Who needs a takeaway with Fakeaway by Chef Adrian?

Recent Irish Country Living cover star Adrian Martin has just launched his first cookbook, Fakeaway by Chef Adrian, in which he shares his own healthier, homemade alternatives to takeaway classics.

With over 90 recipes – from the infamous “spice bag” to a cheat’s After Eight cheesecake – the Cavan man aims to take the guilt out of your fast food favourites, so why not give these a try?

Beef Satay

Serves four

Satay is a delicious peanut sauce, which can be served with any meat you like. You can use chunky peanut butter if you like a crunchy texture.

400g sirloin steak

½ onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

¼ stick of lemon grass, bashed and chopped finely

Olive oil

2 tablespoons mild curry powder

3 heaped tablespoons peanut butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 x 400g tin of coconut milk

Sea salt

2 handfuls of dry-roasted peanuts (optional)

Cracked black pepper

1 Remove the steak from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and allow to come to room temperature.

2 Sweat the onion, garlic and lemon grass in some oil in a saucepan over a low heat for a minute, until soft. Add the curry powder and peanut butter and stir through for another minute. Add the soy sauce and coconut milk, then turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Simmer on a low heat until ready to serve and season to taste with sea salt if needed. Add the dry-roasted peanuts, if using, for a nice crunch.

3 Once you have the sauce made, cook the steak. Heat some oil in a large pan and season the steak with sea salt and cracked black pepper. First, seal the steak for two minutes on each side on a really high heat, then turn down the heat and cook for a further two minutes on each side. Remove from the pan. At this stage your steak should be medium to medium-rare.

4 Slice the steak up and add it to the satay sauce. Allow to cook for a further five minutes in the sauce on a medium heat. Serve in a bowl with some fluffy rice and enjoy.

Crispy Honey Chilli Chicken Bites

Serves two

Another Chinese takeaway favourite, these chicken bites are sweet, spicy and absolutely delicious. Try to use good-quality local honey, as it is an excellent source of antioxidants. You can bake the chicken in the oven if you don’t fancy wok frying it.

2 large chicken breasts

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

200g plain flour

1 thumb-size piece of ginger

1 large red chilli (or more for extra heat)

300ml rapeseed oil

1 large lemon

1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce

2 teaspoons soy sauce

80ml water

2 teaspoons cornflour

2 tablespoons honey

A handful of spring onions

1 Cut the chicken breasts into thin strips. Mix some salt, black pepper and the plain flour in a bowl and coat the chicken with this mixture. Set aside.

2 Peel and finely slice the ginger, then cut the chilli into thin strips, removing the seeds.

3 Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat. Meanwhile, juice the lemon into a cup or bowl, add the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, water and cornflour and stir together. Leave to one side.

4 Fry the chicken in batches for a few minutes in the hot oil until golden brown, then remove and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat until all the chicken is looking ace.

5 Discard all but about a tablespoon of the oil from the wok, then gently fry the ginger and chilli for a minute or so. Add the honey and stir while it is bubbling away for another minute. Then add the lemon juice mixture. Keep stirring and bring to the boil, the sauce will thicken in about one minute.

6 Return the chicken to the wok to heat through for a few minutes, tossing in the sauce to coat well. Slice the spring onions into fancy diagonals and throw into the wok for the last minute of cooking.

7 Serve with some naan bread or rice.

Pork Stir-Fry

Serves four

A stir-fry is the ultimate fast food. If I’m really stuck for time, I’ll always turn to a stir-fry. The combination of acidic rice wine and salty dark soy sauce seasons the pork in an amazing way.

2 tablespoons rice wine

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 teaspoons cornflour

1 teaspoon sesame oil

450g pork stir-fry strips

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

120ml chicken stock

5cm piece of root ginger, peeled and finely grated

275g sliced mixed peppers, sliced red onion and bok choi

For the sticky coconut rice

A handful of sesame seeds

1 long red chilli, sliced thinly

1 mug of basmati rice

200ml coconut milk

½ mug of water

A pinch of sea salt

1 Place one tablespoon of rice wine and one tablespoon of soy sauce in a shallow dish and add the cornflour and sesame oil. Stir in the pork and set aside for five minutes.

2 Heat a wok until smoking hot. Add one tablespoon of the sunflower oil. Tip in the pork and stir-fry for three to four minutes, until sealed and lightly golden. Transfer to a plate.

3 Meanwhile, place the remaining tablespoon of rice wine and of soy sauce in a small pan with the stock and bring to a simmer.

4 Add the remaining tablespoon of sunflower oil to the wok. Add the ginger and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Tip in the vegetables and continue to stir-fry for two to three minutes, until heated through and any leaves are just beginning to wilt, splashing over a little water occasionally to help the greens cook.

5 Return the pork to the wok, then stir in the hot stock mixture. Cook for a minute or so, until bubbling, stirring all the time.

6 Spoon the steamed rice into warmed large bowls and spoon the ginger pork and greens on top. Scatter with the sesame seeds and chilli before serving.

For the sticky coconut rice

1 Rinse the rice in several changes of water until the water is no longer cloudy.

2 Add all the ingredients to a small pot and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and allow to steam for 15 minutes.

3 Remove the cover, fluff the rice with a fork and serve immediately.

The Spice Bag

Serves two

The latest trend in take-out eating is the spice bag. It’s sold in Chinese takeaways, but was invented in Ireland. With this dish, it’s all about the spice mixture. Here’s my version.

2 chicken breasts, sliced into small strips

2 eggs, beaten

½ teaspoon cumin

200g ground almonds

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Sliced red and green chilli (optional)

For the chips

4 medium-size Maris Piper potatoes, washed

2 sprigs of rosemary, chopped

1 onion, sliced

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

For the spice

2 good pinches of sea salt

1 tablespoon Chinese five spice

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon chilli powder

1 Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6.

2 To make the chips, slice the potatoes to whatever thickness you like. Sprinkle with the chopped rosemary and sliced onion, coat with the coconut oil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Make sure you mix all the ingredients with your hands before cooking. If your tray isn’t non-stick, use some greaseproof or parchment paper.

3 To prepare the chicken, place the strips into the beaten egg. In a separate bowl mix the cumin and ground almonds, then place the chicken strips into the mixture, ensuring they are fully coated. If you find they aren’t fully coated, go back and dip into the egg and then back into the ground-almond mix once more.

4 Place the chicken onto a baking tray, put it in the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

5 Mix the spices together in a small bowl. Once cooked, combine the chicken and chips and then, from a height, sprinkle the spice mix over them, making sure to coat both the chicken and chips.

6 I recommend serving this in a bag or wrapped up in some newspaper, with a sprinkling of red and green sliced chilli.CL