10 ways you can get your takeaway fix (without leaving the house)

Fortunately, this doesn’t mean we can’t indulge in the pleasures of a delicious Friday night takeaway. First of all, check if your go-to takeaway spot is currently doing contactless deliveries: there’s a strong chance your favourite local business could do with your support right now. 

READ MORE: A Sourdough Masterclass

If not, we've discovered the next best thing: fakeaways. Many of the dishes we've grown to love such as pad thai and spice bags can be made within 30 minutes or less right at home. That's often faster than the time it takes a pizza delivery bike to reach you. 

Hot and spicy njuda chilli pizza

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough ball, rolled out to a 12-inch size (see recipe here)
• 1 ladle tomato passata
• 100g/4oz buffalo mozzarella
• 30g/1oz njuda
• 6 slices chorizo
• 6 slices pepperoni
• 1 fresh chilli, thinly sliced
• 6 basil leaves

Method:

To read the full recipe courtesy of Paulie's Pizza, click here. 

Beef massaman curry

Ingredients:

• 700g/24.6oz  great quality Irish top side of beef, diced 
• 3 tablespoons Massaman curry paste 
• 10 green cardamom seeds
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 star anise
• 2 large brown onions, diced
• 2 small cans (5.6 fl oz.) coconut milk
• 130g/1 cup water
• 2 ½  tablespoons fish sauce or to taste
• 5 new potatoes, peeled and halved
• 1/2 tablespoon tamarind paste (you can find this in Asian grocers)
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted roasted peanuts
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil or any neutral tasting oil
• Small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
• Fresh lime wedges to serve

Method:

1. Marinate the beef in one tablespoon of oil and the Massaman curry paste. Stir well and set aside.
2. In a large pot, heat the remaining oil over a medium heat. Stir-fry the cardamom, cinnamon and star anise for one minute, until fragrant. Add the onions and sauté until golden brown.
3. Add the beef and brown for 1-2 minutes. Stir to mix well with the spices.
4. Add one can of coconut milk, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and 1/2 to 1 cup of water until the beef is just covered by the liquid. Stir well and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down very low and cover. Gently simmer for 1 hour.
5. Add the remaining can of coconut milk, potatoes, and peanuts and stir well. Taste and add a little more fish sauce if necessary. You want this curry to have a balanced flavour between sweet, salty and sour.
6. Turn the heat up to medium-low, cover and cook for another 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
7. Once the potatoes are cooked, remove the curry from the heat. Stir in the palm sugar, tamarind juice and fresh coriander. Stir well and serve the curry with steamed rice, fresh lime wedges and chopped fresh chilli if you like it spicy!

To read the full recipe courtesy of AVOCA, click here. 

Pork stir fry

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons rice wine
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornflour
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 450g pork stir-fry strips
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 120ml chicken stock
• 5cm piece root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 275g sliced mixed peppers, sliced red onion and bok choi
• Sticky coconut rice
• 1 handful sesame seeds
• 1 long red chilli, sliced thinly
• 1 mug basmati rice
• 200ml coconut milk
• ½ mug water
• 1 pinch sea salt

Method:

1. Place one tablespoon of rice wine and one tablespoon of soy sauce in a shallow dish and add the cornflour and sesame oil. Stir in the pork and set aside for five minutes.
2. Heat a wok until smoking hot. Add one tablespoon of the sunflower oil. Tip in the pork and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, until sealed and lightly golden. Transfer to a plate.
3. Place the remaining tablespoon of rice wine and soy sauce in a small pan with the stock and bring to a simmer, then add the remaining tablespoon of sunflower oil to the wok. Add the ginger and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Tip in the vegetables and continue to stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until heated through and any leaves are just beginning to wilt, splashing over a little water occasionally to help the greens cook. Return the pork to the wok, then stir in the hot stock mixture. Cook for a minute or so until bubbling, stirring all the time.
4. Meanwhile, to make the sticky coconut rice, rinse the rice in several changes of water until the water is no longer cloudy. Add the rice, coconut milk, water and sea salt to a small pot and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and allow to steam for 15 minutes. Remove the cover, fluff with a fork, then place in warmed large bowls and spoon the ginger pork and greens on top. Scatter with the sesame seeds and chilli before serving.

