Working is not only mentally exhausting, but also physically. Sometimes, because of how tired you can get after a long day’s work, dinner becomes a take-out to lessen the burden of having to cook. This alternative, however, can be expensive and even unhealthy over time. Regardless, it is the easiest way to feed your weary body before heading to bed for a well needed rest.
Cooking dinner turns into a chore, and becomes a task that can only be done by those who have enough leisure after work hours. Despite the added effort however, cooking for yourself can save a bit of money as most of the ingredients will already be in your home. With that, we have chosen three recipes with ingredients that can already be in your home, or readily available in stores.
Ingredients:
Set A (Stir-fry):
– 4 Tbsps. vegetable oil
– 1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
– ¼ cup white onion leeks, chopped
– ¼ cup carrots, minced
– 4 cups leftover Japanese rice
– ¼ cup Baguio beans, chopped
– 3 large eggs, beaten
Set B (Season):
– 3 Tbsps. Japanese soy sauce
– 1 tsp. sugar
– Salt and pepper, to taste
Set C (Garnish):
– ¼ cup Good Life Sesame Oil
– 2 Tbsps. fresh spring onion, chopped
Procedure:
1. In a wok, heat the oil and sauté the garlic and onion leeks until fragrant. Add the carrots and shrimp, and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add the leftover rice and toss for 5 minutes. Add the Baguio beans. Make a hole in the middle of the rice mixture, drop in the eggs, and scramble them. Mix together for 3 minutes.
3. Season with soy sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper. Mix for 2 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of Good Life Sesame Oil and chopped fresh spring onion on top.
Tip:
Always plan ahead if you intend to make fried rice. It’s best to use day-old rice for this recipe. But if you don’t have leftover rice, you can cool down cooked rice by spreading it into a tray and fanning it until it is fully cooled down.
To fry, keep things hot and keep stirring and tossing the rice to cook evenly.
Ingredients:
– 3 cups eggplant, sliced
– 1 pack tofu, sliced
– 1 tsp. salt
– Oil, for frying
– Oil, for sautéing
– 4 cloves garlic, crushed
– 1 pc. red onion, minced
– ¼ cup red bell pepper, diced
– 1 Tbsp. ginger, grated
– ½ cup water
For the sauce:
– 2 Tbsps. soy sauce
– 1 Tbsp. honey
– 1 Tbsp. hot sauce
– ½ tsp. white vinegar
– Black pepper, to taste
Garnish:
-Sesame oil
-Spring onion
Procedure:
1. Season the tofu with salt. In a pan, heat the oil and fry the tofu. After frying, put it in a colander to let the excess oil drip.
2. Season the eggplant with salt. Using the same pan, fry the eggplant. After frying, put it in a colander to let the excess oil drip.
3. In a pan, heat the oil. Sauté the garlic, onion, red bell pepper, and ginger. Add water, soy sauce, honey, hot sauce, and vinegar. After letting them mingle for a while, add the fried eggplant and tofu. Mix and let it braise. Finish with sesame oil. Season with black pepper.
Chicken and Mushroom Stir Fried Noodles
Ingredients:
– 1 cup chicken thigh fillet
– 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
– ½ tsp. black pepper
Sauce:
– 1 cup water
– 2 Tbsps. soy sauce
– 2 Tbsps. oyster sauce
– 2 Tbsps. hoisin sauce
– 1 tsp. sriracha sauce
– 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
-Oil, for sautéing
– 1 ½ brown and white shimeji mushroom
– 1 stalk onion leeks
– Salt and pepper, to taste
– 250 g. flat rice noodles
Garnish:
-Chopped chicharon
– Fried garlic
Procedure:
1. Season the chicken with soy sauce and black pepper.
2. Prepare the sauce. In a bowl, add water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, hot sauce, and sesame oil. Mix.
4. in a pan, heat the oil. Sauté the chicken. Add the mushrooms. Season with black pepper and salt. Toss. Add the white part of the onion leek and the prepared sauce.
5. Once the sauce starts boiling, add the noodles. Let it cook until it absorbs the sauce. Add the green part of the onion leek. Finish with sesame oil, then top with chicharon and fried garlic.
Feeding yourself a balanced meal is important, especially for maintaining your health. It is even more important for you, who is working hard to earn money, to take care of yourself. So, when you happen to have some more leisure time after work hours, try cooking your meal instead of ordering out again. It might even help ease your mind after working so hard.