Items11The creator’s order
  1. 1Fried riceFried riceEgg fried rice Around $1 a portion, and it turns leftover rice into the best thing on the table. Cold cooked rice is the point here, not a shortcut: it fries into separate, toasty grains instead of mush. A few eggs, a bag of frozen vegetables, garlic and soy sauce make a skillet for four, and a…0
  2. 2OkonomiyakiOkonomiyakiUsually under $1 a pancake, and most of it is cabbage. Shredded cabbage is bound with flour and egg, fried until golden, then finished with a sweet-savory sauce and a zigzag of mayonnaise, so it eats like street food rather than a vegetable side. Add scallions and a little bacon or leftover pork if…0
  3. 3CongeeCongeeRoughly 50 cents a bowl before toppings, because a single cup of rice simmered long and slow makes a big pot of silky porridge. Cook it with ginger and a couple of chicken drumsticks and you have a soothing, savory dinner. The toppings are what make it feel lavish: a soft-boiled egg, scallions, a…0
  4. 4Spanish omeletteSpanish omeletteAbout $1.20 a portion for a thick wedge of potatoes and onion slow-cooked in olive oil and set with eggs. It tastes far richer than its shopping list: golden outside, soft in the middle, and just as good cold the next day stuffed into a sandwich. The one real expense is the olive oil, and much of…0
  5. 5Shepherd's pieShepherd's pieCottage pie, the ground beef version Roughly $2 a portion when it serves six, a pound of ground beef stretched with vegetables and gravy under a thick lid of mashed potato. The browned, crusty top is the part everyone fights over, and the whole dish freezes well in portions, so one evening of…0
  6. 6CarnitasCarnitasPork carnitas tacos Roughly $1 to $2 a portion of meat, because pork shoulder is a cheap cut that still eats like a celebration. Slow-cook it with orange, garlic and cumin until it falls apart, then crisp the shreds in a hot pan so every taco gets soft and crunchy bits. Warm corn tortillas,…0
  7. 7Baked potatoBaked potatoBaked potatoes with proper fillings Under $2 a portion with broccoli and sharp cheddar, and closer to $1 when the filling is leftovers that need using up. A big russet baked until the skin crackles is a blank canvas: leftover chili, garlicky sautéed greens, tuna with scallions, or sour cream and…0
  8. 8Arroz con polloArroz con polloAbout $1.50 a portion, a one-pot dinner where bone-in chicken and rice cook together so the rice soaks up all the juices. Onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato and cumin give it a sunny color and plenty of flavor, and a handful of frozen peas stirred in at the end finishes it. One pan feeds six, keeps…0
  9. 9Adobo (Filipino dish)Adobo (Filipino dish)Chicken adobo Roughly $1 to $1.50 a portion before rice, and one of the most rewarding things to do with cheap bone-in chicken. The meat simmers in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves and black pepper until it is tender and glossy, and the sharp, salty sauce soaks into a heap of plain rice.…0
  10. 10ShakshoukaShakshoukaRoughly $1.50 to $2.50 a portion: eggs poached right in a pan of spiced tomato and pepper sauce. One skillet, a can of tomatoes, a few eggs, cumin and paprika give you a dinner that looks like weekend brunch at a café. Crumble over a little feta if the budget stretches, and mop it all up with cheap…0