photo by cynicaloptimist

You don’t have to serve beans and rice every night to keep dinner low cost. Consider cooking a tender roast or whole chicken. They lend themselves to tomorrow’s dinner of light stir-fry, all-in-one casserole, “break-from-cooking” sandwiches, an ethnic meal or hearty soups. Or you can balance your food budget by serving thrifty dinners during the week and more expensive meals on weekends. Another option is to serve more costly meats with low-cost vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes or cabbage, which typically stay cheap throughout the year. Or, if you plan to use cheaper chicken quarters, then splurge on a special salad or fresh vegetables to accompany it. The addition of homemade appetizers or dessert can make a surprising difference, too. Today, I’m sharing three frugal Filipino recipes.

photo by museinthecity

Pancit (rice noodles)
Use leftover pork or chicken

1 (12-ounce) package dried thin rice noodles
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 onion, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
2 cups diced cooked chicken or pork
1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chicken broth
soy sauce, to taste

Cook’s note: I use baby carrots because the slices create tiny medallions. I also use chicken powder and mix with water instead of using canned chicken broth, so I’m making only the amount that I plan to use.

Place the rice noodles in a large bowl, and cover with warm water. When partially soft, drain and set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in chicken, cabbage and carrots. Cook until vegetables soften. Toss in rice noodles. Add chicken broth and cook and stir until noodles absorb most of the broth. Add a dash of soy sauce to taste.

photo by lippert61

Lumpia (spring rolls)
Can be served with Pancit, white rice or fried rice

1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for frying
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup carrots, minced or finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup thinly sliced or shredded green cabbage
salt and pepper, to taste
soy sauce, to taste
25 lumpia or spring-roll wrappers (If you can’t find them in your local store, try an Asian market.)
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
beaten egg, optional, to seal wrappers

Place a large skillet over high heat and brown ground beef. Drain grease and remove beef from pan. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan and saute onion and garlic until softened. Add carrots and cabbage until tender. Add ground beef back into pan. Stir to combine with vegetables. Season with pepper, salt and dash of soy sauce. Remove pan from heat, and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Place wrapper on counter on an angle so it’s diamond-shaped. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling diagonally in a thin line toward the upper corner of the wrapper. Fold down the upper corner and tightly roll once. Then fold the side corners in over the single roll of filling and continue to roll down neatly and tightly. Moisten the end corner of the wrapper with water or beaten egg to seal closed. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add 1/2 inch oil into pan, and heat for 5 minutes. Place 4 lumpia into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Cool for a few minutes and serve warm. Makes 20 to 30 lumpia depending on how you fill each wrapper. Don’t overpack like a traditional egg roll.

photo by maiylah

Turon

lumpia or spring-roll wrappers
bananas, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
brown sugar
milk chocolate, chopped, optional
grated coconut, optional
vegetable oil for frying

Cook’s note: You can serve it with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Place wrapper on counter on an angle so it’s diamond-shaped. Roll banana half in brown sugar. Place banana in wrapper toward the upper corner. Place 5 to 6 chocolate pieces on top of banana. Sprinkle coconut on top. Follow the same rolling and frying method for lumpia.

Do you have any favorite International recipes you make that are frugal?

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