Healthy options at an Indian Restaurant

2

Replies

  • SLLeask
    SLLeask Posts: 489 Member
    I always go for some chicken tikka (similar to tandoori but the chicken is breast whereas tandoori tends to be on the bone. There should also be fish tikka and lamb, both of which are also yummy and about as low-cal as you can get! Some raita (plain yoghurt with tomato / cucumber or onion, or a combination of all three) and a couple of popadoms because I can't resist!!

    Gosh, I'm hungry now.... :D
  • ViolaLeeBlueberry
    ViolaLeeBlueberry Posts: 182 Member
    The Indians definitely don't eat healthy food, hence why all of India is overweight and Western nations are slender and athletic. Oh, and yoga.

    I thought this was a joke?

    Shhhhh! :tongue:

    Weighing in (ha ha) from The Subcontinental 'Hood here ... As Augustremulou said above, diabetes is absolutely soaring in this part of the world. "Indian Food" (e.g. South Asian food in general) is healthy in theory, but most people cook with oil + oil + ghee + mounds of rice! Veggies are great; veggies coated in oil, not so much. It's fine and arguably even quite healthy when you're doing a traditional amount of physical work, because it's basically veggies with the body's needed fat coming from oil or ghee. Amounts of meat on the plate, if served at all, were small. (Actually still are, compared to the West.) But I have relatives who live in rural areas, very "traditional," who struggle with diabetes now -- along with half their neighbors. Everyone has "sugar" these days. And the main cause is good old "Indian cooking." Tasty, but not healthy if you're sedentary and don't control things like amounts of rice (which most people don't). Yes, there's a lot of undernourishment, but that's another issue; those people aren't exactly eating like the offerings at an Indian restaurant - or like their middle-class neighbors who struggle with diabetes.

    It CAN be healthy. I cook healthy "Indian style," but honestly it's kind of a mental challenge -- though a fun one -- to figure out how to come in under my calorie limit for the day cooking that way. And at an Indian restaurant, you will not be getting cooks who are carefully calculating the calories! You'll be getting the oil + ghee thing, because that's what is thought to make it tasty. (And it does!) Just as a benchmark, our dinners are generally around 700 calories, and that's using only about 1 TBSP of oil or ghee and not eating any rice or roti (bread). So assume that at an Indian restaurant, you're easily going to go over 1200 calories. Particularly if you're in the West (which I assume you are), in which case they're tossing in enticing things like cream etc.

    FWIW, I'll add to the suggestions above that if you do without the rice or just eat a tiny amount, it'll give you some wiggle room. Also, pappadum are pretty low-fat plus gluten-free. On the whole, though, I'd just say to figure you can't get away with a light dinner, and so you might as well enjoy it. A thali plate will give you a good idea of what you like (in small amounts). And oh well, it'll be good fuel for the next day at the gym anyway :-)
  • SpikeTailTurtle
    SpikeTailTurtle Posts: 60
    Indian food is delicious and MOST of the actual FOOD is healthy. What gets me in trouble at the Indian for me is Chai tea. Lots of sugar and (if made right) lots of milk. Also there are these delicious round things soaking in syrup that are purely comfort food of tasty calorie breaking.

    Try the chicken Tikka masala or Lamb Korma if you can. I adore Kormas.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    Anyone cooking Indian want to share some of their easier recipes? I love indian butand suck at cooking it, unfortunately I don't have an Indian restaurant close to where I live so its tough to get my fix!
  • SpikeTailTurtle
    SpikeTailTurtle Posts: 60
    Anyone cooking Indian want to share some of their easier recipes? I love indian butand suck at cooking it, unfortunately I don't have an Indian restaurant close to where I live so its tough to get my fix!

