Any experts in Indian cooking?

Jonslife

I was hoping to find some people that have experience using the traditional spices in most Indian dishes/curries and that might have some low calorie/fat varieties of these recipes that they enjoy.

jdm_taco

Thank god Im not. I would be 400lbs...easily

philodoxdreams

Well look! We happen to have some experience with this! While I don't consider myself an expert on Indian cuisine, we (shadus, myself and all 5 of our kids) LOVE indian dishes. We make some kind of curry dish generally once a week or so. The challenge with cooking this particular ethnic food is finding replacements for the butters and creams/milks. We have found a great culinary friend in plain greek yogurt. We use Fage, Total Zero brand. It's a fantastic replacement for cream or milk. The butter can be replaced with most any low cal margarine.

Spice wise - Garam Masala is your friend. Buy it in bulk if you can! It's a nice premixed blend of common spices and just beautiful tasting. You can use curry powder or you can buy a variety of curry pastes depending on what you're looking for. I would recommend paying a visit to your local ethnic food store (if there is one close by).

In our curries, we use a lot of chickpeas, onions and whatever other fresh or frozen vegetable we have on hand. Lots of zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers. Shadus or I will post some recipes for you once we get them written down. We've been making these kind of dishes so long we don't use recipes anymore, ha! It's all in our heads!

Rice - well there's no good replacement for it. You can eat rice, just be very aware of how much. We tend to prepare our dishes a little thicker than is traditional, because we aren't often using rice in them, just eating them in a bowl like a stew!

mmipanda

Loooove Indian food. I can make a pretty decent curry, not an 'expert' by any means though.

I have a pretty primal/paleo diet so I use butter, full fat coconut cream & sometimes greek yoghurt. There are less 'calorie dense' options but thats not important to me. Also they probably don't taste as good!

We don't have rice with it though, I just bung some cauliflower in the food processor and then microwave it. I actually prefer it to rice, plus I can eat heaps of it and not feel gross afterwards.

Actually, now I think about it, substituting rice with cauliflower would totally negate the extra calories from the full fat ingredients anyway.

The only thing I do miss out on is the naan bread.

pamelak5

I'm not an expert, but I am Indian and grew up eating healthy indian food.

For dry curries (think aloo gobi) here is my template:

Chop some onions and sautee them in a bit of olive oil over medium low heat. Cook them down. Not for five minutes. at least 15 minutes. A lot of the flavor comes from cooking down the onions. Add ginger and garlic, if using fresh, cook a couple more minutes. Add your spices and then cook them for a few minutes - cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, etc . When you see recipes that say "fry in oil" it does NOT mean you have to deep fry them. It means to just cook them in oil for a few minutes. Add a fresh tomato or two then your veggies. To give you an idea of proportions - If I were using a large head of cauliflower and 3-4 small red potatoes, I might use 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 teaspoons, cumin, 1 coriander, 2 garam masala, 1/2 turmeric.

The key is too cook the onions down and sautee your dried spices in the small amount of oil you are using. I cannot emphasize this enough. This is where a lot of deliciousness comes in. If I'm making a chicken curry, I cook the onions down so that, say, eight onions could fit into two cups. This can take awhile. I like to cook down a whole bunch of onions at once, and then stash that onion-ey goodness in the freezer in ice cube trays.

If you want to post a recipe, I can tell you how I'd modify it to make it something I'd eat every day. I cook the way my mom cooks, so it's legit, I promise.

mmipanda

I like to cook down a whole bunch of onions at once, and then stash that onion-ey goodness in the freezer in ice cube trays.

ooooh that is genius.

pamelak5

I like to cook down a whole bunch of onions at once, and then stash that onion-ey goodness in the freezer in ice cube trays.

ooooh that is genius.

I will share that feedback with my mother. She'll appreciate it.

lilacinfinity

This soup is great. I use a different blend of spices than it says, but adjust to your own taste.
http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/recipes/2007/may/butter-chicken-soup

I use nutmeg, cumin, tumeric & garam masala in equal parts (sometimes more garam masala at the end)

philodoxdreams

These are likely not traditional - but they're our variations and delicious.


Paneer Jalfrazie

12 baby corns , cut lengthwise
1 1/4 cups low fat cottage cheese (Breakstones)
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/8 tso garam masala
1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste
3 spring onion whites , sliced
3/4 cup chopped spring onion greens
1/2 green pepper , cut into 25mm (1") strips
1/2 red pepper , cut into 25mm (1") strips
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tomato
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tsp oil
salt to taste

Cut roughly and blend the tomato to a smooth purée.
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, add the cumin seeds and garam masala. Saute about a minute then add the green chilli paste, spring onion whites and green and red capsicum and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the baby corn, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, prepared tomato purée and salt and sauté on a slow flame for 4 to 5 minutes till the baby corn is cooked. Add the tomato purée, cottage cheese and spring onion greens and toss lightly.

This yields enough for 4 and is roughly 490 Calories for the -entire batch-.

