When you are living and working in one of the metro’s most progressive cities, there is just so much to take care of that you tend to lose time to think of yourself. You do your best to make the country a better place one workday at a time, you battle through traffic going to and from work, you manage your family’s affairs, and try to squeeze time in for your extracurricular activities.
With an on-the-go lifestyle, cooking may turn out to be a chore and you may always resort to take-out and food delivery. For practical reasons, the first thing that comes into people’s minds are processed food, fried meat, and peanut butter sandwiches. But did you know that there are many meals you can prepare that don’t need an extensive grocery list and don’t take much time and preparation? By learning new recipes, hone your cooking skills while not missing out on your jam-packed schedule.
Who said practical meals need to be boring? Say goodbye to sandwiches and canned goods as there are easy-to-make, affordable, yet innovative, and mouth-watering dishes that can be made by any professional on the go from the kitchen of your condo in Mandaluyong. Here are some easy-to-make meals for practical dining.
Stir Fry Meat and Veggies
For those who love the magical taste of Chinese take-out. Here is a homemade version of your favorite Chinese meal-on-the-box that you can easily recreate in the kitchen of your condo in Mandaluyong. The beauty of this dish is that the sauce you will be making will pack so much flavor that it’s going to hold the entire dish together, no matter what you put in it. Feel free to mix up whatever meat or greens you have in your kitchen to make this on-the-go dish, perfect for your baon to work or dinner after a long day.
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 12 mins
Serves 4-6 hungry adults
Ingredients:
500g chicken breast (or sirloin or liempo)
Salt
Pepper
500g Broccoli (or cauliflower or whatever greens are available)
250g sliced mushrooms
Sauce:
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
1/3rd cup soy sauce
1tbsp sugar
1 chicken broth cube (match with meat)
1/4th cup flour
Prep:
First cook, season, and saute chicken in a large pan on medium heat. Remove from pan when brown and set aside. In the same pan, heat mushrooms and add greens as mushrooms soften, then stir fry till tender. Remove all from the pan and set aside. Next, saute garlic and ginger until fragrant then add the remaining sauce ingredients. Stir till smooth. Once done, return all ingredients set aside, and stir till heated through. Serve with rice or stir fry noodles.
French Bread Toaster Pizza
Children crave pizza but you forgot to order and have an essential meeting in an hour? Fret no more as with this build-your-own toaster pizza, you and the kids will be able to squeeze some bonding time in the kitchen while making these yummy treats that do not require fancy equipment or a ton of work.
Ingredients:
Bread (french bread, tasty, sourdough, or whatever your fridge has in store)
Sauce (ketchup, bbq sauce, ranch, or mayonnaise)
Cheese
Toppings (chicken strips, ground, pork, beef, pineapples (?), tomatoes, pepperoni, olives, greens, or again, whatever your fridge has in store)
Prep:
Grab your bread, sauce, and whatever toppings you desire. You can make a margarita or BBQ chicken version, it’s all up to you. Each family member should do their own to put on whatever they fancy. Cut the bread in half, or enough for a single serving (please do the cutting for your children), spread on some sauce according to your preference, and pile up the toppings. Once everything is in, pop them in your toaster and wait until cooked. The wonder of having this BYO pizza is that everyone can make their flavor according to preference. Meat lovers may pile on pepperoni, your vegan partner may ramp up on olives and whatnot, and the best part is no more debate about pineapples on pizza. Each family member gets to fill their appetite how they want to, and everybody wins.
Bacon and Egg Ramen
Waking up tired from the work week on a Saturday morning? Or have a bad hangover? Here is a quick ramen fix that will surely jumpstart your day. It is like the famous Pinoy bacsilog crossed with ramen. Before making the dish, cook an egg and fry some bacon. This only takes 5 minutes.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
1 pack of instant ramen
1 fried egg
3 slices of diced and cooked bacon
1 tbsp thinly sliced spring onion
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp Butter
Prep:
Heat the instant ramen as instructions advise. As you add the packet of ramen flavoring, add the butter and stir until it melts. Once ramen noodles are tender, transfer them to a bowl. Finally add the eggs, bacon, and spring onions, and season with salt and pepper.
Indian Butter Chicken
For those with a craving for middle-eastern cuisine, here is a simplified version of the classic Indian dish that combines chicken, tomato sauce, and aromatics all in one pot for easy preparation, faster eating, and easy cleaning. Have your recipe for this classic restaurant dish all made simple.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook TIme:25 minutes
Serves 3 to 4 hungry adults
Ingredients:
1 kg chicken breast fillet
Salt
Pepper
2 tsp chili powder
½ tsp turmeric
6 tbsp butter
250gs diced onion
3 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp grated ginger
Cinnamon stick or powder
3 cloves minced garlic
400g tomato sauce
1 cup water
Prep:
The first step is to season and marinate the chicken breast with salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, and turmeric in a large bowl for 15 minutes. Once done, cook the chicken in 1/3rd of your butter then remove from the pot once brown. Next, melt the others 1/3rd of your butter then add onion, curry powder, remaining chili powder, cumin, ginger, garlic, cayenne, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Once the pot starts getting fragrant, add the tomato sauce and bring it to a simmer. Next, add the water and cream. Once simmering, return the chicken to the pot, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Lastly, add the remaining butter and some salt and pepper to taste. Pour over rice in a bowl and add cilantro for garnish if you want. Show off your cooking skills to your guests or your loved ones by whipping out this rendition of a middle-eastern traditional dish.
With these easy-to-make meals that are perfect for any moment, never fall short of go-to recipes no matter how busy your day may get.
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Reference:
https://tasty.co/recipe/chicken-veggie-stir-fry
https://tasty.co/article/jesseszewczyk/back-to-school-family-dinner-mealplan-recipes
https://tasty.co/recipe/bacon-and-egg-ramen
https://tasty.co/recipe/easy-butter-chicken