Saturday Night Takeaway - Madras Curry

This weekend's takeaway of choice is the classic curry.  This is a great dish to be able to make as it is so versatile.  You can put pretty much whatever meat or vegetables you have in to this curry recipe and it will taste delicious!  (My favourite that I've tried so far is using a cod fillet.)

I know that some of these spices aren't things you usually have in the cupboard (ie Garam Masala) but they are easy to find and are a great investment with how cheap these meals are.  My main advice would be to check in world food sections of supermarkets to get the best price on these spices.

My Magic Madras

1 x Onion (Sliced)
2 x Garlic Cloves
400g x Chopped Tomatoes
450ml x Vegetable/Chicken Stock
2 tsp x Garam Masala
2 tsp x Curry Powder
1 tsp x Cumin
1 tsp x Turmeric
1 tsp x Salt
Chilli Powder (to taste)
1 Handful x Coriander
Some Frozen Spinach (Optional)
Either
1 Mug x Lentils (Cooked)
OR 1 x Chicken Breast (Cooked)

Method

1.  Fry the onions in a little oil in a saucepan.  Once they have softened, add the garlic, salt and spices.  Add a little water so that you create a kind of paste.  Cook this for a few minutes.





2.  Add the stock and the chopped tomatoes to the base and bring to a simmer.





3.  Add the meat/vegetables of your choice and simmer for 10-15 mins.





4.  Stir in the coriander and cook for another 5 mins.





5.  Serve with your choice of side dish (Rice or naan bread)

Naan bread recipe I used

The lentil curry comes in at £1.50 and the chicken curry at £2.30.  Each of these will easily feed 2 people.  That's a great saving of £6 on the takeaway (Not including the delivery fee) so why not treat yourself to a few Cobra beers as well.

Saturday Night Takeaway - Pizza

Pizza Sauce

1 x Onion (Diced)
2 x Garlic Cloves (Diced)
1 x Handful of Basil (Chopped)
1 x tsp Oregano
250g x Passata
Salt, Pepper and Sugar (To Season)


Method

1. In a saucepan, fry the onions in a little oil.  Add some salt and pepper.  After 5 minutes add the garlic and then fry for a further 5 minutes.





2. Add the passata to the pan with a sprinkle of sugar (or a tsp of honey)





3. Add the herbs to the mixture then bring to a light simmer for 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust the seasoning based on your preferences.





4. Blitz in a blender if you have one (although this is not essential.)  Store in the fridge for later.









Pizza Dough

1½ x Mugs of Plain Flour
 ½ x Mug of Warm (Not Boiling) Water
1 x Sachet fast-action Yeast
1 x tbsp Oil
1 x Pinch Salt and Sugar


Method


1. Put the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.




2. Add the oil and water.  Stir until the mixture comes together.




3. Sprinkle flour on to a clean work-surface.  Move the dough on to the surface and begin to knead.  Add more flour if the dough is too sticky.  Knead for between 10-15 minutes.

I KNEAD PIZZA RN

4. Leave in a clean bowl for around 1 hour.  The dough will rise during this time.  Hit the dough so that the air is taken out then leave for another 30 minutes.





5. Roll out the dough onto a baking sheet.  Add the sauce and whatever toppings you like.

This recipe makes one 12 inch pizza. If you want to make more pizzas, just multiply the ingredients.

Making a margherita pizza with this recipe costs £1.49 (and this goes down the more pizzas you make).  That's £5 less than the best deal at Dominos.  Or 2 extra vodka cokes on your Saturday night out.