Chicken Chow Mein, fish and chips, Hawaiian pizza – they all sound like the carnage of a late night take away. But they don’t have to. Take out tends to only taste good when you’re drunk or desperate – but why order take out when you can ‘take in’ at home. It not only saves you money, but it reminds you how good food can be without the MSG!

If you want to complete the look, you can even make your own take out box!

Chicken Chow Mein

Cardboard takeaway boxes are strictly optional...

Chicken Chow Mein is often a little soggy and flavourless but this recipe from Jamie Oliver has to be one of my favourites. Easy, quick and delicious!

• Put a large pan of water on to boil
• Preheat a wok or large frying pan on a high heat and once it’s very, very hot add a good glug of groundnut oil and swirl it around
• Stir in the chicken strips and cook for a couple of minutes, until the chicken browns slightly
• Add the ginger, garlic, chilli, coriander stalks, mushrooms and half the spring onions
• Stir-fry for 30 seconds, keeping everything moving round the wok quickly
• Add your noodles and bok choi to the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, no longer otherwise its soggy and too much like a take away. Drain well reserving a little of cooking water
• Mix the cornflour with a little water from water chestnut tin to make a paste.
• Add the cornflour, water chestnuts and their water to the wok
• Remove stir fry from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and juice of half a lime
• Stir in the noodles and bok choi, with a little of the cooking water to loosen if necessary. Mix well
• Have a taste and season with more soy sauce if needed
• Serve with lime wedges and remaining juiced spooned over the top. Sprinkle with the rest of the spring onions and the coriander leaves

Chicken Korma

Chicken Korma is a mildly spiced, creamy curry that has a bad reputation from too many takeout abominations. With a few freshly ground spices, we can finally reclaim chicken korma from the land of lager louts (although a bottle of Cobra beer does still slip down a treat with this)

Bring your own bottle!

1.4kg chicken, cut into pieces
150g ghee or clarified butter*
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
1 tsp chilli powder
4 tsp onion powder
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp dried ground ginger
10 black peppercorns
5 cloves
6 cardamom pods, ground
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp salt
300ml oz natural yoghurt
3 bay leaves
300ml chicken stock
1 lemon, juice only

• Melt the ghee or clarified butter in a large pan and fry the onions until golden brown.
• Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and put to one side.
• Add all the spices and the garlic to the pan and fry until brown, then throw in the chicken and salt and cook until browned.
• Add the yoghurt, bay leaves and stock or water and return the fried onions to the pan.
• Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for one and a half to two hours, until the chicken is tender
• Remove the pan from the heat, pour in the lemon juice and mix well.
• Remove the bay leaves and serve with plain boiled rice.

*Ghee is a must with curries. You can buy it in your local Indian food stockist – it adds body and depth to your curries and keeps for ages.

Fish and Chips

Best served on newspaper. And it saves on the washing up!

This recipe has oven cooked chips – so it’s not quite so naughty!

For the fish

For the Chips

• Combine the flour, cornflour, baking powder and turmeric in a large bowl, season, and spoon 1 tbsp onto a plate. Set aside. Gradually pour the beer and water into the bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth, lump-free batter. Leave to rest for 30 minutes while you prepare the chips.
• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Boil a large pan of water, and add the chipped potatoes and boil for 2-3 minutes until the outsides are just tender but not soft.
• Drain potatoes, then tip onto a large baking tray with the flour, oil and some salt. Gently toss together until all the potatoes are evenly coated and the flour is no longer dusty.
• Roast for 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chips are golden and crisp.
• To cook the fish, heat the 1 litre oil in a deep saucepan until a drop of batter sizzles and crisps up straight away.
• Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper, and then toss it in the reserved turmeric flour mix. Shake off any excess, and dip fish into the batter. Carefully lower each fillet into the hot oil and fry for 6-8 minutes – depending on the thickness of the fish – until golden and crisp.
• Using a large slotted spoon, lift out the fish, drain on kitchen paper, then sprinkle with salt. Serve with the hot chips, ketchup and vinegar.

Pizza

If you’re craving the classic takeaway – get tropical with this Hawaiian pizza recipe:

Serve with an ice cold Peroni...

Dough

Toppings

Sieve the flour and salt on to a clean work surface and make a well in the middle.

In a jug, mix the yeast, sugar and olive oil into the water and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well. Use a fork to bring the flour in gradually from the sides and swirl it into the liquid. Keep mixing, drawing larger amounts of flour in, and when it all starts to come together, work the rest of the flour in with your clean, flour-dusted hands. Knead until you have smooth, springy dough.

Place the ball of dough in a large flour-dusted bowl and flour the top of it. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and place in a warm room for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size. Meanwhile watch an episode of your favorite TV series.

When the dough is ready, place it on a flour-dusted surface and knead to push the air out with your hands. Divide dough into two balls, shape into two 12” pizzas, and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to as hot as it will go!

Cover base in tomato sauce and add toppings. My home economics teacher told me off for not arranging my ingredients as neatly as my friend – but you can just chuck it on any old how. Remember not to over load the pizza though. Otherwise it won’t cook! Finish off with grated cheese so nothing burns.

Cook straight on the wire grill with the grill pan underneath so you get a crispy base for 8 minutes.

What’s your favourite take away? Can you make it at home?