For many of us, Friday evening signals many things – the fact you’ve made it through a week of work, the beginning of your weekend and, quite frankly, the time to relax. You are truly bossing life.

It might be tempting, then, to reward yourself with a takeaway – the ultimate Friday treat – but those on a New Year health kick, or trying to save money, might be reluctant to do so. What’s a foodie to do?

Dale Pinnock’s new cookbook, Fakeaways, is packed with healthier, budget-friendly recipes you can make in the same amount of time it would take for a food delivery to turn up at your door. 

And, unlike some recipe books, the instructions are ridiculously simple to follow.

The book, published on 9 January, is brimming with more than 80 meal ideas. There are recipes for Indian, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Middle Eastern and Thai food – and there’s even a section for ‘Grills & Classics’: think fish and chips, burgers and spicy wings.

Each recipe comes with nutritional information (Pinnock is a nutritionist, after all) and creative twists to help you save time, effort and money. Here’s a sneak peek of three recipes from the new book. 

Chicken Rogan Josh

Serves: 4 | Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 35 mins

“This is a dish that is traditionally made with lamb, but lamb is an ingredient I just don’t and won’t cook with so I’ve flipped this into a chicken version, which tastes amazing,” says Pinnock.

Ingredients

• Olive oil, for sautéing
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 5cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 5–6 cardamom pods
• ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 800g chicken breast, diced
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• Salt
• Green salad and pitta breads, to serve

Method

:: Sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods in a little olive oil with a good pinch of salt until the onion has softened.

:: Add the remaining spices and cook for another minute or two until the spices start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

:: Add the chicken and stir well to coat in the spices.

:: Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

:: Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often.

:: Serve with a green salad and some warmed pitta breads.

Vegetable Chow Mein

Serves: 2 | Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 15 mins

“This is a super-easy favourite to recreate and one that I do at home quite often when I don’t feel like making anything extravagant for dinner,” says the nutritionist. “There is definitely something comforting about noodles.”

Ingredients

• 100g egg noodles
• Olive oil, for sautéing
• 1 large red onion, halved and sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 large spring onions, cut into batons
• 150g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• Salt (optional)

Method 

:: Place the noodles in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.

:: In a frying pan, sauté the red onion, garlic and spring onions in a little olive oil over a medium heat for about 8 minutes until the onion softens.

:: Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté for another 4-5 minutes. Add the spinach and sauté just long enough to wilt it. Add the cooked noodles and mix all the ingredients together.

:: Finally, add the soy sauce and sesame oil and mix well. Season with a little salt if desired before serving.

King Prawn Red Curry

Serves: 2 | Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 20 mins

“Red curries are another staple Thai favourite and I absolutely adore them,” says Pinnock. “Seafood is the perfect match for a red curry, but really, you could use anything. Chicken, tofu or mixed veg will all work great too.”

Ingredients

For the paste:

• 2 teaspoons each ground
• Cumin and ground
• Coriander
• 4 red bird’s-eye chillies, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 3 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped
• 4cm piece of ginger or galangal root, peeled and chopped
• 6 fresh kaffir lime leaves or the finely grated zest of 1 lime
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• Stalks from 80g bunch of fresh coriander
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

For the curry:

• Coconut oil, for frying
• 300g raw king prawns, shells removed
• 400ml can coconut milk
• 200ml fish stock
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach
• Brown rice, to serve

Method

:: Place the paste ingredients in a food processor and blitz into a smooth, aromatic paste.

:: Heat a little coconut oil in a large pan, add the curry paste and fry for around 10 minutes until it has become much darker and less pungent.

:: Add the coconut milk and stock, and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the prawns and simmer for another 3-4 minutes until they are cooked.

:: Add the spinach and allow to wilt. Serve with cooked brown rice. 

Fakeaways: Healthy, budget-friendly takeaways for everyday home cooking by Dale Pinnock is published by Hamlyn. Buy it on Amazon for £11.

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