by cooking it in chicken broth. But, a cheaper way to spiff it up is just by sauteing a bit of onion & garlic in a little oil. Then stir in your rice to coat with the oil. Add the proper amount of water.
While your rice is cooking, make your sauces.
Toss about 2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 3 tablespoons of canola oil into a blender. Process until smooth. Set aside.
Now, sauce #2 -
Blend 2 or 3 Serrano chilies, about 3 Tablespoons of diced onion, 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, 3 cloves of garlic, juice of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon water, 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Process until blended. Set aside.
Just mix the desired amount of sauces into your chicken & rice. It is really, really tasty. And, cheap, too. The stuff for the sauces cost pennies. You can get peppers for about .15, garlic & ginger & hardly any more than that. This meal is still really good as leftovers, too.
11 comments:
This sounds good, Erin!
Fresh ginger is something I have never kept onhand... how long does it keep?? Is it better than using powdered?? (I assume anything is better when fresh instead of powdered, but ya never know...)
that sounds yummy!!
As for the chips... we stopped buying them. Getting quite expensive for baked/fried corn and its not good for us anyway :)
Peanut,
The ginger is fresh ginger root & far better than powder in something like this. Although, I have never preferred the fresh root in baked goods, to the powder.
But, it is needed in this, as it is the *star* of the show. It keeps well for a while. I keep mine for around a month. I use it even when it's kinda wrinkly & old & it is fine. It is just not as pungent as when it is young.
Stef, what we made was corn tortillas. From masa harina. They were not tasty just cooked. But, we fried them to use as a base for Huevos Rancheros & then for salad. They were good like that. But, excellent corn tortillas can be purchased for very little money ($1.99 for 50) at a mexican grocer. I am not quite a true Latina cook. Mine do not compare!
oh, haha! I misunderstood what you made. Gotcha. We don't buy those either, but I DID try making them once and mine turned out horribly. They were crumbling and falling apart and tasted horrible. I came to the same conclusion you did - wasn't worth it :)
i am very sorry you have had such a bad experience with making corn tortillas! it's true they are pretty cheap to buy, but i usually make them because they taste soooo much better. we should get together and make some. my uncle even has a machine for rolling them out.
Meris, I have by no means giving up the corn tortilla making. I want to make mine tasty! I would be happy to learn from you!
I'm hoping to stock up on groceries today... so I'll see if I can add a ginger root to the mix. :) See if it can spice up some meals for us in the next few weeks.
this looks great, thanks for sharing!!
I'm hoping to stock up on groceries today... so I'll see if I can add a ginger root to the mix. :) See if it can spice up some meals for us in the next few weeks.
Fresh ginger is something I have never kept onhand... how long does it keep?? Is it better than using powdered?? (I assume anything is better when fresh instead of powdered, but ya never know...)
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