Most of us realise that take-away food is not the healthiest choice, but do you really know what is in that Chinese food you just polished off in front of the TV? An average portion of sweet and sour chicken, egg fried rice and vegetable spring rolls, can contain a huge 1,436 calories and 65g of fat. The average Indian takeaway is not much better, with chicken tikka masala, pilau rice and a plain naan containing a massive 1,338 calories and 55g of fat according to a report by Which? Magazine. That’s over half the recommended calorie intake for a man, and two-thirds of the intake for a woman.
The Department of Health say that women should have no more than 2,000 calories and 70g of fat a day, and men no more than 2,500 calories and 95g fat in total.
And if you were wondering why there was a salt shortage last winter, perhaps your local Indian restaurant may have the answer, with up to 7g of salt in a tikka masala alone, that’s 1g more than the recommended daily intake! Researchers analysing 52 different countries found the typical Western diet, high in fat, salt and meat, accounted for about 30% of heart attack risk in any population.
So after a long hard day at work, what are the alternatives? Why not try this fragrant chicken curry with chickpeas:
Ingredients
2 Onions 20g of fresh coriander
3 Garlic cloves 1 low salt chicken stock cube
4cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled & roughly chopped
425ml boiling water
2 tbsp moblai (medium) curry powder
4 skinless chicken fillets cubed
½ tsp turmeric
natural low-fat yogurt & basmati rice to serve
2 tsp paprika
1 fresh red chili, seeded & roughly chopped
410g can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1. Tip the onions, garlic, ginger, ground spices, chilli and half the coriander into a food processor, blend to a purée. Tip the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Crumble in the stock cube, add the boiling water and return to the boil. Add the chicken, stir, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is tender.
3. Chop the remaining coriander, reserve 2 tablespoons, then stir the remainder into the curry with the chickpeas. Heat through and divide between four bowls. Sprinkle with the reserved coriander and spoon over the yogurt, then serve with basmati rice.
Ready to eat in 45 minutes, a miniscule 272 calories per serving, and only one pot to wash up, so remove that take-away from your speed dial now and get cooking!
Recipe adapted from Good Food Magazine.
Nutrition per serving (serves 4)
272 k/calories, protein 39g, carbohydrate 19g, fat 5 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 5g, salt 1.68 g













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