Under £2.50 meals to feed a couple?
Discussion
Mobile Chicane said:
Once you have a comprehensive collection of spices (the expensive bit), Indian vegetarian food is absolutely the way to go.
The below recipe costs less than £2 to make and will do four portions easily:
Kitchen sink dal
...
I'll tweak that for my Instant Pot - looks fab.The below recipe costs less than £2 to make and will do four portions easily:
Kitchen sink dal
...
I also like this one: manjula's kitchen.
Edited by LordGrover on Tuesday 27th June 13:07
Mobile Chicane said:
Once you have a comprehensive collection of spices (the expensive bit), Indian vegetarian food is absolutely the way to go.
The below recipe costs less than £2 to make and will do four portions easily:
Kitchen sink dal
This is my own recipe, evolved over a number of years from many others.
Ingredients
500g yellow split peas, soaked overnight in cold water
Handful dried curry leaves
2 dried red Kashmiri chillies, cut into small pieces
1 cube frozen ginger/garlic mix (from Asda), or a teaspoon each of crushed fresh ginger and garlic
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 tablespoons cold-pressed rapeseed oil*
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Large pinch asafoetida (hing)
Method
Simmer the split peas until soft together with the turmeric, chillies, curry leaves, garlic, ginger and salt. I add water to the level where it just covers the soaked peas, but you can add more or less depending how runny you like it. Keep an eye on the pot so it doesn’t boil dry, and blend the split peas with a hand blender once they’re soft. Depending on how fresh the split peas are, they will take anything from 20 minutes to an hour to cook.
Heat the oil in a heavy pan and sizzle the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida until the mustard seeds start popping. It should be frothing and smelling nice and nutty. Add the onions and gently fry on a low heat until they’re translucent and brownish in colour, stirring frequently. These need to be far darker than you would use in a western dish, and will take at least 20 minutes to cook.
Pour the onion mixture over the pea mixture and stir well. Serve with flatbreads or rice, with some chopped coriander over. Add chopped green chillies if you prefer it hotter (I do).
* You could use butter or ghee, but I find that cold-pressed rapeseed oil has a ‘mustardiness’ which goes really well in this dish.
Exactly. Drop the "need" for meat in every dish every day and you can have amazing tasting food for not much money at all. The below recipe costs less than £2 to make and will do four portions easily:
Kitchen sink dal
This is my own recipe, evolved over a number of years from many others.
Ingredients
500g yellow split peas, soaked overnight in cold water
Handful dried curry leaves
2 dried red Kashmiri chillies, cut into small pieces
1 cube frozen ginger/garlic mix (from Asda), or a teaspoon each of crushed fresh ginger and garlic
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 tablespoons cold-pressed rapeseed oil*
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Large pinch asafoetida (hing)
Method
Simmer the split peas until soft together with the turmeric, chillies, curry leaves, garlic, ginger and salt. I add water to the level where it just covers the soaked peas, but you can add more or less depending how runny you like it. Keep an eye on the pot so it doesn’t boil dry, and blend the split peas with a hand blender once they’re soft. Depending on how fresh the split peas are, they will take anything from 20 minutes to an hour to cook.
Heat the oil in a heavy pan and sizzle the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida until the mustard seeds start popping. It should be frothing and smelling nice and nutty. Add the onions and gently fry on a low heat until they’re translucent and brownish in colour, stirring frequently. These need to be far darker than you would use in a western dish, and will take at least 20 minutes to cook.
Pour the onion mixture over the pea mixture and stir well. Serve with flatbreads or rice, with some chopped coriander over. Add chopped green chillies if you prefer it hotter (I do).
* You could use butter or ghee, but I find that cold-pressed rapeseed oil has a ‘mustardiness’ which goes really well in this dish.
Great looking recipe. Keen to give it a go.
Colonial said:
Exactly. Drop the "need" for meat in every dish every day and you can have amazing tasting food for not much money at all.
Great looking recipe. Keen to give it a go.
We've moved to a predominantly plant based diet and it's been quite the eye-opener just how much more you can get into the trolley for the same sort of money.Great looking recipe. Keen to give it a go.
Pints said:
We've moved to a predominantly plant based diet and it's been quite the eye-opener just how much more you can get into the trolley for the same sort of money.
Yep. I still love a good grass fed steak. But I'd prefer to have that once a month instead of cheap stir fry beef 3 times a week. Chickpeas etc are a great source of protein and are dirt cheap. For curries etc the meat doesn't actually add that much at all. Chicken breast is a pretty bland and boring meat in itself. So why waste money on it? Chuck in some cauliflower instead.
I do a lot of trail running and try and get a minimum of 50km a week on the tracks. If I can get good protein levels and excellent nutrition from eating a predominately plant based diet then so can anyone who works in an office.
I feel so much better for it. I'm not a veggie and sure as hell not a vegan, but I do feel better for it, and am firmly of the opinion that humans are simply not designed to eat meat as much as we do in the quantities we do.
