Isolation Eats: Takeaway classics you can cook at home to help you survive the lockdown
Takeaways are one of life's eating pleasures, however, with the lockdown back in place, they can be a little more difficult to get your hands on. If you’re missing the taste of your favourite Friday takeaway, check out the recipes below and recreate them at home.
An added plus, with homemade food you know exactly what you’re getting as you’re putting in the ingredients, so there are no nasty surprises from a health and nutrition standpoint.
1. Cheeseburgers with secret sauce
Cheeseburgers are the undisputed king of fast-food takeaways, and we think we’re on to something a little special with this cheeseburger recipe from Chelsea Winter. The secret sauce is easy and guaranteed to be popular, it makes this cheeseburger that extra bit tasty and satisfying!
2. Lamb and aioli pizza
This lamb pizza is easy to make and easier to eat - a great alternative to takeaways! Perfect for a dinner or lunch for two, or when entertaining - quantities could easily be increased to feed more people.
3. Beef Nachos with avocado salsa
Who doesn't love nachos? They’re a takeaway favourite and for good reason! If you’re keen to keep down costs by making them at home, then these beef nachos are the way to go. They’re scrumptious, healthy, packed with flavour and super easy to make!
4. Kebabs with southern -style spice rub
These Kebabs with a Southern-style spice rub are a surefire winner, whether you’re feeding a crowd or just looking to whip up something quick for your family dinner.
5. Beef Ramen Bowl
Hailing from Japan, this takeaway favourite is popular for a reason. Quick and easy to prepare, this vegetable-packed beef stock is loaded with flavour. Ramen bowls are a creative, fun dish where you can encourage everyone at the table to add their own miso and beef.
6. Sweet and sour beef
This healthful stir-fry recipe is a family favorite and is the perfect dish for those pushed for time. The recipe is balanced, healthy, packed full of delicious flavours and goes great with rice or noodles. It's the perfect dish to feed a crowd.
7. Beef quesadillas
Mexican food is a favourite for Kiwi’s looking for a flavour-packed feast, and we think this Mexican-style toasted tortilla is perfect for a casual, easy meal or snack. It’s packed full of veggies and easy to make mince balls!
8. Ultimate Kiwi Lamb Burger
This kiwi classic is a must! Every takeaway worth the time of day thinks they have the recipe to the perfect lamb burger, but they’d be hard-pressed to beat this one! Get everyone to assemble their own, it's sure to be messy but extremely tasty.
9. Lamb Souvlaki
Souvlaki is a well-known and well-loved Greek fast food dish. While there is an abundance of ways to tackle this dish, this recipe for lamb souvlaki is one of our favourites.
10. Beef’n’Beer Tacos
This taco recipe is sure to get your taste buds dancing. The beef is slow-cooked in aromatic spices and beer so you end up with pull-apart beef that’s incredibly moist and bursting with flavour. Not commonly known, cinnamon, cloves and star anise are used to add a unique flavour to Mexican style dishes
11. Pistachio & Pear Koftas
Offering a great variation on the standard meatball, these delicious Pistachio and Pear Koftas quick to prepare and are bound to be a summer crowd-pleaser.
12. Beef Stirfry with black bean sauce
Thinking of getting the Chinese take-out? You should get the take-out if you absolutely have no energy whatsoever. But if you can drag yourself to the kitchen and slice a couple of peppers, here is one quick and easy stir-fry recipe that can be made faster than going to pick up your take-out in the evening traffic. And it is far healthier and tastier.
13. Sizzling Chinese-style Surf ’n’ Turf
Take a hot and spicy twist on the classic surf 'n' turf with this Chinese-inspired interpretation. The oysters only need to be warmed through so that they can soak up a soupcon of the flavour and not become tough bullets. Beware Chinese chilli sauce - it's fire-hot and for those who don't care for its tongue blistering heat, replace it with sweet chilli sauce or mix of half and half.
14. Steak wraps
Easy to prepare, this recipe is perfect to get the whole family involved. Form an assembly line and get little hands in your family to get creative and help put together the ingredients.
15. Lamb and chickpea curry
There are few things that my family loves more than takeaway curry night. This lamb and chickpea curry absolutely bursts with flavour, while this delicious lamb curry offers a slight variation of a Madhur Jaffrey recipe.