Cooking cheap and healthy In Thiland

[juice777]

Why don't you make some soups? Use the chicken carcasses you can get in most supermarkets- add carrot, celery and onions- slow cook for hours- then you have some great stock. Freeze what you do not need immediately .

Pumpkin soup is good and mushrooms are cheap here.

If you have loads of good stock, then you can make Thai soups or ramen noodle. All cheap and good for lunch.

Wow I am getting some great ideals, I am glad I started this thread Thanks everybody

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[buythisdashcam]

Healthy in Thailand you are dreaming, every single vegetable or meat is poisoned in this country.

[juice777]

Try Saba fish (makerel), you can buy fresh in Big C and Tesco for about 12 baht each. You can fillet them if you don't want to navigate the bones but I find it is easier simply to grill or BBQ and the flesh peels away anyway. very healthy, oily fish. Serve with rice and Thai veg for probably about 40 baht.

Also, better to buy the chicken breast with skin on from Makro, very cheap, 2 chicken breasts will be ok for 4 meals.. Stir fry with chili, soy, carrots, oyster sauce and onions and serve with rice, again about 40 to 50 baht.

Pigs liver is also cheap, saute with onions, beef stock, salt, pepper, carrots and serve with rice or potatoes,, I love this but not everyone will.

My advice is invest in dry spices, herbs etc.. then you can buy cheap, fresh ingredients and make things yourself really cheap,, my list if you have none at the moment would be,,, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili, garlic, palm sugar, lime juice (or buy fresh Thai limes as cheap), Worcester sauce, cinnamon sticks, curry powder.. I know it sounds a lot but if you buy the packets out of Makro and not the small glass bottles it really isn't too expensive and it will last a very long time. Last point buy dried beans in packets, you need to soak them and pre cook them but so much cheaper then buying cans and very healthy.

This will mean you can make many basic Thai, indian AND western dishes easily and very cheaply,, the herbs and spices will pay for themselves very quickly.

With effort you can eat really well and very cheaply here..

Last point, if you have an oven (microwave convection combi) then look at baking your own bread. Very cheap, you can buy bread flour in Makro again for about 35 baht i think (1kg), and it will make 4 decent small loaves. Much cheaper then buying bread here and much, much nicer. (of course you need to buy instant yeast but again it will also last years if kept contained), you can google how to do it, its very, very easy...

Good luck and Bon apetite,,,,

Wow great post a lot of good advice there, I used to have a bread maker in the UK I might look into getting one here

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[juice777]

Healthy in Thailand you are dreaming, every single vegetable or meat is poisoned in this country.

I'd it not the same in the West? Or with cheap food anyway

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[Gonsalviz]

Use olive oil and fry stuff chicken, fish etc. Put it in salads. Veggies in tempura batter is good too. All the veggies are available in local markets including asparagus. I buy bags of shrimp, The loose ones, uncooked and do a tempura batter.

Not supposed to do salt myself so instead of fake salt things, I add garlic powder and black pepper. It tastes different but fake salt is nasty.

Healthy is easy here if you do it yourself.

[bazza40]

Sprinkle some extra Virgin coconut oil on the steamed veggies and protein which makes it tasty without adding unhealthy sauces and spices. It's also super healthy.

While I agree coconut oil is tasty, not sure it is healthy. It's a saturated fat ( lauric acid, C12 ). Perhaps you could cite a study of some kind as to the health benefits.

[jacko45k]

Trying looking on this new technology they call the internet.

Or the microwave......

Steamed veggies in a microwave, a baked spud too.

A pity to leave out Thai food as a selection of it can be very healthy. Problem is the cooks would ruin the 'cheap' aspect.

[Joedoebarinio]

Two weeks ago I cooked a Goulash. All the vegetables were bought from the local market including the Buffaloe. Bahts 300 a kilo. The yoghurt came from the 7/11. I served it up for lunch on fettuccine. My guest just devoured it- both European. The remainder is in the freezer.

[Eiva]

I`d like to make my contribution to this useful and practical topic. Here are the major considerations to cheap and healthy eating.

