Swap your takeaway for one of these healthy alternatives – which could help you save pennies while losing pounds

CURRY addicts can make healthy “fakeaway” dinners in their slow cooker that won’t break the household budget.

Nathan Anthony, author of new best-selling cookbook Bored Of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book, says his tasty mango chicken curry recipe, featured here, is the most popular dish with his two million followers.

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In Day Two of our Save Pennies, Shed Pounds series for The Sun, Nathan reveals the tricks of whipping up healthy, filling family meals in your slow cooker, which can also help you lose weight and save cash.

Nathan, a home cook who also has a a full-time job at BT, said: “I could eat curries several nights a week in any colour or variation, I’m a curry addict.

“By a clear mile, this is the fakeaway dish my online followers have recreated the most, with millions of views on social media.

“I travelled in Thailand and Bali and I had never had a mango curry before and I thought, ‘I wonder if I can make it in a slow cooker?’ When I posted it online it went viral.

“It is a game-changer when it comes to flavour and is so easy to make.”

Nathan’s habit of watching the calories himself led to him creating more healthy versions of his favourite dishes.

He said: “There’s less oil, less time for me cooking and it’s energy efficient and calorie-focused.

“They are a lot better for you than if you were to order from a takeaway and are so easy to make.

“One of the things that is a staple when you are cooking in a slow cooker is cornflour. One teaspoon is enough, just to thicken your sauce.

“Fresh stuff is also key, including veg, lime, lemon, and the key component of slow-cooker curries is coconut milk and chopped tomatoes. If you have those in your pantry, along with spices, there’s very little you can’t make.

“One crucial rule with a slow cooker is when you are adding your liquid and stock, always add less than you think you need, as you can always add more — but it’s a lot harder to take away.

“Coconut milk in lots of the curry recipes is so healthy. Using tins of chopped tomatoes also counts as one of your five a day.”

• Bored Of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book, by Nathan Anthony, is out now (Ebury Press) £18.99. Photos by Clare Wilkinson

Slow cooker lamb and potato curry

Serves 5, 372 calories per serving

Cost of ingredients: £6.85, Cost to cook: 54p

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YOU NEED:

• 300g lamb
• 6 potatoes (skin on, finely chopped)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp of tomato puree
• 1 can of reduced-fat coconut milk
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp mango chutney
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lamb or chicken stock pot
• 1 onion
• Fresh mint to garnish
• Salt, to taste
• 1 tbsp cornflour if you want a really thick sauce

METHOD: This is so easy to make. Add everything to the slow cooker. You don’t even need to boil the potatoes or boil the kettle to make a stock.

Stir it all together, then cook on high for four hours or low for eight. Done!

TIP: This absolutely stunning curry really packs flavour. You can swap the lamb for chicken thigh or beef for a really rich, flavoursome curry.

Healthy chicken korma

Serves 4, 290 calories per serving

Cost of ingredients: £10.12, Cost to cook: 27p

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YOU NEED:

• 3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 400ml tin of reduced-fat coconut milk
• 100ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp mango chutney
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2.5cm fresh ginger, grated
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp mild chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp paprika
• 3 cloves
• 1 tbsp cornflour, mixed to a paste with 1 tbsp water
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Flaked almonds and fresh coriander, to garnish

METHOD: Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker, stir and season to taste.

Cook on high for three hours or low for four to five hours. Pick out the cloves and discard them, then garnish with flaked almonds and fresh coriander.

TIP: I always serve this with a naan or chapati and about 200g of cooked rice per person, which will add 260 calories.

Mango chicken curry

Serves 4, 290 calories per serving

Cost of ingredients: £9.74, Cost to cook: 20p

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YOU NEED:

• 3 chicken breasts, sliced
• 400ml tin of reduced-fat coconut milk
• 1 red chilli, sliced, with seeds
• 1 large mango, peeled and chopped
• 1 tbsp mango chutney
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2.5cm fresh ginger, grated
• handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• Juice of 1 lime, plus 1 slice
• 1 tbsp cornflour, mixed to a paste with 1 tbsp water
• 1 yellow pepper, sliced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD: Place all the ingredients, except the yellow pepper, in the slow cooker, stir and season to taste.

Cook on high for three hours or low for seven hours. Then add the yellow pepper and cook for another 15 minutes.

TIP: Serving with 150g rice will add 195 calories per dish.

Sticky pineapple chicken

Serves 4, 342 calories per serving

Cost of ingredients: £6.10, Cost to cook: 41p

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YOU NEED:

• 150ml pineapple juice
• 200ml chicken stock
• 4 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger
• 1 onion
• 1 tsp curry powder
• A good handful of diced pineapple
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 4 chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water (to thicken sauce)

METHOD: Chuck it all on low for six to seven hours or high for three hours. It’s handy, sweet and has plenty of flavour.

TIP: If you prefer your sauce to be a little runnier, leave out the cornflour mixture.

Braised beef with soy and mushrooms

Serves: 4, 297 calories per serving

Cost of ingredients: £8.71, Cost to cook: 38p

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YOU NEED:

• 500g beef steaks, thinly sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 10 chestnut mushrooms, quartered
• 2.5cm fresh ginger, grated
• 1 onion, thickly sliced
• 1 tbsp cornflour, mixed to a paste with 1 tbsp water
• 3-4 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp Chinese rice wine
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp mirin
• 250ml chicken stock
• 4 heads pak choi, chopped

METHOD: Place all the ingredients, except the red pepper and pak choi, into the slow cooker and stir. Cook on high for two and a half to three hours or low for five to six hours.

Add the red pepper and cook for another five minutes, then add the pak choi and cook for a final seven minutes.

TIP: I love pak choi in this recipe but you could use spinach or tender stem broccoli instead. Choose a high-quality soy sauce to give a really rich flavour.

Sweet potato and coconut soup

Serves 6, 190 calories per serving

Cost of ingredients £2.92, Cost to cook 20p

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YOU NEED:

• 6 sweet potatoes, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 750ml vegetable stock
• 400ml tin of reduced-fat coconut milk
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp lemongrass paste
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• Salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD: Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker, stir and season to taste. Cook on high for three hours. Once cooked, blitz the soup with a handheld blender until smooth.

TIP: The sweet potato is filling but the soup itself is low in calories. This is perfect all year round, comforting in the winter but pleasant and light during warmer weather.