Low Calorie Indian Restaurant Options?

Options
edith_t
edith_t Posts: 109 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am going for a meal with some friends at an Indian restaurant later in the week and was wondering if anyone knew what particular foods are high in calories and to avoid and which are lower and healthier? I read that it's best to go with tomato based curries rather than cream based curries, and obviously naan breads are high in calories, but besides that i'm not too sure!

thanks for any advice! edith xx

Replies

  • daniface
    daniface Posts: 338 Member
    Options
    vegetable jalfrezI wouuld be a nice healthy option, assorted veggies in a tomato based sauce, very tasty one of my faves
  • crackofdark
    crackofdark Posts: 1
    Options
    Veggies curries are your best bet. Tandoori chicken is great also.
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
    Options
    Oh, but naan is so good......

    Sorry, got distracted. Roasted tandoori chicken would be good, or the vindaloo, Maybe some Dal Fry with just a small bit of naan?
  • Mariannewww
    Mariannewww Posts: 67
    Options
    I always get tandoori style options without sauce (my favourite is chicken tikka) in my fav restaurant it comes with salad and I either have some pilau rice (boiled rice is better cal wise but I LOVE the pilau) or I have a few nibbles of my boyfriends naan (not an euphamism) :) x
  • tiptoeketo
    tiptoeketo Posts: 271 Member
    Options
    I'd stay away from butter chicken - they use fresh cream to make it delicious!

    Chana Masala(curry chickpeas)would be a good choice and is high fibre.
  • noneya2010
    noneya2010 Posts: 446 Member
    Options
    I would suggest tandoori chicken (similarily it may be called Chicken Tiki). Very good, and not much fat. They use skinless chicken and it's marinated in yogurt and spices. One of my favorites! My DH is from India and my mother-in-law lives with us and cookes Indian food daily. Most Indian food is very healthy - -minus the oil that is used! Dahl is very good and healthy with very minimal oil used. Also, you could try Kabobs - they are to die for!

    There is also a good spinach dish which the name has slipped my mind -- but it is a good choice too. Briyiani is my favorite -- not bad but it is rice-based dish so high in carbs.....
  • nessajk
    nessajk Posts: 32
    Options
    If you're a carnivore, anything that is without sauce and cooked in the tandoor should be a great -and tasty- option for you. Stay light on the rice and you're golden!
  • nessajk
    nessajk Posts: 32
    Options
    Spinach dish = saag paneer? My absolute favorite!!
  • noneya2010
    noneya2010 Posts: 446 Member
    Options
    I'd stay away from butter chicken - they use fresh cream to make it delicious!

    Chana Masala(curry chickpeas)would be a good choice and is high fibre.

    I make butter chicken at home and it is usually made with heavy cream --lots of it! An alternate is to use 1/2 n 1/2 or a bit of milk but yeah, restraunts are going to use the cream!
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
    Options
    The spinach dish is Saag, I would assume. It is cream based, but typically still pretty low in calories. Or at least every place I have looked up the nutrition it isn't too bad!
  • mummychaz
    mummychaz Posts: 35 Member
    Options
    I was told to avoid anything in a sauce as most of them contain cream and a lot of fat, I often have Shashlik Chicken which doesn't come with sauce but is suprisingly not too dry, look at vegetable side dishes as there may be some options there too. Best to avoid the naans and popadoms if you can :)
  • edith_t
    edith_t Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    I always get tandoori style options without sauce (my favourite is chicken tikka) in my fav restaurant it comes with salad and I either have some pilau rice (boiled rice is better cal wise but I LOVE the pilau) or I have a few nibbles of my boyfriends naan (not an euphamism) :) x

    haha!!
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
    Options
    I have no particular suggestions with regards to calories per dish. I do not go out to restaurants very often. When I do it is with my wife. We usually share some version of a combo plate and I manage my calories by eating only a small portion. Any left overs go home and are eaten the next day for lunch by my wife.

    If you have no one to share with just order and eat sensibly.

    Note: I also make sure that I eat a little less during the day on those days when I know I going out for dinner.

    I hope you enjoy your night out!
  • edith_t
    edith_t Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    thanks for advice everyone :)
  • friendthegirl
    friendthegirl Posts: 11
    Options
    My boyfriend and I ordered Indian the other night and were surprised to find it wasn't as bad as we thought. People tend to overeat Indian, so we just didn't do that. We ate rice, but stayed away from naan (which neither of us had ever done before, because it's freaking yums). We got Palak Paneer and Chicken Tikka Masala. Those are the dishes we usually order. We just measured everything out. We ended up satiated vs. feeling stuffed. Neither of us went over our calories for the day. We had also planned on having it for dinner, so we had low calorie breakfasts and lunches.

Categories