1. Sharing the cost

To make cooking cheap one may find a buddy with similar attitude to eating habits and share the cost of meals. I have a next door neighbor who is twice younger than me. We do breakfast and some weekday dinners on a rolling schedule and look for more participants. One should make the whole table on a day, but the next day he is a guest.

2. Procurement skill

I use Tesco or Big C only to buy some condiments to cooking. Except milk, which is I buy in large 5 l canisters 3 days before the expiration date when it come on 50%sale for 102 B. It is very easy to follow the sale date because the canisters are on the shelves and there is no demand to it. The same refers to 2L bottles but sometimes they are sold quicker.

All the meats, fishes, veggies and fruits come from the local market. I established contacts to a few vendors being a regular customer trying to learn Thai. It is always a fun to both of parties to tell and repeat the names of fishes, vegetables and keeping the conversation. That habit benefits me good discounts and regular quality.

Time of market shopping is important too. Fish and meat are good to buy in the early morning hours when vendor has a plenty of goods, while vegetables and fruits are getting cheaper to late evening time.

3. Hardware

I don't agree that a steamer is a good option, because it the food becomes tasteless and soft. I bought an electrical grill for 600B and am very happy with it. My regular dinner menu consist of grilled steaks, fish, prawns and vegetables. There are very good books about grill cooking and the dinners are generous!

Another good machine is a semi-professional blender bought on sale in Macro for 3000 B. It makes creamy soups from pumpkins or cabbages. It minces meat too. As far as I have a lot cheap milk from Tesco I do fruit smoothies, milk shakes, egg omelets.

4. Menu considerations.

I avoid eating bread, jams, all processed food including sausages and meat balls. I limit eggs consumption because of cholesterol. It limits the possibility for a quick breakfast to cereals, milk, fruits and coffee. The best option is to buy at Macro a 1kg pack of corn flakes for 110 B, pour some milk is a plate and make a topping of mango-banana shake. I have early shared breakfasts at 6:30 am, so my lunch time is 10:30-11:00 which is a good time for outdoor eating at local Thai stalls which costs around 40-50B. Coffee break time is 3 pm indulged by Thai desserts for 10-20B like kanom krok, kanom jaa, kanom luuk, faktong.

As I said the dinner is a generous set of cream soup, grilled meat with fresh vegetables, ending with cigars and coffee :-). The rule is to finish the dinner before 7 pm which is a healthy consideration. The average cost of dinner is 150 B split by two persons. So the overall cost of daily meal is about 200 B, which makes an affordable hole of 6000 B to my monthly budget.

Thanks for your reading and I`ll follow the thread up.

[WitawatWatawit]

Why don't you make some soups? Use the chicken carcasses you can get in most supermarkets- add carrot, celery and onions- slow cook for hours- then you have some great stock. Freeze what you do not need immediately .

Pumpkin soup is good and mushrooms are cheap here.

If you have loads of good stock, then you can make Thai soups or ramen noodle. All cheap and good for lunch.

Wow I am getting some great ideals, I am glad I started this thread Thanks everybody

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This has been an interesting thread, for sure. A couple of people (#49) have not got into the spirit, but overall some good ideas have cropped up for those of us who like it simple but healthy.

Cheers,

Wit.

[seancbk]

I buy fish fillets from Maxvalu for 27 THB. They call it Pangasius Dory. It's a white fish.

They've been trying like hell to get Brits to eat frozen Thai/Vietnamese catfish: now called "Basa".

Yes that's right it is Vietnamese catfish. It tastes fine, with no seasoning at all, just plain steamed.

I eat pretty much what I want, my only criteria is I don't ever want to be fat so I avoid anything that might make me fat.

[sandyf]

Sprinkle some extra Virgin coconut oil on the steamed veggies and protein which makes it tasty without adding unhealthy sauces and spices. It's also super healthy.

While I agree coconut oil is tasty, not sure it is healthy. It's a saturated fat ( lauric acid, C12 ). Perhaps you could cite a study of some kind as to the health benefits.

It certainly is healthy, but not cheap.