---

Butter Chicken

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons margarine
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper

1 tablespoon oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Saute shallot and onion until soft and translucent. Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon garam masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in half-and-half and yogurt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat, and season with 1 teaspoon garam masala and cayenne. Stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce, and simmer until liquid has reduced, and chicken is no longer pink. Stir cooked chicken into sauce.
Mix together cornstarch and water, then stir into the sauce. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Roughly 350 calories per serving. Serves 4 (1 cup).

SyntonicGarden

This "gori" says use the seasonings like the ones form Shan. If you can find a "cash & carry" store, the boxes are less than $2. If you order them online, they're a bit pricier. They make it easy to get the right flavoring though. Then just adjust your recipe to add more veg or different veggies. The two staples in this house are the chana masala (spiced chick peas) and the butter chicken. I calculate my calories based on what I've added, not by what's listed in MFP. The spices themselves are usually negligible.

Here's what I'm taking about, as I eat the chana masala that I just made...

http://shanfoodspk.com/consumer/category/products/recipe/shan-seasoning-range/

RTheHutt

I love Indian food.

Not sure if this is what you're looking for but some decent vegan recipes here:

http://21daykickstartindia.org/mealplan/index.cfm

gowrirao81

I'd like to think I qualify!

Tip 1: As another poster mentioned, you can substitute yoghurt (fat free/low/full depending on the creaminess you wish to achieve) in almost any recipe that calls for cream or coconut milk.
Tip 2: I cook my rice with beans and veggies in them (so I can get in some protein and also as a small serve usually fills you up for lesser cals than just plain rice).
Tip 3: It isn't traditional but Indian goes quite well with a simple green salad as a side. As the food is relatively calorie dense, plating up halfway with salad is a good way to fill up.
Tip 4: Substitute Olive oil (halving the recipie quanity will do in most cases ... curry doesn't need to swim in oil to taste great!) for where ever Butter is called for and once the dish is finished, toast a wee bit of Ghee and drizzle over. Tastes better than cooking with Butter but for waaay lower cals.
Tip 5: You can stir in baby spinach leaves into almost all curry recipes in the end. This low cal addition is fantastic for increasing the number of serves in your dish.

sophorae

Hi Jon, congratulations on your success so far, I hope I can lose as much. I'm just starting with MFP.

The easiest way to find out how to make curries is on Youtube. There are thousands or videos - make sure they have minimal oil, just enough to fry the spices - don't burn them. Vegetarian recipes are delicious and are usually lower in calories.

I share my house with a beautiful young Sikh woman who taught me how to make Chapatis, also called Roti. She makes the hottest curries in the world. I use it like Vegemite - just a thin scrape on a chapati is more than enough. They are the easiest and quickest thing to make to go with curries.

Here's a video that was the closest I could find to her recipe. You can leave out the oil but do make sure you buy proper atta flour from an Indian shop. Without oil or ghee, a twenty centimetre chapati is about 70 calories. They are very quick to make. In my house we roll and fold the chapatis in four and roll into a ball twice to give them extra layers. You press on the chapati with a dry tea towel to move the steam through the whole chapati.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzLBDkEtXNE

I hope you enjoy your Indian cooking
Jo

aprilwilliams2729

So this isn't even remotely authentic, but it's a quick yummy dinner! You get a pretty big portion and it's filling!

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/quick_chicken_tikka_masala.html

Enjoy! :flowerforyou:

zahid222

Anybody makes 'Dosa'?

sophorae

gowrirao81, I think those are great suggestions. I use some of them already and will use the others now. As well as spinach, I stir in Ceylon spinach (a vine) or silver beet or pele (edible hibiscus) leaves - any dark green leaves.

I found this great list of leaves from the Pacific you can use. just be careful you have identified the right ones. There are some interesting recipes many of which are good with some curry powder or chile added too. Of course we have to go easy on the coconut cream.
http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/x5425e/x5425e06.htm

shadus

I make a quick "ghetto curry" that is pretty respectable (taste wise, calling this curry to anyone who knows curry would probably result in me getting beat up by a wandering squad of Indians who find my bastardization of their cuisine to be unacceptable) and named a pox on their food forever more.

Chick Peas, 1 container
Boneless/skinless Chicken Breast, 4 ounces
Thai Kitchen - Red Curry Paste, 1 tbsp (carried at walmart)
0% Milk Fat Plain Greek Yogurt, 4 ounces
Butter, 2 tbsp (we use country crock margarine)
Natural Tomato Paste, whole can (small can)
water, 1/2c
Milk 1%, 1 cup
Onion, 1 large, chopped
Garlic, 4 Cloves, chopped
Morton - Coarse Kosher Salt, 1/2tsp
Spices - Pepper, black, 1 tsp
Spices - Garam Masala, 2 tsp
Sambal Oelek - Ground Thai Chilli Paste, 1 tsp
Pam - Olive oil spray

Hit bottom of the pan with as little pam as possible, dump in the onions and get them about 50% of the level you want them cooked, toss in the chick peas, when everything is about 70% done then toss in the garlic, curry paste, pepper, salt, garam masala, sambal oelek, and chicken breast. Get the chicken breast mostly done and then add the tomato paste, water, and butter... soon as everything is combined nicely add in the milk slowly and then the greek yogurt, keep stiring until everything is combined. Let it come back to a nice simmer and then spoon it off onto a plate of rice or eat it straight (i have no need for rice, I like it well enough straight up.)

