Frugal Recipes

Check out this amazing recipe for Thai (Pollock) curry with egg noodles - and make a delicious meal for just £1.75 per head.

This week marks the start of a new series of recipes every Friday for lovemoney.com.

We're calling them Frugal Recipes, to coincide with our Frugal Friday and Frugal Food series.

We'll be looking at cheaper cuts of meat and cheaper more sustainable fish and how to make them into some fantastic meals over the next couple of months.

I'll be showing you some recipes that are great alternatives, and in my opinion equal alternatives, to the more expensive pork chops, chicken breasts and un-sustainable cod options.

This week we start with fish and Pollock as a great, cheaper alternative to Cod. Pollock should cost no more than £4.99 per kg, whereas cod will cost in the region of £12.99 to £16.99 per kg.

In terms of texture and taste there is little difference and remember to skin and bone yourself to save more money.

Recipe #15: Thai (Pollock) curry with egg noodles (serves four people)

800g of filleted Pollock (£4 at £4.99 per kg)
400ml of coconut milk (57p)
500ml of fish stock (cupboard staple)
1 red chilli (10p)
8 shallots (48p)
2 tbsp of brown sugar (cupboard staple)
2 tbsp of Thai fish sauce (cupboard staple)
4 tbsp of Thai red curry paste (cupboard staple)
400g of egg noodles (73p)
2 limes (34p)
Small bunch of coriander (79p)

The cupboard staples...

Red curry paste, fish sauce, Black pepper, fish stock cube, sunflower oil and brown sugar

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Sainsbury's, where it came to £7.01 - that's £1.75 per head!

Instructions

Get a large frying pan on to the heat and fry off the finely sliced shallots and red chilli in a little oil for about two minutes. Then add the curry paste and fry off for a further minute on a reasonably high heat. You need to cook that paste out.
Now add the stock, fish sauce, coconut milk, brown sugar and a twist of black pepper and bring up to a gentle simmer for around seven minutes - we want to reduce the sauce down a little to intensify the flavours.
Whilst the sauce is simmering cook through the egg noodles and place into four bowls. The egg noodles will take no longer than three minutes at a gentle simmer.
The sauce should have reduced a little now. So add the Pollock fillets (it's your choice to add as four fillets or cut down into eight). The Pollock will need around three to five minutes to cook on a medium simmer dependant on the thickness of the fillets.
Now we're ready to serve - serve the curry over the rice noodles and add a sprinkle of finely chopped coriander and a squeeze of lime.
Happy eating!

A bit about our Chef, Paul Warburton

Paul Warburton, a lovemoney.com staff member, had a hectic career in the world of hot kitchens and screaming chefs before joining the lovemoney.com products development team.

During these years, under the tutorage of some great chefs, he honed his skills in cooking for numbers within a tight cost and portion-controlled environment.

Now he's planning to regularly offer his help to all budding chefs in the lovemoney.com community, so you can enjoy his original, low-cost recipes with your family and friends every Friday for free!

What lovemoney.com readers have said about Paul's other recipes

"We enjoyed this recipe very much: easy to make and even easier to eat!" varneyrob

"I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Seriously good! Five of us feasted on it, and feasted well..." Ibeshy

"I made this recipe on Saturday night, and my 13 year-old son promptly requested it again for the following night!" Malcolm Wheatley

"This is a cracking risotto recipe. Just had it for lunch & it's a winner. More recipes please. Thanks." SavvyLass

Please add your own comments using the comments box below!

If you like this recipe, why not also try Paul's other 'Feed five for under a fiver' recipes: Chunky pea and ham soup | Spaghetti alla carbonara | Pork stroganoff | Green chilli meat balls, sunflower seed couscous salad and mint yoghurt | Tagliatelle with air dried cured ham and minted peas | Beef, thyme and mushroom loaf with potato dauphinoise | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice | Egg Florentine with smoked cheddar and rocket salad | Beef, mushroom and thyme pie | Spicy tuna, bean and coriander lasagne | Beef koftas with a feta, spinach and fresh mint salad | Chorizo and pea risotto | Sausage and rosemary hotpot | Beef & thyme (Lacashire) hotpot