My sister in law is quite particular about what she eats and had us bring back 5 litres of coconut oil from Samui as it was about half the price there.

[sandyf]

Why don't you make some soups? Use the chicken carcasses you can get in most supermarkets- add carrot, celery and onions- slow cook for hours- then you have some great stock. Freeze what you do not need immediately .

Pumpkin soup is good and mushrooms are cheap here.

If you have loads of good stock, then you can make Thai soups or ramen noodle. All cheap and good for lunch.

Wow I am getting some great ideals, I am glad I started this thread Thanks everybody

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I shouldn't worry too much about going to a market. My wife goes to the market every day but mainly to get stuff for the cats & dogs. We do our own shopping at Tesco, she says that prices are about the same but quality better and cleaner. It is not just foreigners that get ripped off. Just avoid the farang oriented shops like Foodland and Villa Market.

Have you thought about using noodles or pasta, makes quite a cheap option. I often have a packet of noodles with small tin of mackerel in tomato sauce, less than 20 baht.

[bazza40]

Sprinkle some extra Virgin coconut oil on the steamed veggies and protein which makes it tasty without adding unhealthy sauces and spices. It's also super healthy.

While I agree coconut oil is tasty, not sure it is healthy. It's a saturated fat ( lauric acid, C12 ). Perhaps you could cite a study of some kind as to the health benefits.

It certainly is healthy, but not cheap.

My sister in law is quite particular about what she eats and had us bring back 5 litres of coconut oil from Samui as it was about half the price there.

Reiterating the statement that coconut oil is healthy based on your sister's preferences isn't really answering my question, unless she is some kind of food expert with formal qualifications.

According to a doctor in the Pritikin Foundation, courtesy of Dr. Google, coconut oil is elevates LDL levels significantly. Although I suppose Google can also find references extolling its health benefits. A case of what you want to believe.

Edited March 1, 2016 by bazza40

[colinneil]

Healthy in Thailand you are dreaming, every single vegetable or meat is poisoned in this country.

Why make stupid comments like that?

I grow my own veg 100% organic, many organic veg to be found in Thailand if you look hard enough.

We grow our own veg/fish/chicken, all of it is 100% organic. Good fresh healthy and cheap.

[stailmanki]

I buy fish fillets from Maxvalu for 27 THB. They call it Pangasius Dory. It's a white fish.

They've been trying like hell to get Brits to eat frozen Thai/Vietnamese catfish: now called "Basa".

Yes that's right it is Vietnamese catfish. It tastes fine, with no seasoning at all, just plain steamed.

I eat pretty much what I want, my only criteria is I don't ever want to be fat so I avoid anything that might make me fat.

I would be wary of eating Basa Aka - Pangasius/Pacific Dory & many other (misleading) names - fed excrement & full of toxins - its an ongoing debate . I work in the food service industry where Basa is forbidden ( written in to the food service contract) Try cooking it under a salamander with just a splash of water - it turns Pink ! what's that ? - hormones fed to the fish ?- they grow 3 times as fast as in the wild.

The concerns with Vietnamese (& Thai ) farmed seafood are well documented - even Wikipedia has been carefully critical. Big business interests spread disinformation and there is another somewhat hysterical anti Basa lobby group.

[sandyf]

Sprinkle some extra Virgin coconut oil on the steamed veggies and protein which makes it tasty without adding unhealthy sauces and spices. It's also super healthy.

While I agree coconut oil is tasty, not sure it is healthy. It's a saturated fat ( lauric acid, C12 ). Perhaps you could cite a study of some kind as to the health benefits.

It certainly is healthy, but not cheap.

My sister in law is quite particular about what she eats and had us bring back 5 litres of coconut oil from Samui as it was about half the price there.

Reiterating the statement that coconut oil is healthy based on your sister's preferences isn't really answering my question, unless she is some kind of food expert with formal qualifications.

Not a question of preference, medical advice which didn't come cheap.

Every medical opinion is open to argument so it really is a question of what you want to believe.

