Angela Day takes the fat out of five not so slimming dishes we all love to eat

I ENJOY watching the TV programme Cook Yourself Thin, and I am always amazed how simple it is to cut a lot of unnecessary fat out of dishes I cook on a regular basis.
I bought a copy of the book based on the series and tested some of the recipes. I found the taste wasn't very different to those I  cook with extra fat.

I was especially sceptical about the chips. Nothing beats the flavour of deepfried crisp chips and I was horrified when I saw I had to coat them in egg white. But I have to confess I was pleasantly surprised by the results. The oven-baked chips were crisp and brown and stayed crunchy for much longer than fried chips.

The book is packed with good ideas on how to replace ingredients in your favourite dishes to make them less fattening and healthier. I particularly like the chapter "Cunning Calorie Swops" where there is a list of meals and healthy lternates to swop them for.

I was inspired to try out some of the ideas in the book and these are my versions.

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

Normally this recipe would contain a lot of fat as it is made with ghee or butter and cream. By replacing this with fat-free yoghurt, you can drastically reduce the fat content.

Serves 4

30ml tikka masala paste
125ml fat-free yoghurt
500g chicken breast fillets, cubed
30ml extra tikka paste
1 onion, chopped
200g tomato passata
200ml light coconut milk
a handful of chopped coriander

Mix the curry paste and yoghurt, add the chicken pieces and marinade for afew hours or overnight.
Remove chicken pieces from marinade and place on a foil lined baking tray. Bake at 200ºC for 10 minutes until they have some colour. Remove and set aside. Place extra tikka paste into a saucepan with the onion and cook over a low heat until the onion is soft. Take care not to burn the paste.
Add the passata and the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Add the chicken pieces, turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
Stir in the coriander and serve with basmati rice.
Tomato passata is tomato puree which can be bought in a bottle or a box from the supermarket.