To read the full recipe courtesy of Adrian Martin, click here. 

Beer battered hake with twice cooked chips

Ingredients:

• 1kg firm-fleshed hake
• 1 tablespoon cream or crème fraîche, optional
• 1 lemon
• 10 large rooster potatoes
• 2 litres sunflower oil for frying
• 1 litre duck fat for frying, optional

For the petit pois:

• 500g frozen petit pois
• 30g mint
• 25g butter
• 60ml cream, optional

For batter 1:

• 110g self-raising flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 150ml water

For batter 2:

• 135g plain flour
• 250ml chilled beer
• ½ teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Divide the fish into four equal portions and pat dry with a little kitchen paper. Choose one of the two batters (one with beer, one without). Make the batter of your choice by sieving flour and salt together and then whisking in the liquid until you have a smooth batter.
2. Heat the oil in the deep-fat fryer, or a deep saucepan, until it reaches a temperature of 180°C, or until a small piece of bread browns in 30 seconds when added to the oil.
3. To double fry the chips: peel the potatoes and cut into chunky chips, place in a clean dry tea towel and pat dry. Fry the chips in batches at 160°C for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Drain on kitchen paper. These are now only semi-cooked, ready to be re-fried later when you need them. They will keep like this for a couple of hours. Simply re-fry at 180°C for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through.
4. To cook the fish, coat the dry fish in the batter and then cook in very hot oil for 4-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Drain on kitchen paper.
5. To make the minted petit pois, bring a saucepan of water with a pinch of salt to a rolling boil, drop in the peas and bring back to the boil, then drain immediately, add the fresh mint, butter and cream if using, season with salt and pepper and blitz in a food processor on the pulse setting.
6. Serve with the cooked fish and double-cooked chips.

To read the full recipe courtesy of AVOCA, click here. 

The ultimate hamburger

Ingredients:

• 600g round steak minced beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped and fried
• 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 25g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 5 sprigs thyme or 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves only
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 50g breadcrumbs
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For the tomato salsa

• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 2 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and diced
• Salt and pepper

To garnish

• 8 slices pancetta
• 4 large gherkins, sliced
• 4 brioche or sesame buns
• 2 beef tomatoes, sliced
• 8 leaves butter leaf lettuce
• Caramelised onions, see French onion soup recipe

Method:

1. In a large, wide mixing bowl, first mix together the minced beef, onion, mustard, curry powder and Tabasco sauce (it’s handy to wear gloves for this). Mix in the herbs and season well.
2. Lastly add in the egg and breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly to bind the mixture.
3. Before shaping the hamburgers, fry a tiny piece of mince in a frying pan to check the seasoning is to your liking, adjust if necessary.
4. Shape the hamburgers into 2cm thick patties (avoid making them too large, or you risk under-cooking them). Cover and refrigerate the burgers until ready to cook.
5. Make the onions Lyonnaise (aka caramelised onions) as per the French onion soup recipe just up until the point where they are caramelised.
6. Heat the barbecue or a griddle pan until it is very hot. Brush the burgers lightly with oil and cook them for approximately 8-10 minutes on each side. Do a half turn on each side whilst cooking to give a criss-cross effect.
7. In the meantime, bake the pancetta in the oven for 15 minutes at 180ºC/gas mark 4 until crispy. Mix the ingredients for the tomato salsa salsa together.
8. Warm or toast the buns in the oven and garnish each burger as per your liking.

To read the full recipe courtesy of Cooks Academy, click here. 

