Chinese fakeaway
My meal consisted of a stir fry, garlic fried rice, chips, curry sauce and spring rolls. I won't put a recipe for chips, but I factored in a cost of £1.20 for them as I make my own and fry them, if you have frozen oven chips, this could be cheaper! I cook a lot of this at once, so whilst it looks like it'll take a long time, it's not so bad!
Stir fry - £3.87
In mine I use:
Broccoli (60p per broccoli, 30p used)
2 red onions (21p each, 42p used)
2 large mushrooms (£1 for 4, 50p used)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed (50p per garlic, around 20p used.)
1 carrot (6p a carrot, available loose...this makes me laugh since I used 6p in my tiny rant above!)
Noodles (I use these which are on the Tesco vegan list. They were in my store last time I went. I think they're around £1.50)
1 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce (I use blue dragon dipping sauce. £2 a bottle. 20p used)
5 Tbsp soy sauce (I buy this one as it works out cheapest per 100ml, £6.90. 69p used)
Cook the broccoli as you would usually, either steam or boil. Fry the onions, crushed garlic, mushrooms and carrot until soft. For the carrot I use my peeler to make thin strands to suit the stir fry and cook nicely. Once soft (and the broccoli cooked), add the noodles and broccoli (both mini packs within the pack). these will need seperating in the pan, so I use two forks to pull them apart. Mix in with the veg. Add around 5 Tbsp of soy sauce and 1 Tbsp of sweet chilli, mix and allow to cook. Yumyumyum!
Garlic fried rice - 79p
Rice (£1.60 depending on the brand you use, 60p used)
1 clove of garlic (same one as above, so 5p used)
1 tbsp soy sauce (from the bottle above, 14p)
Cook the rice (can go with the broccoli above!). Fry the garlic in a pan. Add the rice to the garlic, add the soy sauce, mix and allow to cook a little once mixed.
Curry sauce - 68p
When I went vegan I was keen to find a curry sauce that matched a take out. After trying most brands suitable, I found one (well, Mum did, credit where it's due and all that). I use Goldfish Chinese curry sauce, available from most supermarkets. This brand states that it is suitable from vegetarians and that it's NOT made in a factory with fish or meat - nice! This is very easy to make, the instructions given are accurate. You use around 1/4 of a tub (100g) and add 300g of boiling water. mix this so make it as smooth as possible (don't worry if it's still a little lumpy these will melt when cooked). Then put on the hob until it thickens, stirring often. £2.75 a tub, 68p a portion.
Spring rolls - £3
Another item I searched for were good spring rolls. My favourite are Morrison's vegetable spring rolls. £1.50 a pack, so for 4 people I'd say £3.00 if you want 2 each. Be sure to check you pick up the vegetable ones, the chicken ones look similar.
Total: £9.54 and I reckon if you shopped around this could be even cheaper (eg different spring rolls, a cheaper rice brand etc). Considering a family of 4 takeaway of the same foods may be around £15-£20 if not more, I think this is pretty good!
Little disclaimer note thing
I tried to cut them out, but they were still a little bit visible. I am lucky enough to have access to a Loving Hut that sells vegan 'crispy clouds' (fake prawn crackers) and they now sell them uncooked in a bag so I can fry them at home. They're £2.50 ish a bag and you get 50-60. If this interests you, it may be worth talking to your local Loving Hut!
