Bring take-aways home with these better-than-bought home-made “fake-aways” recipes! These recipes bring all the comfort and flavour of your go-to spots – minus the delivery fee. 

Soda-water-battered fish and chips 

Serves 4 // Hands-on 40 minutes

 

Ingredients 

250ml flour
250ml cornflour
½ tsp turmeric
Salt and lemon pepper
500ml soda water
800g hake, divided in 4
5 potatoes, peeled
Vegetable oil, to deep-fry
Potato spice
1 lemon, cut into wedges 

Method 

1. Mix flour, cornflour, turmeric and a pinch of salt.
2. Whisk in the soda water until the batter is smooth.
3. Season the hake with salt and lemon pepper.
4. Cut the potatoes into chips and leave in a bowl of water while you heat the oil. Dry the chips and fry in batches until golden. Drain and sprinkle with potato spice.
5. Dip the fish in the batter and deep-fry until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towel.
6. Serve with lemon wedges. 

 

Rice and red kidney bean burgers with cucumber-garlic yoghurt 

Serves 6  

 

Ingredients 

For the rice and red kidney bean burgers 

1 tin (400g) red kidney beans, drained
¾ cup cooked brown rice
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 egg
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper
Oil, for frying  

For the cucumber-garlic yoghurt 

1 cup yoghurt
½ cucumber, grated and drained
1 clove garlic, crushed  

To serve 

6 Seeded brown rolls, halved and toasted
Handful baby spinach
2 carrots, ribboned
½ red cabbage, thinly sliced 

Method 

1. For the burgers, add ingredients to a food processor and pulse until well combined.
2. Shape the mixture into six 2cm-thick patties. Rest on a baking tray.
3. Combine cucumber-garlic yoghurt sauce ingredients and refrigerate.
4. Add oil to a pan over medium-high heat. 
5. Cook patties in batches of two for 10–12 minutes, flipping halfway through, until cooked. Drain on kitchen towel. 
6. To serve, lather yoghurt over roll bases, then top with a burger patty, baby spinach, carrot ribbons and red cabbage. Close and serve.

 

Recipe & styling: Leila-Ann Mokotedi
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za 

 

Meaty traybake pizza  

Serves 4

 

Ingredients 

500g store-bought bread dough
3 Tbsp tomato sauce
2 tsp dried mixed herbs
3 Tbsp oil 
500g beef, pork or chicken mince
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp paprika
Salt and milled pepper
1 block (300g) Cheddar or mozzarella, grated
Fresh herbs, for serving   

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thick. Shape into a rectangle to fit a deep baking dish.
3. Combine tomato sauce, dried herbs and Spread mixture over the dough, making sure to leave a clean 2cm border.
4. Bake pizza base for 15 minutes until half cooked and slightly puffed.
5. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan and brown mince for about 6-8 minutes.
6. Stir in garlic and paprika and cook for another 5 minutes, adding more oil if necessary. Season well.
7. Top par-baked pizza base with mince mixture.
8. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 12-15 minutes or until dough is cooked and cheese is bubbling.
9. Serve while hot, scattered with fresh herbs. 

 

Recipes & styling: Chad January
Photographs: Zhann Solomons 

 

Healthy beef chow mein with tender stem broccoli 

Serves 4

 

Ingredients 

4 × 60g instant noodles
¼ cup honey
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp vegetable oil, + more for frying 
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
500g beef strips
3 Tbsp corn flour
½ cup beef stock
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp peeled and grated ginger
125g tender stem broccoli
Spring onion, to serve
Sesame seeds, to serve 

Method  

1. Cook the noodles as per package instructions, drain and set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, oil, white wine vinegar and garlic.
3. Add the beef strips and mix, making sure to coat them. Leave to marinate for 1 hour.
4. Remove beef from the marinade and toss through the corn flour to coat. Reserve the leftover marinade.
5. Heat a glug of oil in a large pan or wok and fry the marinated beef in batches until browned but not fully cooked. Transfer to a plate.
6. In the same pan, heat the beef stock, sugar and ginger. Bring to the boil, then add the broccoli and cover. Lower heat and steam until tender, about 2 minutes.
7. Add the beef, cooked noodles and reserved marinade and mix well. 
8. Fry for a further 4 minutes, until the beef is fully cooked.
9. Serve chow mein garnished with chopped spring onions and sesame seeds.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za 

Also read: How to take your sarmies from drab to fab