Keeps well, reheats great, makes about 5 servings in my opinion... depending on brands and quantities mine usually runs in the neighborhood of ~1250 for the pan or 250/ea serving. Everything here can be found at either walmart, audis, or save-a-lot around here... which is why I'm rather fond of it.... nice and cheap

pinkstp

in for the recipes, I LOVE Indian food

elsyoommen

Yes. I make Dosa. Are you looking for a recipe? Youtube has many for example I found this website provided a good step by step instruction on making Dosa as well as uttapams and vada: http://showmethecurry.com/

It is not hard to cook healthy indian food - especially south indian (I'm a little biased). You might want to try a quick egg curry or fish curry. You can used canned sardines or frozen fish for the fish curry. These are high protein and I can usually whip them up in under 20 minutes with items I have on hand.

I second the suggestion earlier to make sure you cook down those onions!! very good advice, my mother also did that and made sure I did the same.

tfisher0915

Bump

k80flec

bump for the recipes. I'm no expert but:-
I mix my own pastes and spice mixtures - they're great. The recipes are usually gleaned from the web and using MFP means I know exactly what has gone into them and what the kC cost is.

VeganLexi

I can make a decent curry, I also live in the curry capital of the UK (Bradford), we have a huge Indian community here and the best food!

Check out www.prashad.co.uk this is a local restaurant to me, it came 2nd on Gordon Ramsey's "Best Restaurant" competition, they have good recipies on there.

MaddyT122

bump!

zorbaru

im lucky, i dont need to be an expert in indian cooking cos our neighbour owns an indian restaurant that has won best in australia for the last 2 years.

damn its good

southpaw211

I love this thread. I am no expert even remotely in Indian cooking, as there only about 3 that I make (basic curry, dal and saag paneer). I don't suppose there is a healthy way to make saag paneer? Probably not, since the cheese is the best part!

I don't want to hijack, but if anyone has a recipe for coconut soup, please share! Our favorite Indian restaurant has THE best coconut soup. It always comes out SCALDING hot, with lots of shredded coconut, pistachios and golden raisins to be found at the bottom. I've tried several recipes, but can never get that milky broth right.

k8eekins

I was hoping to find some people that have experience using the traditional spices in most Indian dishes/curries and that might have some low calorie/fat varieties of these recipes that they enjoy.

Will you kindly share what kinds of curries you prefer to eat as a guide, to avoid wrong recommendations, for there are parts of India, where certain ingredients aren't used at all? Just as there are curries which will have coconut cream/milk/oil - likely to have a higher fat content than an atypical spice, oil, meat and/or vegetable curry. Do you prefer your curries dry or wet?

We all need your preferred flavour profile. Do you like it spicy, sweet, tangy, sour, mild and when considering combos, which ones exactly ~ eg sweet & sour?

Mslmesq

Korma. Please, please share a korma recipe...healthy or not. But a traditional good one. I love that stuff!

loislenski

bumping for recipes.

k8eekins

Korma. Please, please share a korma recipe...healthy or not. But a traditional good one. I love that stuff!

As traditional of the dish you'd requested I could find, time permitting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mTb42__GRw

:flowerforyou: I too am a fan of korma variety curries.

Aminah3052

ote]
This "gori" says use the seasonings like thes form Shan. If you can find a "cash & carry" store, the boxes are less than $2.food you order them online, they're a bit pricier. They make it easy to get the right flavoring though. Then just adjust your recipe to add more veg or different veggies. The two staples in this house are the chana masala (spiced chick peas) and the butter chicken. I calculate my calories based on what I've added, not by what's listed in MFP. The spices themselves are usually negligible.

Here's what I'm taking about, as I eat the chana masala that I just made...

http://shanfoodspk.com/consumer/category/products/recipe/shan-seasoning-range/
[/quote]

Lol beat me to it! Seasoning packs by shan or national do the trick! Lol ive never seen them in regular stores tho (unless there is a Very big desi population where u live U might have to find an indian shop or a halaal store. U can find one in your area online (idk if we are allowed to Link other sites but u can use zabihah.com to find a store near u) just make sure u check what other ingredients ull need before u go home. Lol i didn't have yogurt for my first attempt at Indian food and we figured it can't make much difference....... It did! Lol i made chicken hot lava and fire tikka

alisam567

What an awesome question OP - and what and awesome reply! I have saved this! I love love love my curries but never cook my onions this long - this sounds like a well kept secret! now I want go home and cook!