Colonial said:
I feel so much better for it. I'm not a veggie and sure as hell not a vegan, but I do feel better for it, and am firmly of the opinion that humans are simply not designed to eat meat as much as we do in the quantities we do.
Completely, we evolved to eat as much meat as we could catch, not how much we could carry home from the supermarket.I eat way too much meat and am trying to reign it in a bit or this summer I'll live on BBQ'd steak just out of convenience.
Colonial said:
Pints said:
We've moved to a predominantly plant based diet and it's been quite the eye-opener just how much more you can get into the trolley for the same sort of money.
Yep. I still love a good grass fed steak. But I'd prefer to have that once a month instead of cheap stir fry beef 3 times a week. Chickpeas etc are a great source of protein and are dirt cheap. For curries etc the meat doesn't actually add that much at all. Chicken breast is a pretty bland and boring meat in itself. So why waste money on it? Chuck in some cauliflower instead.
I do a lot of trail running and try and get a minimum of 50km a week on the tracks. If I can get good protein levels and excellent nutrition from eating a predominately plant based diet then so can anyone who works in an office.
I feel so much better for it. I'm not a veggie and sure as hell not a vegan, but I do feel better for it, and am firmly of the opinion that humans are simply not designed to eat meat as much as we do in the quantities we do.
)Naturally, a fair bit of piss-taking from mates when we go out for a curry or something, but my choice seems more of a problem to others than for me - everyone wants to tell me I'm wrong and I'll get ill and fade away. I'm not a card carrying vegan activist nutjob, but it's clear to me that as we don't need to eat animal products it's a simple choice - either do or don't.
I've been experimenting with pakoras recently. For some reason these are quite expensive to buy in shops, but are a piece of piss and cheap to make.
Ingredients
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
2 red onions, sliced very thinly
Handful fresh coriander, chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 thumb sized piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon each of chilli powder, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and salt
Gram flour (finely milled chick pea flour – from Indian grocers / Amazon)
Oil for deep frying
Method
Grate the sweet potatoes into a bowl and microwave until slightly softened, about 2 – 3 minutes. Allow to cool. Mix together with the onions, coriander, chillies, and spices (use your hand) until the onions are starting to let out their juices. Sprinkle over the gram flour, half a cup at a time and continue mixing until all the juices have been absorbed into a sticky dough. The more flour you use, the denser and drier the pakoras will be, so don’t overdo it. Using two table spoons, scoop up portions of the mixture and slide into hot oil. Deep fry until brown and crispy on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper and eat hot with chutney
Ingredients
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
2 red onions, sliced very thinly
Handful fresh coriander, chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 thumb sized piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon each of chilli powder, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and salt
Gram flour (finely milled chick pea flour – from Indian grocers / Amazon)
Oil for deep frying
Method
Grate the sweet potatoes into a bowl and microwave until slightly softened, about 2 – 3 minutes. Allow to cool. Mix together with the onions, coriander, chillies, and spices (use your hand) until the onions are starting to let out their juices. Sprinkle over the gram flour, half a cup at a time and continue mixing until all the juices have been absorbed into a sticky dough. The more flour you use, the denser and drier the pakoras will be, so don’t overdo it. Using two table spoons, scoop up portions of the mixture and slide into hot oil. Deep fry until brown and crispy on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper and eat hot with chutney
As others have said, the clearance counter is a good way keeping costs low if you can adapt to what's available.
With BBQ season supposedly in full swing, there's always some (fairly unappealing) meat product close to sell-by; looking unloved.
I picked up some of those minted lamb grill-sticks, which are pretty nasty when they come off the grill. However, pinched off the skewer and rolled into meatballs, plonked on top of some onion and garlic that's been frying with a generous measure of Morrocan spices, -before adding the dregs of last night's red wine and a couple of cheap tins of tomatoes, plus a chicken or veg stock cube...
Bubbled down until thick, some optional cheapo feta crumbled over the top, eaten with some basic cous cous, rice or pitta. Nice. ...And cheap.
With BBQ season supposedly in full swing, there's always some (fairly unappealing) meat product close to sell-by; looking unloved.
I picked up some of those minted lamb grill-sticks, which are pretty nasty when they come off the grill. However, pinched off the skewer and rolled into meatballs, plonked on top of some onion and garlic that's been frying with a generous measure of Morrocan spices, -before adding the dregs of last night's red wine and a couple of cheap tins of tomatoes, plus a chicken or veg stock cube...
Bubbled down until thick, some optional cheapo feta crumbled over the top, eaten with some basic cous cous, rice or pitta. Nice. ...And cheap.
captainzep said:
As others have said, the clearance counter is a good way keeping costs low if you can adapt to what's available.
With BBQ season supposedly in full swing, there's always some (fairly unappealing) meat product close to sell-by; looking unloved.
I picked up some of those minted lamb grill-sticks, which are pretty nasty when they come off the grill. However, pinched off the skewer and rolled into meatballs, plonked on top of some onion and garlic that's been frying with a generous measure of Morrocan spices, -before adding the dregs of last night's red wine and a couple of cheap tins of tomatoes, plus a chicken or veg stock cube...
