tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-263459552009-11-29T02:44:20.546-08:00Cooking tips and recipes that don't break the budgetPepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-39541634827911185022009-08-19T00:34:00.001-07:002009-08-25T01:02:43.497-07:00

Lately I've been making an effort to eat more at home, which has been a challenge. It's tough for home cooking to compete with the cheap and delicious food that can be picked up and eaten anywhere without messing up the kitchen. Having the fixings for these lettuce wraps in the fridge makes me look forward to coming home for lunch. They also pack nicely, if you have a fridge at work. Poach half

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-82341730709210496722009-08-18T23:50:00.001-07:002009-08-19T02:05:52.360-07:00

After making a batch of chicken stock from a whole bird I skimmed nearly a cup of fat from the top, planning to save it and try to find a way to sub it for expensive butter. A few days later at the market I picked up a pound of shredded potatoes. At home, I melted a tablespoon of chicken fat into the potatoes with half a teaspoon of salt, until I could toss everything together. I spread the

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-2195532368839649822009-08-04T19:29:00.001-07:002009-08-04T19:32:37.913-07:00

Many servers at local restaurants these days recommend their white fungus soup (银耳汤), which I never had the habit of eating before coming to China. It has a cooling effect on the body which makes it perfect for summer, and many other health benefits. I started ordering it a lot because I found it delicious. The fungus itself has an extremely mild flavour, but the texture is quite interesting and

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-29015514968737441102009-07-23T06:08:00.001-07:002009-07-23T06:18:23.091-07:00

One of the easiest and best tasting ways of enjoying fruit in the summer is to make a crisp. They are also good for using up less than perfect fruit. I've been making at least one crisp a week this summer, starting with apricots, then sunset coloured mixes of apricots and plums, then peaches. The latest amazing local fruit to turn up at the markets has been bunches of very round and purple

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-73047274122226008922009-06-25T04:21:00.000-07:002009-06-25T04:45:22.733-07:00

One of the great things about Italian cooking is there are so many simple methods and combinations that result in something amazing. I made these beans twice in a week, once for company with the stuffed peppers. I didn't have any sage, which is traditional, so I used oregano. Warm two to four cloves of crushed garlic in three tablespoons of olive oil (can use less if you want) until garlic is

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-53526452446182991712009-06-17T00:12:00.001-07:002009-06-17T00:12:48.851-07:00

This recipe eliminates everything I disliked about stuffed peppers as a kid. Instead of large, bland bell peppers the smaller, spicy green chilies (like a hatch chili) are used, which have a chance to soften and char in the oven. Milk soaked bread crumbs instead of rice round out the filling. Ground pork is used instead of ground beef, which is cheaper where I am. These peppers are are a great

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-36473060654806770322009-05-27T07:25:00.000-07:002009-05-27T07:46:46.553-07:00

A few apricots on my counter were getting soft - I'd bought them dead ripe - so I made them into a sauce to eat with my morning oatmeal. The flavour of apricots is very distinct, but they pick up other seasonings well. A couple of slices of fresh ginger would work really well in this sauce. The flavour of cinnamon would have been great, but I only had powdered and wanted a seasoning that would

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-14256761831960578372009-05-14T03:41:00.000-07:002009-05-14T04:07:54.790-07:00

I recently taught a Chinese friend to make these brownies. She was very excited to watch them bake through the door of my little toaster oven. "They're expanding, and giving off the most amazing smell! So wondrous!" I asked her why Chinese people don't often eat sweet things. She told me that people are concerned about weight problems, but added sweet things make people feel happy. It's

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-8556870620150347442009-04-26T23:32:00.000-07:002009-04-26T23:48:37.499-07:00

This is a thick, spreadable dip with a great mild colour and flavour. It is very good with chips, bread, vegetables, and crackers. I used to make a version with feta, but feta is really expensive here and I thought I would try a similar recipe using cream cheese.Bring 1 1/2 cups fresh shelled soybeans to a boil with 3 cloves garlic. Boil together til mostly tender and pour drained soybeans and

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-87998974065050686902009-03-15T07:45:00.000-07:002009-03-15T08:05:55.432-07:00

In the E.B. White novel Trumpet of the Swan, a swan named Louis stays at the Ritz hotel and orders watercress sandwiches. He eats them without the bread, but since reading that book I've always associated watercress sandwiches with luxury even though it is as affordable as any other green this time of year. Somehow I got talked into buying an enormous bunch of watercress today at the market, and

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-56628512501182902242009-03-07T06:16:00.000-08:002009-03-07T09:21:25.586-08:00

Tatsoi is a fantastic vegetable to eat raw. It has a strong flavour without being bitter, tough, stringy, or tooth-coating like spinach. Mixing up a salad dressing from whatever is in the cupboard is a great way to enjoy spring greens, and I wanted something a spicy and a little sweet - something that could stand up to the tatsoi.I tried using Chinese tahini in the dressing, but it seized up

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-1576632250851717252009-03-03T23:45:00.000-08:002009-03-07T09:21:49.960-08:00

While walking by a table of preserved food at the market, I saw a cold dish that combined carrots and fava beans in a spicy, sour dressing. It was simple but very bright and appealing, and I decided to try carrots and favas in a salad together. My market sells the fava beans already shelled and peeled, but you can leave the peel on if desired (the cold dish in the market had whole beans). Grate

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-56510360272503572962009-03-03T22:54:00.000-08:002009-03-03T23:28:27.585-08:00

Had a very frustrating morning trying to make a dressing for tatsoi salad. Got a surprise carrot and bean salad out of the experience, which will be appearing soon, and then made myself this for lunch - oven roasted mushrooms on top of fresh noodles mixed with herbs and seasoning. The sauces are black Chinese vinegar and tian mian jiang (sweet wheat paste, or sweet Beijing sauce), and sesame oil.

