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Home Takeaway Recommendations please!!

Hi all, I've been checking our budget and I'm totally ashamed to admit that we've been spending a silly amount on takeaways!! We love Chinese, Fish and Chips and KFC (we actually have a small pizza business so have a wood fired oven and eat pizza too!) Does anyone have any really good go to recipes or recommendations for straight to oven/microwave for shop stuff for takeaway style foods? we dont have a frier so any good oven chips? Thanks for any tips/recommendations  :)  

Comments

  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 35,370 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Savvy Shopper!
    I use new potatoes for wedges. Just quarter them, toss in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and oven cook them. You can add black pepper, herbs or spices to the oil.

    A Goan friend's recipe for Dhal:

    DHAL FRY/DHAL TADKA – JANE’S RECIPE

    Wash & boil the red lentils with turmeric powder.

    Put some oil in a pan and add the garlic & cumin seeds and fry.

    Add tomatoes & onions and fry a little more.

    Add a vegetable stock cube.

    Add coriander powder & chopped ginger root (or ginger powder).

    Add chopped green chilli & garam masala.

    Combine the above with the cooked dhal (lentils) and boil.

    When ready, add fresh coriander.

     

    THIS IS DHAL FRY.

    FOR DHAL TADKA:

    Heat extra oil and add a whole red chilli.

    Add the oil and whole red chilli to the mixture.

     

    1st Attempt (quite spicy, consistency OK, maybe use 5oz lentils):

    6oz red lentils

    1 Tsp Turmeric

    1 Tsp Ground Cumin

    Salt

    2 cloves garlic, chopped (or crushed if you don’t like big pieces)

    1 Tsp cumin seeds

    1 small onion, very finely chopped

    Fresh tomatoes, skinned & chopped or half a tin of chopped tomatoes

    1 vegetable stock cube

    small piece fresh ginger root (maybe ¾ to 1”), grated

    1 Tsp ground coriander (I ground the seeds)

    2 green chillies and seeds

    1 Tsp Garam Masala


    Rinse the lentils, add 1.5 pint of water, turmeric & ground cumin and bring to the boil.

    Boil uncovered for 15 minutes, then cover & simmer for 15 – 20 minutes (maybe up to 30 minutes), ensuring it doesn’t boil dry.

    Blend slightly but not until smooth.

     

    Melt butter in a frying pan, then fry the garlic and cumin seeds.

    Add the tomatoes and onions and fry.

    Add the crushed stock cube.

    Add the coriander powder and ginger.

    Add the chillies and garam masala.

    Fry for a few minutes, then add to the lentils.

     

    Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with naan bread.

     

    I’ve since batch cooked this in the slow cooker with success.


    This ^^^^ recipe has been shared many times on here together with IslandMaid's flatbreads. I'll leave her to add that recipe.

    If you like kebabs:

    Homemade doner kebab

    Preparation time: less than 30 mins

    Cooking time: 10 to 30 mins

    Serves 4

    Equipment: you will need a 1kg/2lb 4oz loaf tin

    Ingredients

    • 1 tsp rapeseed oil
    • 400g/14oz lean lamb mince (5% fat)
    • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 tsp ground coriander
    • ½ tsp onion powder
    • ½ tsp smoked paprika
    • ½ tsp sea salt
    • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

    To serve

    • 4 brown pittas
    • ½ iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
    • ¼ red cabbage, cored and finely shredded
    • ½ red onion, thinly sliced
    • 1 red pepper, sliced
    • 2 tbsp chilli sauce
    • 4 tbsp low-fat plain yoghurt
    • 2 tbsp pickled chillies (optional)

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Brush the oil over a 1kg/2lb 4oz loaf tin.
    2. Tip the mince into a large bowl, add the garlic, spices and seasoning and mix with your hands until smooth. Press into the loaf tin and bake for 20 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
    3. Meanwhile, warm the pittas in the oven for 5 minutes.
    4. Turn the meat out of the tin and slice the kebab lengthways into thin strips. Open up each pitta to create a pocket and pile in the salad ingredients and meat. Add chilli sauce and yoghurt, plus pickled chillies if using.
    NOTES:

    1.      Used approx 280-300gm mince. Worked well, maybe try meat on a pita with wedges and salad on the side

    2.      Used 500gm mince & cooked in 2 separate smaller loaf tins. Froze one in a lump. Cook for 20 minutes OK, even if juices run pink as continues cooking. Had mince on top of pitta with salad on side. Separate bowl of yogurt with smoked paprika.

    Dips:

    sweet chilli sauce, Heinz basil & sundried tomato sauce, hot mango & mint sauce.




  • gt568
    gt568 Posts: 2,532 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    The Takeaway Secret book is a good starting point.
    {Signature removed by Forum Team}
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 35,370 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Savvy Shopper!
    And if you Google 'making takeaways at home' you'll get lots of recipes.
  • Pollycat said:
    And if you Google 'making takeaways at home' you'll get lots of recipes.
    I was just hoping some of you good folk may have tried some first  :D
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 35,370 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Savvy Shopper!
    I'm sure you'll get lots of 'tried-and-tested' recipes.
    I've given you 2 of my own.

    Just pointing out there's a massive source of recipes online in addition to the suggestion made by gt568.
  • -taff
    -taff Posts: 15,075 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Have alook for The Takeaway Secret book. All recipes tried and tested by the author, but beware,the fried chicken one is not KFC but that can be remedied by googling the recipe and trying it out yourself. I got it for a friend and one for me and the ones we've tried are pretty good. BM does a curry sauce mix, it's just called medium curry, in a box, and it tastes exactly like a chinese curry. They also do southern fried chicken gravy but I haven't tried that.
    Non me fac calcitrare tuum culi
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