Something for the weekend: Seven of our best ever homemade takeaway recipes 

Why dial in when you can whip up a fakeaway in no time?

Our most popular fakeaway recipes

As we look forward to cosy nights on the couch with the fire lighting, nothing quite beats a fakeaway. Once you know how, making your own takeaway from scratch couldn't be easier; from butter chicken to crispy shredded beef, try making one of our DIY fakeaway feasts at home.

Butter chicken masala

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

This recipe uses lots of other fragrant, freshly roasted spices with a diversity of flavours for a rich, delicious Indian dish

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Indian

Ingredients

• 500g skinless chicken thigh or breast

• 6-8 plum tomatoes

• 150g cashew nuts

• 2 tsp sugar

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• 150ml water

• 2 cardamom pods

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 sticks of cinnamon

• 4 garlic cloves

• 2 star anise

• 4 tsp fenugreek seeds

• ½ tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1 tbsp fenugreek leaves

• handful of fresh coriander

• 2 tbsp finely grated ginger

• 2 tbsp minced garlic

• 80g butter

• 80ml fresh cream, or coconut milk

Method

1. Put another tablespoon of coconut oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Cut the chicken into chunks. Cook the chicken for four to five minutes until it is browned and cooked through. Set aside while you make your sauce.

2. Slice the tomatoes as thinly as possible, I use a Japanese mandolin for this. I have previously mentioned that I try to avoid buying lots of kitchen gadgets, but this is one I really do value and use a lot. Add a tablespoon of coconut oil to a pan over a high heat. Put the tomatoes and the cashew nuts into the pan and add the sugar and some salt to taste. Reduce to a medium heat and cook for five to six minutes.

3. ‪Let the tomatoes cool for a few minutes. Put them along with 300ml of water into a food processor or blender and blitz to a very smooth gravy. This is the base for your sauce. Make sure it is very smooth, if it is not blended enough the nuts will make it a little grainy which is not so nice.

4. Grate the ginger and garlic. Add all the dry spices and the bay leaves to a dry pan and roast for a few minutes. When they have gotten lovely and fragrant, add the butter, garlic, and the ginger. Next, add the fenugreek leaf and cook until the garlic and ginger browns a little. This will only take a few minutes.

5. Finally add tomato and cashew gravy, chopped coriander, cooked chicken and the cream or coconut milk. Cover and cook on a low heat for three to four minutes, until you can see butter separate slightly from the sauce. And that is it. Serve with fluffy boiled basmati rice, poppadom, naan, or another side dish.

6. If you want to make a vegetarian version of this dish, you can use paneer, an Indian farmer’s cheese. You will find that in some large supermarkets, but it is incredibly easy to make. All you will need is two litres of milk, some lemon juice or white vinegar and some cheesecloth.