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-22938206587249682172009-03-02T22:20:00.000-08:002009-03-15T06:26:22.286-07:00

The market project is proving a little more challenging than I thought. I figured I could pick something out, ask the vendor what it is and how to prepare it, then go home and try to find the characters and a simple recipe. However, in order to find out what things are I have to translate the vendors' Sichuanese into standard Chinese (change F to H, L to N, fourth tone to second tone, and

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-1957687808602508992009-02-22T23:33:00.000-08:002009-03-07T09:23:09.215-08:00

Spring farmer's markets are full of young new vegetables and greens that are only available for a few weeks. FC is pleased to present a series of spring market recipes that will appear from now til the end of March. This mix of fresh noodles, pea shoots,and butter is very quick and easy to eat. My market has these green tinged 'vegetable' wheat noodles that are supposed to be extra healthy, but

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-32899188843462872072009-02-10T04:50:00.000-08:002009-02-13T23:21:11.402-08:00

Winter tomatoes don't really satisfy in salads and sandwiches but cooking them brings out their best. Tomatoes are very handy for quick meals like the always great Fried Eggs and Tomatoes (the pre-China version on my blog looks hilarious to me now, but the recipe still works.) Another way to get flavour out of stiff winter tomatoes is to roast them. Cut two tomatoes into wedges and place on

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-70851918928674966182009-02-10T03:57:00.001-08:002009-02-11T20:56:17.007-08:00

Bacon is one of the easiest things to make and eat in the morning, especially if you cook it in the oven in two stages - par cooked in advance and then finished off crispy the next day. I've been experimenting a lot with ma la seasoned bacon lately. Ma la (麻辣) is a characteristic flavour of Sichuan cuisine - Ma means numbing, from Sichuan pepper and La is heat from ground red pepper. Adding all

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-26525707103472172442009-01-25T08:30:00.000-08:002009-01-29T06:32:23.490-08:00

The method is not new to FC, but the vegetable is (so new, I am still not sure what the stuff is.) Last Thursday I hit the farmer's market late, already hungry and looking for something to throw together for dinner. I hadn't eaten any vegetables all day and a pile of feathery leafed precut and washed greens caught my eye.Pepper: "Hey, what is this stuff?"Vendor: [incomprehensible sichuanese]

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-42058132361701327892009-01-16T19:56:00.000-08:002009-01-16T20:24:43.410-08:00

Since moving to a kitchen without a flat bottomed frying pan, I don't make Eggs Cooked On Top of Things that often. I've switched to Eggs in the Middle, which lends itself much more easily to the wok.On the bottom is home fries, or leftover cabbage and lentils, or sauteed celery and tomatoes, or in this case a buckwheat, caramelized onion, and mushroom concoction that didn't quite make the blog (

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-11402791239537068452009-01-12T03:21:00.000-08:002009-01-12T07:07:32.802-08:00

Perogies have been on my mind for a while, since they have comfort food status in my area of Canada (Edmonton through Northern Alberta), and I knew I would have to make them if I wanted to eat them. I can't remember ever making them at home - we always bought them frozen or had them homemade by an amazing neighbour. I decided to try a basic filling of potato with onion and fresh white cheese (

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-91826423291135367182009-01-06T06:50:00.000-08:002009-01-06T18:13:02.569-08:00

With a bulk box of puff pastry I had lots of material for experiments, and tried a few different treats using apple. My favourite ended up being the simplest - pieces of apple with a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon, wrapped in the pastry and baked. These are an ideal project for kids.Take two squares of puff pastry, about 15 cm square, cut into quarters, and roll thin. Peel, core, and quarter two

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-16495329365149004852008-12-31T21:44:00.000-08:002008-12-31T22:25:02.417-08:00

Whew, renos are nearly done - hope you enjoy the new space as much as I do! To all regular readers (especially those who have been with me long enough to remember the last major overhaul), thank you for your continued attention and support. There will be a few other changes to Frugal Cuisine as well. Over the past two years I've been posting occasionally here about Chinese snacks and street food.

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-90183587527453316372008-12-25T18:51:00.000-08:002008-12-25T19:15:40.502-08:00

My kitchen is not in a heated area of my house, so since it has been cold I tend to dash in, cook, and dash out again. This mess of cabbage and lentils came together in 20 minutes and tasted fantastic. A more elaborate (and healthier) recipe from NYT was the inspiration - the cabbage and lentils sounded amazing together, but I wanted a quicker recipe and decided to use Sichuan hot and numbing

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-14016897002168994022008-12-08T20:45:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:14:58.412-08:00

One sweltering summer evening I watched a young couple in a restaurant order and share a single plate of kong xin cai, stir fried with garlic. What a perfect dinner, I thought. This is the same idea, fortified a bit with potatoes for winter. When I lived in Canada and used to come home and need to eat in a hurry, I would slice a potato and layer it on a baking sheet, drizzle with butter, and

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26345955.post-12333632155917351182008-11-22T07:43:00.001-08:002008-11-22T08:00:34.096-08:00

This is one of my favourite street foods. The vendor keeps two small metal pans going, and customers line up and choose their fillings. (These little snacks don't score very high on the Street Food Safety Index, however. I look for a clean cart and ingredients that are not all mixed up with each other, plus a batter with beautiful yellow colour from lots of eggs.)The little filled crepes are

Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10952714573560759838noreply@blogger.com1