Is there anything better than a greasy takeaway on a cosy night in? Well, yes, if you can get the taste of that chipper food at home with fresh ingredients and half the calories.
Irish-Greek blogger Victoria Antoniades is the brains behind The Flavour Diaries, a foodie's dream full of vibrant, healthy recipes all made from scratch. And of course, the odd indulgence, like this amazing "fakeaway" recipe for a homemade Chinese curry.
We've all experienced the wonder that is the 4-in-1, a combination of chicken, curry sauce, fried rice and chips, but this recipe takes things to a whole new level. "It isn’t just a healthier version, it tastes like the real thing just without MSG bloating and the calorie-fear you get après your favourite takeaway," says Victoria. Sounds pretty perfect to us.
Healthy Chinese Curry
This recipe includes potatoes and breaded chicken, but if you want to make things even more diet-friendly, use sweet potato and plain chicken instead. Serves four.
Ingredients
Curry Sauce
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large apple, peeled and diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 tbsp mild curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp flour (wholewheat or plain)
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
4-in-1
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 egg
- 100g panko breadcrumbs
- 150g brown rice
- 7 large potatoes, peeled
- 1 tbsp oil
- Salt and pepper
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/Gas mark 4.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the egg. Pour the panko breadcrumbs onto a plate. Season both with salt and pepper.
3. Take the chicken breasts one at a time, dip first into the egg mixture and then into the breadcrumbs and place each fillet side-by-side into a greased roasting tray
4. Chop the potatoes into chips or wedges. Place the wedges into a saucepan of room temperature water and bring to a light boil, removing them after 7 – 10 minutes. By this stage they should be partially cooked on the outside by still raw inside.
5. Drain and toss the wedges in oil, salt and pepper in a second roasting tray and put them and the chicken in the oven to bake for 35-40 mins – or until the chicken is baked through and the potatoes are crispy.
6. While the chicken is in the oven, prepare the spice blend for the curry sauce as well as your rice.
7. Place the rice in a pan and cover it with room temperature water, ensuring there is about half an inch more water than rice. Turn the heat up high, cover and bring to a fast boil. Stir once, turn the heat down as low as possible, cover again (leaving a small gap for steam to escape) and allow to cook for 10 – 15 minutes more until light and fluffy.
8. Place 2 tbsp curry powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp cinnamon into a small bowl.
9. Add 1 tbsp oil to a large pan over medium/high heat. Add 1 diced onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes to slightly caramelize it. Add 1 diced apple to the pan and sauté for another 2 minutes.
10. Toss in the minced garlic and ginger.
11. Add the spice blend to the pan, mix well and cook for another 2mins. Keep stirring at all times to ensure the spices do not stick or burn.
12. Add 1 tbsp flour to help produce a thick sauce. Cook for another 2- 3 minutes, stirring at all times.
13. Now it’s time to add 2 ½ cups chicken stock (or more if you feel the sauce is too thick), constantly whisking the sauce. Bring to boil and then reduce and simmer.
14. To give a slight sweetness to the curry add 1 tbsp tomato purée and 2 ½ tsp sugar, levelling it out with 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce.
15. Allow the sauce to simmer for 20 mins. Then taste and season accordingly! That part is very important as curry preferences are very personal so taste and decide whether you want is sweeter, hotter or with more salt.
16. Serve with potato chips, chicken and brown rice.
For more inspired recipes, check out The Flavour Diaries on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