Funny how old wives tales are coming back into fashion, makes you wonder how they became an old wives tale in the first place, certainly not by medical opinion.

[CLW]

As the OP wrote at the beginning about making sandwiches, I recommend to make your own bread.

You know what's inside and you can vary. It's a great hobby!

If you look on the internet for recipes I guess you can make bread until one pass away and never eat the same bread twice!

[Don Mega]

Healthy in Thailand you are dreaming, every single vegetable or meat is poisoned in this country.

Local beef is no better than the leather soles on my shoes so I only eat imported beef. Is it poisoned before or after it arrives in Thailand ?

[buythisdashcam]

I return you the question !

of course if you grow / raise yourself they will be better ! who is stupid enough to have to mention this ?

Healthy in Thailand you are dreaming, every single vegetable or meat is poisoned in this country.

Why make stupid comments like that?

I grow my own veg 100% organic, many organic veg to be found in Thailand if you look hard enough.

We grow our own veg/fish/chicken, all of it is 100% organic. Good fresh healthy and cheap.

[RabC]

Healthy in Thailand you are dreaming, every single vegetable or meat is poisoned in this country.

Local beef is no better than the leather soles on my shoes so I only eat imported beef. Is it poisoned before or after it arrives in Thailand ?

Ignorance must be bliss. I have eaten some Thai beef that matches the standards of just about all others I have tried. I agree a lot of Thai beef isn't great, I bet the butchers love you only eating imported stuff.

[Don Mega]

Healthy in Thailand you are dreaming, every single vegetable or meat is poisoned in this country.

Local beef is no better than the leather soles on my shoes so I only eat imported beef. Is it poisoned before or after it arrives in Thailand ?

Ignorance must be bliss. I have eaten some Thai beef that matches the standards of just about all others I have tried. I agree a lot of Thai beef isn't great, I bet the butchers love you only eating imported stuff.

Not ignorance at all. I love a nice chunk of steak cooked medium rare on the BBQ, I eat this atleast 3 nights a week. I have yet to find a decent Thai steak for such a meal.

[bazza40]

While I agree coconut oil is tasty, not sure it is healthy. It's a saturated fat ( lauric acid, C12 ). Perhaps you could cite a study of some kind as to the health benefits.

It certainly is healthy, but not cheap.

My sister in law is quite particular about what she eats and had us bring back 5 litres of coconut oil from Samui as it was about half the price there.

Reiterating the statement that coconut oil is healthy based on your sister's preferences isn't really answering my question, unless she is some kind of food expert with formal qualifications.

Not a question of preference, medical advice which didn't come cheap.

Every medical opinion is open to argument so it really is a question of what you want to believe.

Funny how old wives tales are coming back into fashion, makes you wonder how they became an old wives tale in the first place, certainly not by medical opinion.

Nice putdown. However, somewhat dishonest to selectively quote my previous post.

[buythisdashcam]

are you sure that it's the bread sold in supermarkets that will kill us ?

Of course not !

It's the vegetables full of pesticides that are forbidden in EU but allowed in Thailand and USA

+ the medicine fed animals ALL OVER THE WORLD.

Really, someone think being able to eat anything healthy without growing it ? you are dreaming your life !

As the OP wrote at the beginning about making sandwiches, I recommend to make your own bread.
You know what's inside and you can vary. It's a great hobby!
If you look on the internet for recipes I guess you can make bread until one pass away and never eat the same bread twice!

[CLW]

are you sure that it's the bread sold in supermarkets that will kill us ?

Of course not !

It's the vegetables full of pesticides that are forbidden in EU but allowed in Thailand and USA

+ the medicine fed animals ALL OVER THE WORLD.

Really, someone think being able to eat anything healthy without growing it ? you are dreaming your life !

As the OP wrote at the beginning about making sandwiches, I recommend to make your own bread.

You know what's inside and you can vary. It's a great hobby!

If you look on the internet for recipes I guess you can make bread until one pass away and never eat the same bread twice!

No one said that the ingredients in industrial bread will kill or poison you.

But some if not all are not necessary and if you bake by yourself you're in control.