Crispy cauliflower with tsao-style noodles

Ingredients:

For the cauliflower:

• 100g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic granules
• 150ml sparkling water
• Sea salt
• 1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil

For the general tsao sauce:

• 2 teaspoon sunflower oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Thumb-sized piece ginger, finely grated
• 1 red chilli, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3 tablespoon vinegar
• 150ml vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoon cornflour

To serve:

• 1 large courgette, spiralised
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• Small handful coriander leaves
• Small handful mint leaves

Method:

1. Line a large roasting tray lined with parchment paper and preheat an oven to 180ºC.
2. For the cauliflower, season the flour, add the garlic powder. Whisk in the sparkling water until it forms a thick but airy batter.
3. Dip each cauliflower floret into the batter and then place onto the lined tray. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then turn and drizzle with one tablespoon of oil. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, tossing halfway to ensure even cooking and so they all crispy up or until golden.
4. For the sauce, heat the oil in a large wok or pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, fry for 2-3 minutes until slightly softened and fragrant.
5. Stir through the honey, soy sauce, vinegar and vegetable stock.
6. Mix the cornflour with 2 teaspoons of cold water until smooth and add to the pan. Bring to the boil, reduce to simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened.
7. Stir through the carrot and toss to coat in the sauce followed by the courgette, serve into bowls, topping with the crispy cauliflower and drizzle with any remaining sauce in the pan. Sprinkle with a few extra pieces of chilli if you like, the spring onions, coriander and mint leaves, and serve.

To read the full recipe courtesy of LIDL, click here. 

Crisp duck spring rolls with Asian barbecue dip

Ingredients:

• 4 sheets spring roll wrapper
• 1 egg, beaten
• Pea shoots, to garnish
• Cornflour, to dust

For the barbecue sauce:

• Vegetable oil
• ½ white onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and ground
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 2 whole cloves, crushed
• ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
• 100g tomato purée
• 100ml white wine vinegar
• 50g local honey
• 50g golden syrup
• 50g Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
• 100g Dijon mustard
• 50ml dark soy sauce
• 100g hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoon chopped thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
• 2 shots Nespresso ristretto coffee

For the filling:

• 3 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 large carrot, finely sliced
• 1½ red chillies, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 250g cabbage leaves, finely sliced
• 3 confit duck legs, meat removed from the bone
• 20g toasted sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1½ limes, juice and zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped

Method:

1. First, prepare the barbecue sauce. Take a heavy-based saucepan and place on a medium heat. Add a little vegetable oil and warm.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly until soft but without any colour. Add the toasted and ground spices and cook for three to four minutes, stirring all the time to make sure they don’t catch and burn.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook over a low to medium heat for 40-50 minutes. Make sure you stir regularly so it doesn’t burn at the bottom of the pot.
4. Remove from the heat and blend in a food processor or using a hand blender till smooth. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate until needed.
5. Next prepare the confit duck filling. Heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan (or preferably a wok if you have one). Add the carrots, chilli, ginger and garlic and cook for two to three minutes.
6. Add the soy sauce and cabbage and cook until the cabbage has wilted but still has a slight bite to it, approximately five to six minutes.
7. Finally add the confit leg meat, sesame seeds, mirin, juice, zest, and coriander and mix thoroughly. Remove from the heat and cool immediately. Be light of touch when you’re mixing in the meat as you want it to stay in chunks.
8. Heat a deep fat fryer to 180°C. Take four spring roll sheets and brush with the beaten egg. Spoon a good portion of the cool confit mix into the centre of the pastry. Roll tightly and then tuck in the sides before you reach the end. Repeat this three times with the other wrappers. Dust the rolls with a little cornflour before cooking.
9. Deep fry the rolls in the preheated fryer until golden brown all over. Remove onto kitchen paper. At this stage, you can cut the spring rolls at various angles or just leave whole if you’d prefer.
10. Serve with the barbecue sauce that was made earlier and garnish with some pea shoots or coriander leaves.

To read the full recipe courtesy of Wade Murphy of 1826 Adare, click here. 

