One thing that the hubbie and I never get since I joined Weight Watchers is a Chinese takeaway. They are so loaded with points/calories and its just so easy to make healthy but tasty alternatives, there just doesn’t seem any reason too!
Category: Chinese
Fakeaway Crispy Chilli Beef – 10sp
Crispy Chilli Beef is something I love to eat so, after picking up some extra lean quick fry beef strips in the woopsies aisle of Sainsbury’s the other day, I thought it was about time I came up with my own healthy version of this usually indulgent treat.
Pork and Prawn Gyoza – 6sp
Gyoza are one of my favourite ways to start a Chinese or Asian meal. These lovely little dumplings are always packed with flavour and never feel too naughty. Having regularly craved them at home, this week I decided to give them a whirl myself.
You can buy pre made gyoza skins in Chinese or Asian supermarkets which would make the whole process below a bit less fiddly/time consuming (I will be doing this next time!). Continue reading
Steamed Pork Buns (Char Sui Bao) – 5sp
I’ve had these lovely Chinese steamed buns so many times when I’ve eaten out and I’ve often wondered if I could make them Weight Watchers friendly. After craving them again this week I decided to give it a go and the result was a great success. My recipe below makes 12 buns which are 5sp each so you could either have 2 or 3 as a meal or serve as a starter and have 1 or 2 per person.
Sweet and Sour Chicken – 8sp
Always keen to try out new stir fries, tonight whilst brain storming for new flavours, I thought I would give Sweet and Sour a whirl. I’m not usually a fan of overly sweet dinner dishes so I fiddled with the sauce for quite a while to make sure it was the right balance of sweet, savoury and of course, a little spicy. If you like the regular chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken and don’t like spice, feel free to leave out the five spice and crushed chillies but they really do take this dish up another level.
Spicy Prawn Stir Fry with Carrot and Courgette Noodles – 4sp
I’ve had a hand held spiralizer in my kitchen drawer for a while now and it hasn’t come in too handy, mostly because the noodles it produces are rather thin and flimsy! After having a whirl on an amazing table top Hemsley and Hemsley Spiralizer at a recent Weight Watchers photoshoot I knew I had to have one (albeit mine looks the same but was £12 from The Range).
Chicken Satay Kebabs – 4sp
My other half loves chicken satay from the Chinese takeaway, but knowing how naughty it is, it’s not something we have very often. I’ve therefore wanted to make my own healthy version of satay chicken for a while now and this week I decided it was time to give it a go.
Sizzling Beef with Spring Onions & Black Bean Sauce – Only 12sp!
This was a recipe made for me by my lovely best mate’s OH and it was so nice I bought the recipe book to make myself a smart point friendly version. It’s from Jaime’s Ministry of Food (original recipe here) and comes in at a very reasonable 12sp each. It’s a nice change to have a different stir fry sauce like black bean and the addition of rice instead of noodles makes another welcome change!
Five Spice Hoisin Duck Pancakes with Mango Slaw and Sticky Rice – 13sp
I’m a huge fan of Chinese duck pancakes but often find the standard shop bought hoisin a bit plain and dull. This recipe (an adaptation from a good food recipe) spices things up a bit and takes hoisin to a whole new level, The mango slaw adds a whole new element to the mix and really was a revelation, such a low point accompaniment and so fresh and delicious, it will become a regular in our house with many dishes from now on. I served this dish with 2 Chinese pancakes per person (you can buy these in Waitrose, 10 for £1.19, 1sp each) but as my OH likes his carbs I also bulked the meal out with a little rice.
Kung Po Chicken with Egg Fried Rice – 13sp
I got a Ching-He Huang Chinese cookbook a while back and I pick it up at least once a month with the intention of giving something a whirl. This week I actually did it and had a little trip to the Chinese supermarket to get in all the supplies I didn’t have. The Chinese supermarket was great, everything was in much bigger portions and MUCH cheaper than a normal supermarket (especially for sauces and herbs and spices!!). A lot of the ingredients listed are store cupboard lovelies, so whilst you may have to buy a few things to start off with, they will last you a good while! I really fancied a new oriental dish and tastes totally different to anything else I’ve made before so if you are a fan of a good old Chinese takeaway, this is one for you. You can find Ching’s original recipe pre WW friendly adaptation here.