A Great P100 Recipe for Two

Being a cheapskate is quite relevant nowadays when the economies of the world are nosediving to a splat. And it makes a pretty bad mess. Now the task is to channel my faux-Ilocano heritage and making the most out of my hard-earned money.

That's why I started this blog, with the challenge of maximizing the value out of my P100 bill, the basic amount one should have in his or her wallet. I remember when my P100 can tide me over 2 days of whole day classes at UP with meals, transportation and then some. Three, if I hitch with friends going to school and back home. Now, the P100 can only go so far...

Now, I love to eat, and recently discovered the savings of cooking (I hated to cook, but now I have to). Here's one Thai recipe you might want to try:



Ingredients:
P60 worth of chicken breast - the Magnolia chicken breast is P138 a kilo, the fillet is P170. Just ask manong to give you about P60 worth and select the big parts, then fillet it yourself for savings.
2 tbsps oil
2 pack basil leaves - (19-25 in SM, Sta. Lucia or Robinsons) P38
1/4 cup water
1 clove of garlic, minced - approx P1 a piece
2 pcs big sili, diced - approx P0.40 a piece
fish sauce, pepper or sugar to taste
Recipe for 2 = P99.80

Now I'm assuming that some of these are in your pantry so I'm not putting a peso value on spices, water and oil. Anyway, so here's how to do it:

1. Heat the pan. Make sure it's hot before adding the oil so cooking is quicker.
2. Saute garlic in oil.
3. Add in the chicken. Cook until slight brown.
4. Add the water to put in a bit of a sauce
5. Season with about 3-4 tbsps fish sauce.
6. Add in the sili. Saute for 1-2 mins.
7. Add in the basil leaves. Saute for about 2 mins.
8. In case it's too spicy, add sugar.

Voila! A great dish to serve with hot rice.