As a student, takeaways are an integral part of our life, known for being quick and easy. All you have to do is dial the number and place the order, and you save on the washing up and time spent cooking. The downside to this is the cost and the long wait for it to arrive. So this week I decided to do a taste test to find out which was better overall, homemade or takeaway. I enjoy Indian takeaway the most out of the selection of takeaways available to us as students, so the subject of the test was the staple of the Indian takeaway, Chicken Tikka Masala. I made a Chicken Tikka Masala as well as ordering one so that the judges (my housemates) could make the overall decision.
The recipe I am following is from a student cookbook which is to make a meal for 2.
· 1 jar of paste (use about half a jar)
· 1 onion finely chopped
· 1 red or orange bell pepper chopped in small bits (optional)
· 1 tbls cooking oil – more may be needed.
· 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
· 1/2 chicken breasts cut into cubes
Method
Put the oil in the pan and when hot fry onions on medium heat for 5 mins
Add tikka paste and fry for another 10 mins gently
Add chicken breast and cook for 5 mins
Add chopped toms and cook until you get a nice thick consistency – the water from the tomatoes should evaporate so do not put the lid on the pan. This should take about 10 to 15 mins
Serve with basmati rice or naan bread
The test
Making the curry didn’t take long; in fact it was made before the delivery of the takeaway. On appearance the takeaway looked brighter and more like what you expect for a chicken tikka; however, it was a little bit oily on top. The real decider was the taste. The homemade was a little bit hotter and you could taste the peppers and tomatoes, making it feel healthier, whereas the takeaway, although tastes lovely, doesn’t taste as fresh as you are not aware of the ingredients within.
Takeaway Curry
Homemade Curry
The conclusion
The overall winner is the homemade. It tastes fresher and is healthier for you as fresh vegetables are a key part of the ingredients as well as less oil. It was also quicker, but the time you save has to be put in doing the washing up unfortunately. Overall it also works out cheaper as many of the ingredients are bought in packs so you can use them other times. The half used tins and cans have the advantage of being used in another meal on another occasion. However, I am not writing off takeaways. They require much less effort than to cook, and sometimes it’s nice to have a night off and to sit around, watch a film with your mates and just throw away (recycling where possible!) the remains. But they are best as an occasional treat.