Missing your usual faves – McDonald’s, KFC, Nando’s?
You could always try to make your own.
One food blogger who specialises in ‘fakeaways’ has been recreating some classics – and with half the calories.
Latoyah Egerton, 31, from Devon, started creating her easy-to-follow recipes for delicious alternatives to fast food classics five years ago when she began a weight loss programme.
She now shares her recipes on her social media.
Latoyah encourages people to be creative in the kitchen – especially while the country remains in lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said: ‘Lockdown is the perfect time to get the creative juices flowing. Most people have more free time to give a new recipe a go.
‘Plus, if you do get it wrong, most of the big chains – like Nando’s and McDonald’s – are still shut, so you can’t just give up and order a takeaway, you have to master your skills.
‘Fakeaways are basically homemade takeaways. And if you cook them right, they can taste equally as delicious.
‘But, with half the calories and costing half the price -they’re a win-win.’
Latoyah credits her healthy fakeaways for her weight loss of five stone.
Hailing Chinese as her favourite fast food, it was the first takeaway she tried to copy.
She explained: ‘When I tried to recreate it, I started with the chicken balls – trying to get the same flavour, without having to deep fry them.
‘I rolled skinless chicken breast in breadcrumbs, added a Chinese spice and then baked them.
‘They were amazing and, honestly, I couldn’t taste the difference.’
Spurred on by her success, Latoyah then attempted to create a different fakeaway recipe most weeks.
‘One of my favourite takeaways to make is a McDonald’s sausage and egg McMuffin,’ she said. ‘It’s really easy. All you need to do is use lower-fat sausage meat and a wholemeal bun.
‘I also like making my version of an Indian takeaway – but it can take a lot of prep time – especially for a chicken tikka masala.
‘I usually marinate skinless chicken breast in yogurt for about 12 hours, then I make the sauce with lots of herbs and spices, but I swap full-fat cream for fat-free yogurt.
‘The sauce is still thick, and it tastes delicious.’
Latoyah also enjoys the challenge that comes with cooking her own Nando’s.
‘I cook Nando’s- style chicken using a slow cooker, adding lots of spices and chillies blended in,’ she said.
‘There are also so many side dishes with Nando’s, which can be a challenge – but I’ve taught myself how to make the same style of spicy rice, halloumi and coleslaw.’
Latoyah also believes she has perfected her version of a KFC Double Down Burger – made from two chicken breasts, with a large dollop of cheese and bacon in the middle.
‘All I do is bread the chicken breast with my KFC seasoning and then use lower-fat bacon and cheese,’ she explains.
‘I’d go as far as to say it’s actually tastier than the real thing, because it’s not quite so greasy.’
And for Latoyah presentation is nearly as important as flavour.
She said: ‘I love a Five Guys burger. One of the best things about them is the way they are delivered, wrapped up in foil.
‘So, whenever I make one, I wrap it in foil myself and leave it to sit for a little
bit so it cools down, in the same way it would if it was delivered. It’s always delicious.’
Latoyah shares the tips she’s learned along the way on her blog Sugar Pink Food.
She continued: ‘I’m not a professional chef, but I want to help others – and it’s important to debunk the myth that in order to eat healthily you need to have only boring salads.
‘You can still eat delicious food that tastes exactly like a takeaway, but just doesn’t have the same amount of calories.
‘You can cook them to taste exactly right for you, which you would never get with a real takeaway.’
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