Just one example the toast bread from Farmhouse. It's with preservative but that is not needed anymore nowadays under normal storage conditions.

In my opinion it's just to prevent mold under unfavourable storage which can happen here of course...

About the vegetable, I agree partly with you that it is a big problem with pesticide regulations worldwide.

Substances that have been independently proven to be toxic and cause cancer and therefore prohibited in the EU are still allowed here.

It's more than ever up to the customer to choose organic vegetables and try to put influence on the government and chemical industry.

[bazza40]

No one said that the ingredients in industrial bread will kill or poison you.

But some if not all are not necessary and if you bake by yourself you're in control.

Just one example the toast bread from Farmhouse. It's with preservative but that is not needed anymore nowadays under normal storage conditions.

In my opinion it's just to prevent mold under unfavourable storage which can happen here of course...

About the vegetable, I agree partly with you that it is a big problem with pesticide regulations worldwide.

Substances that have been independently proven to be toxic and cause cancer and therefore prohibited in the EU are still allowed here.

It's more than ever up to the customer to choose organic vegetables and try to put influence on the government and chemical industry.

I'm always amused by the term " organic vegetable ". One day, I'm hoping someone will show me an inorganic vegetable.

The appropriate term is "pesticide free" or similar. All vegetables are organic. The adjective means based on carbon.

No doubt the food purity mavens will be horrified to learn 99% of canola oil comes from genetically-modified canola plants.

Unmodified canola is almost a museum exhibit.

[CLW]

No one said that the ingredients in industrial bread will kill or poison you.

But some if not all are not necessary and if you bake by yourself you're in control.

Just one example the toast bread from Farmhouse. It's with preservative but that is not needed anymore nowadays under normal storage conditions.

In my opinion it's just to prevent mold under unfavourable storage which can happen here of course...

About the vegetable, I agree partly with you that it is a big problem with pesticide regulations worldwide.

Substances that have been independently proven to be toxic and cause cancer and therefore prohibited in the EU are still allowed here.

It's more than ever up to the customer to choose organic vegetables and try to put influence on the government and chemical industry.

I'm always amused by the term " organic vegetable ". One day, I'm hoping someone will show me an inorganic vegetable.

The appropriate term is "pesticide free" or similar. All vegetables are organic. The adjective means based on carbon.

No doubt the food purity mavens will be horrified to learn 99% of canola oil comes from genetically-modified canola plants.

Unmodified canola is almost a museum exhibit.

I'm not native speaker but the term "Organic" is correct, isn't it?

But I agree that "pesticide free" is more appropriate.

For me I could live with the use of synthetic fertilizer but without pesticide.

And for canola, unfortunately true. Same for soybean and products. Mostly GMO.

[SoiBiker]

Organic is fine, unless you're a roaring pedant.

[inbangkok]

Healthy in Thailand you are dreaming, every single vegetable or meat is poisoned in this country.

Local beef is no better than the leather soles on my shoes so I only eat imported beef. Is it poisoned before or after it arrives in Thailand ?

Ignorance must be bliss. I have eaten some Thai beef that matches the standards of just about all others I have tried. I agree a lot of Thai beef isn't great, I bet the butchers love you only eating imported stuff.

I guess I am ignorant as well because I have yet to taste Thai beef that would even be considered worthy of feeding to a dog....

Many Thai people who have been abroad or can afford to eat in nicer restaurants seem to feel the same.

[inbangkok]

Healthy in Thailand you are dreaming, every single vegetable or meat is poisoned in this country.

Local beef is no better than the leather soles on my shoes so I only eat imported beef. Is it poisoned before or after it arrives in Thailand ?

Ignorance must be bliss. I have eaten some Thai beef that matches the standards of just about all others I have tried. I agree a lot of Thai beef isn't great, I bet the butchers love you only eating imported stuff.

Not ignorance at all. I love a nice chunk of steak cooked medium rare on the BBQ, I eat this atleast 3 nights a week. I have yet to find a decent Thai steak for such a meal.

That is because you are correct, they don't exist. Thai beef is borderline inedible.