Bubbled down until thick, some optional cheapo feta crumbled over the top, eaten with some basic cous cous, rice or pitta. Nice. ...And cheap.
Now i'm hungry With BBQ season supposedly in full swing, there's always some (fairly unappealing) meat product close to sell-by; looking unloved.
I picked up some of those minted lamb grill-sticks, which are pretty nasty when they come off the grill. However, pinched off the skewer and rolled into meatballs, plonked on top of some onion and garlic that's been frying with a generous measure of Morrocan spices, -before adding the dregs of last night's red wine and a couple of cheap tins of tomatoes, plus a chicken or veg stock cube...
Bubbled down until thick, some optional cheapo feta crumbled over the top, eaten with some basic cous cous, rice or pitta. Nice. ...And cheap.
omelette, 6 eggs, 3 each, couple of tomatoes, some cheese, maybe mushrooms.
Pasta and sauce - http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/simple_tomato_sa... add chorizo to sauce
loads of tips on youtube about doing this, also the bbc series eat well for less is great for money saving tips.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/programmes/b0520lz9
This looks nice http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chickpea_and_swe...
Also hummus is easy to make and cheap just don't add the tahini. Its filling and you have it with pitta bread and carrot sticks
Pasta and sauce - http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/simple_tomato_sa... add chorizo to sauce
loads of tips on youtube about doing this, also the bbc series eat well for less is great for money saving tips.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/programmes/b0520lz9
This looks nice http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chickpea_and_swe...
Also hummus is easy to make and cheap just don't add the tahini. Its filling and you have it with pitta bread and carrot sticks
Edited by Foliage on Tuesday 4th July 15:41
How about - This https://groceries.asda.com/product/asian/ashoka-de... and this https://groceries.asda.com/product/cous-cous/ainsl... done simple meal.
Melman Giraffe said:
boyse7en said:
Melman Giraffe said:
Holy Thread from the Dead......
A recipe i posted a few years ago and still a family favorite
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=70...
Its a tasty one pot dish which is cheap and very easy.
Tesco sell a pack of 3 chicken drum sticks and 3 chicken thighs for £2.00 special offer.
Place them in them in a pan skin side up. Smash up 5 garlic cloves (no need to peel) and place in and around chicken. Spinkle with Tyme. Drizzle with olive oil and honey and season. Place in the oven at 150c for approx 2 hrs for the last 20mins turn the oven up to 190c to crispen skin.
The skin is crisp and the meat falls of the bone.
Serve with salad and some boiled baby new potatos.
Total cost for a family of 4 £4.00
Enjoy
Sounds tasty but cant't see 3 chicken legs and 3 thighs feeding a whole family - I'd scoff the lot!A recipe i posted a few years ago and still a family favorite
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=70...
Its a tasty one pot dish which is cheap and very easy.
Tesco sell a pack of 3 chicken drum sticks and 3 chicken thighs for £2.00 special offer.
Place them in them in a pan skin side up. Smash up 5 garlic cloves (no need to peel) and place in and around chicken. Spinkle with Tyme. Drizzle with olive oil and honey and season. Place in the oven at 150c for approx 2 hrs for the last 20mins turn the oven up to 190c to crispen skin.
The skin is crisp and the meat falls of the bone.
Serve with salad and some boiled baby new potatos.
Total cost for a family of 4 £4.00
Enjoy
bigandclever said:
Melman Giraffe said:
boyse7en said:
Melman Giraffe said:
Holy Thread from the Dead......
A recipe i posted a few years ago and still a family favorite
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=70...
Its a tasty one pot dish which is cheap and very easy.
Tesco sell a pack of 3 chicken drum sticks and 3 chicken thighs for £2.00 special offer.
Place them in them in a pan skin side up. Smash up 5 garlic cloves (no need to peel) and place in and around chicken. Spinkle with Tyme. Drizzle with olive oil and honey and season. Place in the oven at 150c for approx 2 hrs for the last 20mins turn the oven up to 190c to crispen skin.
The skin is crisp and the meat falls of the bone.
Serve with salad and some boiled baby new potatos.
Total cost for a family of 4 £4.00
Enjoy
Sounds tasty but cant't see 3 chicken legs and 3 thighs feeding a whole family - I'd scoff the lot!A recipe i posted a few years ago and still a family favorite
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=70...
Its a tasty one pot dish which is cheap and very easy.
Tesco sell a pack of 3 chicken drum sticks and 3 chicken thighs for £2.00 special offer.
Place them in them in a pan skin side up. Smash up 5 garlic cloves (no need to peel) and place in and around chicken. Spinkle with Tyme. Drizzle with olive oil and honey and season. Place in the oven at 150c for approx 2 hrs for the last 20mins turn the oven up to 190c to crispen skin.
The skin is crisp and the meat falls of the bone.
Serve with salad and some boiled baby new potatos.
Total cost for a family of 4 £4.00
Enjoy
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