take-aways, how many and how much?

[breeze]

having a conversation with dh the other day and he recons we probably spend too much.

I would say we have 2 a week, Chinese £8 and Indian £12, so £20 per week.

We don't smoke or drink heavily, so we do not have any other vices really.

Just wandered other peoples situations.

So desperate for an indian was I after thinking about this thread, that I have just cooked my own! Chicken tikka masala and Lamb Korma and Sag Aloo. All made from scratch.
Must say it is a darn sight better than any takeaway I've ever had and the whole thing probably cost..umm.... £8 or so?

Mind you it took me an hour and a half. Not including the day marinading the chicken.

good for you, pph!

we used to get indian once/week until realising it was costing us £1,000 pa - now we get sainsburys indian meals at a fraction of the cost, tastes just as good and much less salt...

love thai food but don't find takeaways or ready meal versions are a patch on restaurant versions (was going to say "the real thing" - lol!) so we don't bother unless we are going out.

very rarely if super busy and tired we get pizza or chinese...

sorry, pph, meant to ask the source of your recipes, or did you create your own?

oh where is my brain today, have misspelt practically all messages here, brain is mush and have forgotten to say...

enid, dh out this evening, so i have a date with a bottle of chardonnay and a sainsbo's easy steam chicken thingy. don't even have cross stitch to keep me amused - it is kitchen and laundry detail...

sigh.

will no doubt end up hanging around here all evening if previous form is a guide...

Friday night, no dh, no takeaway but am on third beer so lifes not all bad (oh my tea was what the kids left so maybe it is )

I am really shocked I didn't realsie how rarely we get a takeaway in comparison to some of you. I am impressed!!! We do a pizza about once a year (or less often) since ASDA do a great Pizza bar where you can choose the toppings. Indian about the same - ASDA again comes up trumps, about once a month we'll do a meal for 3 and scoff the lot between 2. Chinese is our only weakness and thats only about once every three months. I wish I could have the no cooking at weekends rule! Although we always have a takeaway at the end of a holiday, it's like the last holiday meal when we get home!! Like haveing the full english which again you wouldn't eat normally!!

bk - I discovered an indian cookery book amongst my collection - I think my dh was given it by his mother. It's obviously indian cookery for non-indians (it assumes zero knowledge) so not sure how authentic any of it is, but it has BIG pictures and relatively simple recipes so I'm happy with it!

thanks, pph, and i hope it turned out very well, madhur jaffrey?

KatyW - thanks, could you let me have the recipe - I have all Nigella's books except that one!

We get a 15", 4-topping pizza most Sunday evenings for £6. Chips about 3x/month. We wouldn't get the pizza so often but it's a terrific deal.

Lindy, IMO you need to get hold of some proper smoked paprika to make good baba ganoush at home. You can easily get it in London at larger Sainsbury's or through Brindisa. It just gives it that wonderful smoky taste which it has in good Lebanese restaurants when the aubergines have been roasted over an open flame. I use the recipe from the Moro cookbook which I'm happy to type out for you from home.

On Thai food, once or twice a year I make up a big batch of green and red curry paste (dead simple) and then freeze it in ice cube trays. You can then produce a curry in 15 minutes or so(literally just add chicken or whatever, vegetables and coconut milk) while red curry paste is the basis for a multitude of thai dishes from satay sauce to fishcakes.

Here you go Lindy (from memory so probably not very exact !)

Bake three aubergines for an hour at 210C. Cut them open over a sieve and allow to drain for about 15mins (gets rid of the bitter juices). Separately mix 4 tbls tahina with a bit of warm water, add sea salt and juice of 1.5 lemons (you can add more to taste later). Mix in with aubergine and add ex virgin olive oil and mash with a fork. Add 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic. Pour a bit more olive oil and sprinkle with paprika to serve. It's really good with lamb

no, bossykate - in fact it doesn't seem to have been written by anyone! It's published by Octopus (nice glossy house in the Michelin Building and I think somehow connected to conran) and is just called Indian Cookery - guess it is part of a generic series. But the results were pretty good! (Especially the CHicken Tikka...)

thanks, pph.