Veggie spice burgers

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons raw organic coconut oil
• 2 red onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh root ginger
• 1⁄2 bunch fresh coriander, leaves reserved, roots and stems finely chopped
• 1cinnamon stick
• 8 cardamom pods, crushed
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Himalayan fine rock salt
• 400g split red lentils, soaked
• 400g sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into large medallions
• 11⁄2 litres water
• 150g washed kale or spinach, shredded
• 200g brown rice, cooked
• 100g brown rice flour
• 70g toasted cashew nuts, finely chopped

Method:

1. Warm 2 tablespoons of the organic coconut oil in a large saucepan over a low to medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5–8 minutes, until softened.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander roots and stems, cinnamon stick, crushed cardamom and mustard seeds, and cook for two minutes, stirring. Add the remaining spices and the salt and cook for one minute more, stirring.
3. Add the lentils, sweet potatoes and water to the saucepan and bring to a boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat to low and allow the dahl to simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the lentils have collapsed and the sweet potatoes are tender.
4. Take off the heat and stir through the kale or spinach and most of the coriander leaves. Add brown rice, brown rice flour and cashew nuts to the lentils and mix well. Form 16 medium-sized burgers with clean hands. Heat a little organic coconut oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the burgers for about five minutes per side, until cooked through and golden on the outside.

To read the full recipe courtesy of Oliver McCabe, click here. 

The ultimate spice bag

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, sliced into small strips
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 200g ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• Sliced red and green chilli (optional)
• For the chips: 4 medium-sized Maris Piper potatoes, washed
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• For the spice: 2 good pinches of sea salt
• 1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6.
2. To make the chips, slice the potatoes to whatever thickness you like. Sprinkle with the chopped rosemary and sliced onion, coat with the coconut oil and bake for 35–40 minutes. Make sure you mix all the ingredients with your hands before cooking. If your tray isn’t non-stick, use some greaseproof or parchment paper.
3. To prepare the chicken, place the strips into the beaten egg. In a separate bowl mix the cumin and ground almonds, then place the chicken strips into the mixture, ensuring they are fully coated. If you find they aren’t fully coated, go back and dip into the egg and then back into the ground almond mix once more.
4. Place the chicken onto a baking tray, put it in the oven and bake for 20–30 minutes.
5. Mix the spices together in a small bowl. Once cooked, combine the chicken and chips and then from a height sprinkle the spice mix over them, making sure to coat both the chicken and chips.

To read the full recipe courtesy of Adrian Martin, click here. 

Pad Thai

Ingredients:

• 30ml Thai fish sauce
• 1 tsp of tamarind paste
• 30ml water
• 1 tsp of brown sugar
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 chicken breast, sliced
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• Juice of ½ a lime
• 2 handfuls of frozen cooked prawns, defrosted. 
• 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 100g broccoli, chopped
• 100g mangetout, sliced lengthways
• 3 springs onions, peeled and sliced into 1" pieces
• 2-3 large carrots, spiralised ((it’s best to gauge this by eye, you want two big handfuls of carrot noodles)
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Wedges of lime
• Chopped roasted peanuts

Method:

1. Place the fish sauce, tamarind paste, water and sugar into a small pot over a high heat. Bring to the boil, stir to dissolve the sugar then set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over a high heat and add the chicken with a little salt and pepper, chilli flakes and lime juice. Stir-fry over the heat, when the chicken is cooked through, add the prawns and the garlic. Stir over the heat for a few more minutes then push everything in the pan to the side, pour in the beaten eggs and roughly scramble them and mix everything in the pan back together.
3. Add the tamarind sauce from step 1 to the pan along with the broccoli, mangetout, spring onions and carrot-noodles. Toss together over the heat until the broccoli is cooked to your liking and the carrot-noodles have softened. Divide between two wide bowls and serve with lime wedges and crushed peanuts.

To read the full recipe courtesy of Sophie White, click here. 

READ MORE: Irish Cheese Flatbread

This article originally appeared on our sister site, IrishTatler.com