Warners Bay mother of four and MasterChef Australia alumni Steph de Sousa is keenly aware of the cost of living crisis.
Her solution? Budget-friendly cooking for her family and anyone else who chooses to tune in to her quirky but practical daily video recipes on social media.
STEPH'S TIPS
- Look at the bottom shelf of the supermarket aisle for cheaper versions of ingredients.
- Cook from scratch rather than buying ready made. You will need to slowly build up your pantry essentials, but it will be cheaper in the long run.
- Plan your meals, make a list and stick to it. This is the hardest one.
"I started sharing budget recipes in October last year because I was trying to save for a holiday. That's when I discovered how popular they were, so I created my 'family meals under $20' series," she told Food & Wine.
"If I don't post one for a few days, someone will pop into my DMs and remind me.
"Now I do them to help people manage the huge increase in grocery costs we have been experiencing.
"I try to encourage people to cook from scratch and on a budget."
She joined social media platform TikTok a year ago and has been sharing recipes there (@Stephcooksstuff) and on Instagram (@steph.j.desousa).
Her content is fun, easy to follow, and uses easily accessible ingredients. In her words, anyone can "play along".
"Over the past few months I have found myself baulking at the cost of certain groceries, particularly fresh produce and meat," de Sousa said.
"Once upon a time I could buy whatever I liked, now I find myself swapping ingredients in and out of recipes to make them affordable.
"Basic items like capsicum, broccoli and cauliflower can blow the budget when they are scarce."
She makes sure she always a spice drawer full of cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, chilli, garlic and onion powder, oregano, cinnamon and Chinese 5 spice.
"And in the pantry I always have tinned tomatoes, some beans, lentils, pasta, noodles, rice, soy sauce, oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chilli sauce and stock powder," de Sousa said.
"With these you can live like a king or queen by just adding a few fresh ingredients."
Here are three of de Sousa's budget-friendly family dinners to try at home.
Each meal costs about $20 and uses a few pantry essentials.
Satay Chicken with Rice and Broccoli
Ingredients
8 chicken thigh cutlets, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
165ml can coconut milk
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbs kecap manis or dark soy
1 tbs fish sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
1 bunch broccolini, steamed
2 cups rice, cooked
1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves (optional)
Method
1. Cook chicken in a hot pan for 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan.
2. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook on medium heat until soft. Add garam masala and stir for 1 minute. Add peanut butter, coconut milk, lime juice, kecap manis, fish sauce, sugar and 1/2 a can of water. Stir until smooth and boiling.
3. Add chicken back in to heat through again, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with coriander.
4. Serve with rice and steamed broccoli.
Pork Meatball Subs Thai Style
Ingredients
500g pork mince
1 tbsp Thai green curry paste
1 grated red onion
1 large grated carrot
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 pkt pre-made Thai salad
1 cucumber, sliced
4 crusty long rolls
Method
1. Mix together mince, curry paste, onion, carrot, egg and bread crumbs. Roll into 16 equal size balls.
2. Pan fry in medium pan for 10 minutes, turning every few minutes so evenly browned.
3. Mix salad together and fine slice cucumber. Place salad and cucumber in rolls and add meatballs. Top with mayo if you like.
Lemon and Garlic Chicken with Roasted Broccoli
Ingredients
1 whole chicken cut into quarters or 12 drumsticks
1 kg potatoes
2 lemons
Cloves from 1 bulb of garlic
1 head broccoli
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp cumin
Olive oil
Method
1. Cut potatoes into quarters and place in baking try. Add garlic cloves. Squeeze juice of lemons and add lemons into baking dish. Season potatoes with salt and pepper.
2. Place chicken pieces over potatoes, sprinkle with cumin, salt and pepper. Slosh over a few good glugs of olive oil. Bake in over for 1 hour at 180 degrees Celsius.
3. Cut broccoli into florets, add to another baking dish, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with some olive oil. Add to the oven 20 minutes before the chicken is ready.
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