cheapdelish – Tasty food everyday

Congee (porridge) and fried okra for lazy Sunday breakfast

Congee and okra

Woke up hungry, relaxing Sunday…

Here is a heartwarming indulgent breakfast.
For the porridge:
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pot, and fry chopped garlic and sliced ginger. Add one cup leftover cooked rice, and break it up. Add 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to low-medium low and occasionally stir with a spoon while pressing the spoon against the pot wall to break up the rice. Salt a little.

Cooking congee with garlic and ginger

For okra:
In a pan, fry chopped garlic in oil. Add chopped okra (I just get pre-chopped frozen packs). Add a bit of soy sauce, anchovy and pepper. Cover while continuing to cook about 8 mins.

Baked tandoori chicken

Tandoori chicken baked in the oven, Bobby-style … marinated first in yoghurt and all sorts of spices.

The asparagus is my touch!

Baked tandoori chicken

Grand Sichuan takeout — sweet and sour sliced fish

On days when I’m too lazy to cook, I like to takeout from Grand Sichuan. Lately my favorite take-out item has become the Sweet and Sour Sliced Fish from their “classical szechuan” menu. They’re really good about packing this appropriately for take-out: look how they put the fried fish fillets in one container, and the sauce in another (so that the fried fish does not get soft), and they put the shredded scallion and peppers in a paper bag.

Grand Sichuan's grand packaging for their Szechuanese sweet and sour sliced fish

It’s boneless, and the sauce is sweet and amazing.

MM. Fish!

If I’m alone sometimes I can make it stretch two meals.

Another tasty meal courtesy Grand Sichuan! At least the fried vege on the side is from my kitchen

IMO this is the best chinese in Jersey City. I’ll have to review it again to cover their other dishes.

Very simple udon @ Home

Simple udon in chicken broth

On Thanksgiving day this is what I had for lunch. Just udon in chicken broth from the leftovers of the previous night’s chicken stew. Some fried garlic and yu choy on top.

Pan fried tofu with ginger and scallions sauce

Tofu in ginger and scallion soy sauce

You need
A pack of firm silken tofu
Corn starch
Ginger
Garlic
1 stalk of scallion
Soy sauce
Pepper
A few tablespoons oil

Very thinly slice the ginger, chop up the garlic and cut up the scallion.
Cut the tofu into block sizes, it is quite soft so be careful to not just smoosh it all!
Start a pan of oil going on medium-high, when it is hot, lightly coat the tofu blocks in corn flour and put them on the pan. Salt them a bit. Also put the garlic, ginger and scallion in the pan.
Carefully turn the tofu blocks around to fry the other side. Some will probably break Oh well. After awhile, turn the heat down to low. In a bowl mix together soy sauce, water and a bit of corn flour. Then pour this sauce into the pan. Season with pepper. Wait until it boils. About this point it’s ready to serve!

Here, the tofu with vegetables and shrimp dumplings. I cheated on the dumplings … those come from a frozen packet!

Rice, vege, tofu and dumplings

Cluck-U

Cluck-U Nuclear

Sorry this photo is a bit overexposed…

Every now and then Bobby and I treat ourselves at Cluck-U in Hoboken. This one is the nuclear. They have “big” wings the size is generous. 8 is too few for two of us but 20 is too many but what to do!

Fried seaweed, garlic and anchovy udon

This was a nice Sunday brunch for myself. It’s fried udon with anchovy, seaweed and garlic. Not only very quick to prepare, cheap too!

Seaweed anchovy fried Udon

You need:

• A can of anchovies. This is what I usually get: anchovies in olive oil rolled around little capers. It’s so conveniently portioned, one rolled anchovy per noodle serving and the little caper is a nice kick.
• Dried udon sticks
• Garlic
• Soy sauce
• Pepper
• A sheet of roasted seaweed

First, boil a pot of water, and put the udon in. When the udon is soft enough, take it out using a colander and do a short rinse with cold water. If you are reserving some for later (say for lunch or dinner), make sure you rinse it well to stop the cooking.
While the udon is cooking, chop some garlic and fry it in canola oil on a pan. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the anchovy (and the caper), and use your chopstick/cooking utensil to break up the anchovy in the pan. Pour some of the olive oil from the anchovies in as well.
Then tear up the sheet of seaweed and toss the pieces in.
Put the udon in the pan. If you like it a bit crispy like I do, leave it there for about 30 seconds before mixing it around, with the heat on medium high. Then use your chopsticks to mix up the noodles with the other ingredients. It’s already salty due to the anchovies but you can add a bit of soy sauce if it’s not to taste. Add a little black pepper.

Eat while hot and crisp!

Tommy 2 Scoops — new ice cream store at Exchange Place

Tommy 2 Scoops And Then Some

Winter is a bit funny time for an ice cream parlor to be opening, but looks like we’re in luck! Once it opens it should be the first store dedicated to serving ice cream in Exchange Place. I think I saw it somewhere on Grand St.

Target Black Friday $3 Chefmate kitchen appliances

Target has $3 Chefmate appliances on Black Friday — toaster, 12-cup coffeemaker, 1.5qt slow cooker and a sandwich press.

Chole… and rice …

Chole and rice