Fakeaway recipes

FAKEAWAY NIGHT

This month FRAN STEVENS, aka The Food Wife, shows you how to recreate some classic takeaway dishes at home!

n.b. Steps 1-3 can be done in advance and stored in the fridge. If adding extra protein, stir fry before adding the veg.

PAD THAI

Serves 2 as a main meal or 4 as a side

One of my favourites! The garnishes really make the flavour of this and you can control the heat by adding the chilli to your own taste. If making this gluten-free ensure you the oyster sauce you use is – Lee Kum Kee do one.

You can easily scale this recipe up, and add any extra protein you like; prawns or chicken work well. You can make the sauce up in advance of the final cooking the dish, the same goes for the frying of the tofu and the egg. Doing so makes the final cooking quick and easy.

Ingredients

For the sauce: 3 tbsp fish sauce 2 ½ tbsp oyster sauce (gluten-free if required) 2 ½ tbsp tamarind purée ✃

4 ½ tbsp packed/heaped light soft brown sugar For the stir fry: 2 handfuls of stir fry veg of your choice (onion/pepper/baby corn/ carrot ribbons work well) 3 handfuls of bean sprouts 225g firm tofu, pressed and cut into cubes 2 eggs, beaten 200g wide flat rice noodles, cooked according to the packet instructions (then run through with cold water to stop them from sticking. You could also add a few drops of sesame oil to help keen them separate too) For the garnish: 1 lime cut into wedges Fresh coriander leaves Crushed chilli flakes Crushed roasted peanuts Method Mix all the sauce ingredients into a smooth sauce. Set to one side (if making in advance store, sealed in a tub, in the fridge).

In a wok, fry the tofu in vegetable oil over a medium high heat, turning until nicely coloured and slightly crisped. Remove from the pan. Set to one side (if making in advance store, sealed in a tub, in the fridge).

In the same wok, using the residual oil, scramble the eggs and cook until it is in dry pieces. Remove from the pan. Set to one side (if making in advance store, sealed in a tub, in the fridge).

If you have done steps 1-3 in advance remove from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking to allow them to come up to room temperature.

Heat a little oil in the wok over a high heat. Stir fry the vegetables, moving them about the pan. Add the cooked rice noodles and keep tossing or stirring them, then add the fried tofu, egg and sauce, keep tossing everything so that it is all is coated in the sauce and heated through.

Once everything is piping hot, serve, with fresh coriander, wedges of lime, crushed peanuts and chilli flakes. Delicious.

CHINESE BEEF WITH GINGER

Serves 2 -3 One of the first things I learned to cook as a child was Sweet & Sour Chicken. Granted, it was initially a jar of Uncle Ben’s, but I soon progressed to making my own sauce with the help of my mum’s cookbooks. Nowadays I appreciate something with a bit more flavour; I still love sweet and sour, but this is punchier and sticky from the cornflour and scant sauce. I make it with beef skirt, it’s a cheaper cut but flavoursome, and suits being cut into thin strips. This dish is so quick to cook – once you start it in the wok it’ll be ready to serve in about five minutes, so preparation is key. Have everything ready (it should only take about 10 minutes to prepare) and follow my steps in quick succession and hey presto, dinner is ready! Ingredients 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely diced 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced 1 chilli (optional), finely diced 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal 3 spring onions sliced diagonally 250g beef skirt cut into thin strips 2 tbsp dark soy sauce 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp sesame oil 2 tbsp oil 1 heaped tbsp corn flour To garnish (optional): Coriander leaves Sesame seeds Crispy onions (I buy ones ready fried)

Method Prepare all the ingredients so you are ready to cook. Next, heat 2 tbsp of oil on a high heat in a wok. Add the meat and quickly stir to stop it sticking. Add the corn flour and stir to coat the oily beef. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli (if using) and stir. Add the spring onion and carrot and stir. Add the sugar, dark soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil, then stir so everything is coated. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, by which time the meat should be cooked through and the vegetables al dente. Serve with rice and add the garnishes, if you are using. I’d also recommmend a few prawn crackers on the side. LEMON TOFU

Serves 2-3 I absolutely love lemon chicken and here is my vegan version, which is so so good even if I say so myself! Cooking the tofu until it goes all crispy is a must, you won’t be disappointed by spending the time to create these nuggets of yumminess It’s also worth pressing the tofu to remove as much water as you can before cooking too. Ingredients For the tofu: 300g firm tofu, cut into pieces about 1cm by 2cm 4 tbsp corn flour Pinch of ground white pepper Vegetable oil For the stir fry: Vegetable oil 1 onion, large dice 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced 2 inches of ginger, julienned or grated 1 pepper, large dice For the sauce: 2 lemons (juice and zest) 3 tbsp soy sauce (gf if required) 1 tsp sesame oil 3 tsp sugar 400ml veg stock (gf/vg as required) Salt and Pepper Method Mix the corn flour and ground white pepper together in an bowl. Heat some oil in a wok (the base of the wok should be coated in a layer of oil a couple of mm deep), and when hot, coat the pieces of tofu in the flour mix and carefully add to the hot oil. Make sure each piece is making full contact with the oil. Allow to get really crispy (but not burning) before turning and cooking on all sides. This will take 15-20 minutes. Then remove the crispy tofu and leave to one side. The bowl of leftover corn flour can have a little cold water added to it to thicken the sauce later. Return the wok to the heat, add a little more oil and then add the onion, pepper, ginger and garlic. Stir fry for a few minutes and then add the soy sauce, lemon zest and juice, followed by the hot vegetable stock and corn flour mix. Give everything a good stir. Cook out for a few minutes and then add the sesame oil, sugar and a pinch each of salt and pepper to taste. Add the crispy tofu to the sauce and cook for a couple more minutes and then serve with rice and, if you like, stir fried green vegetables such as pak choi. • thefoodwife.co.uk

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