Whether it's a curry on Saturday night in front of the TV, Domino's when you're hungover or the chippy when you can't be asked to cook, students are guilty of splashing the cash on naughty food. This is not only expensive but it's massively unhealthy too. Here are some easy, healthy and cheap alternatives to popular takeout food, saving your wallet and your waistline!
Pizza
Cost: from as little as £1.50 per pizza
(Serves 2+)
You will need:
- A packet of bread mix
- OR flour, water and a little oil (one 1.5kg packet mix makes about 2 large pizzas)
- A ball of mozzarella (per pizza)
- 1 jar of tomato pasta sauce (Dolmio, Lloyd Grossman, Sainsbury's basics...)
- Any toppings you want
What you do:
- To make the base follow the instructions on the bread mix packet or add some water to your flour kneading well and adding a little oil whenever it looks dry and crumbly. Make sure you give it a good pummelling and the end texture is stretchy and doughy. You can let it sit for a while if you want, but it's not essential.
- Roll the dough into pizza sized shapes and put on greased baking trays.
- Pour some sauce onto the bases, spreading evenly.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella and add any toppings you want.
- Whack in the oven at gas mark 5 for about 15 minutes until the base is golden and the cheese is melted.
Et voila! A ridiculously easy, cheap and far healthier alternative to Pizza Hut delivery.Fish and Chips
Cost: from as little as £1.50 per serving
(Serves 1+)
You will need:
- Potatoes (from one to infinity, depending on how many chips you want)
- 1 fish fillet per person (cod, haddock etc)
- 60g self-raising flour per fillet
- 1 egg white
- 30ml cold water
- Oil, salt and pepper
- Peas etc to serve
What you do:
For the chips:- Peel and wash the potatoes.
- Cut them into chip sized wedges.
- Add them to a saucepan, bring to the boil then simmer for 4 minutes.
- Drain them, pat them dry in a tea towel and leave them there to cool.
- Put a tablespoon of oil into a non-stick pan and heat at gas mark 7 for ten minutes.
- Toss the cooled chips in another tablespoon of oil in a bowl then add to the hot tray.
- Cook for about half an hour turning and wriggling them every ten minutes to ensure they get nice and crispy evenly.
For the fish:- Whilst the chips are in the oven dry the fish then coat it in flour, dusting off any excess.
- Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan to get sizzling.
- In a bowl, mix the rest of the flour, salt and pepper. Then add the water, mixing as you pour.
- In another bowl froth the egg white making sure it's bubbly, then add half of it to the flour mix and whisk some more.
- Dip the fish into the batter then fry it in the heated oil for 5-6 minutes, turning it halfway through and making sure it's golden all over.
Then ta-da! Delicious, healthier fish and chips without even leaving the house.Curry
Cost: from as little as £3 per person
(Serves 4 - so plenty to freeze for another day!)
You will need:
- 500g chicken thigh/breast
- A can of chopped tomatoes
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 100g curry paste
- Onions
- Garlic
- Potatoes and aubergines
- Oil, salt and pepper
- Rice or naan bread to serve
What you do:
- Fry the onions in some oil until soft, then add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the curry paste and fry for another minute.
- Add the chicken and cook for ten minutes.
- Pour in the stock, tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines, salt and pepper and give it a good mix.
- Cover and cook for fifteen minutes.
- Uncover and cook for another ten minutes until everything is cooked through and soft.
- Boil some rice/ shove a naan bread in the oven to serve!
And hey presto - you'll never need to spend money on an Indian takeaway again!
Try out these recipes and let us know what you think. Do you have any other easy, cheap and healthy takeaway alternatives?