    I made this one the other day. My only complaint is it wasn't as spicy as I was hoping for.

    http://blog.paleohacks.com/crockpot-curry-chicken-recipe/

    It calls for garam masala and if you don't have any/ can't find it in stores it's just a spice mix. I use this one

    http://www.indiasnacks.com/recipe/488/Lazy-Garam-Masala.php



    Trying This recipe as soon as I can get out to the butcher:

    http://www.thespicehouse.com/recipes/lamb-korma-recipe
  • NaRmI10
    NaRmI10 Posts: 48 Member
    Coming from a South Asian Background .... you can find healthy food in any ethnic cuisine. However, home cooked meals are much more healthier as you would know what you are putting in them.. Restaurant foods are hard as they focus mostly on taste - hence the addition of cream etc in curries.

    this is just my opinion.
  • aliciamarieUF
    aliciamarieUF Posts: 226 Member
    The Indians definitely don't eat healthy food, hence why all of India is overweight and Western nations are slender and athletic. Oh, and yoga.

    Are you kidding me? Homemade Indian food can be extremely healthy. Restaurant food is a different story, but the stuff served in restaurants isn't always the best representation of the food consumed daily by all Indians. And half, if not more, of India is malnourished, not overweight. Stop making judgmental and ignorant statements when you clearly don't know what you're talking about.

    Don't mind him. He's out of his mind.
  • NaRmI10
    NaRmI10 Posts: 48 Member
    Some recipes I found - http://www.tarladalal.com/recipes-for-low-calorie-weight-loss-383?pageindex=2
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Without getting into a debate about what "healthy" means (so I'm going to use my colloquial definition, something like lower calorie), I'd say avoid anything creamy.

    Most people like murgh makhni, chicken makhni, butter chicken, chicken tikka masala (these dishes are either synonyms for each other or are very similar). The sauce is pretty much a lot of butter with cream (depending on where you go). Not low cal.

    You'll probably want things called "masala." if you get bindhi (okra) masala or channa (chick pea) masala or lentil masala, they should have a sauce that isn't as fatty.

    However, I like what HereOnOut said. JUST ENJOY YOURSELF! Indian food is too good to play the low-cal game with. Don't cheat yourself. And try something with lamb. A good lamb vindaloo could change your life!

    big point- sauce is made with heavy cream- I work with lot of folks from Indian- and they all complain that most Indian places aren't "real" Indian food- it's got to much heavy cream in it to qualify as "real"

    so just stick with basic- mostly sauce-less stuff and you'll be pretty good to go.
  • TMM211073
    TMM211073 Posts: 153 Member
    I've worked in an Indian restaurant for 4 years and I've tried everything on their menu in that time.... The Tandoori options are the healthier options because they use less ghee, but all the other pan fried stuff is cooked in it....

    Personally, speaking as someone who has lost over 150lb and eaten restaurant cooked Indian food every week for 4 years, my advice is go there, enjoy what you want to enjoy and drink plenty of water the next day, plus do some extra exercise for a few days to help minimise the potential weight concerns.... But the meals I eat every week have never impacted on my weight, because I eat less calories during the day, prior to the meal and cut back a few calories the following day, also increasing my exercise for the following 48 hours.

    xXx
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    I live part time in India. I have put on 18 pounds since moving there. The food is oil rich and carb heavy, Its not healthy.

    People in India are skinny because they can not afford food. Being over weight there is beautiful to them. As they watched me gain, they applauded me for getting "healthy".

    Chicken tikka is a good choice, but it is going to be salty. It will not have all the oils or cream as many of the curries do. DO NOT EAT THE NAAN.

    Or you can not sweat it and enjoy your lunch and then get back to it tomorrow. As I sit here with those extra lbs, I can say, beyond a shadow of a doubt that every bite was worth it.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    Indian food is delicious and MOST of the actual FOOD is healthy. What gets me in trouble at the Indian for me is Chai tea. Lots of sugar and (if made right) lots of milk. Also there are these delicious round things soaking in syrup that are purely comfort food of tasty calorie breaking.

    Try the chicken Tikka masala or Lamb Korma if you can. I adore Kormas.

    The round things are gulab jamun. They are in simple syrup usually flavored with cardamom.

    I agree with everyone who said just go to the gym first and then eat what you want. I've never had any indian food that I didn't like. Chicken Biranyi, Goat Vindaloo, Palek Paneer, dhal, korma...all delicious.


    and you must get Naan. I know it's calorific. Totally worth it.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    I love Indian food and eat it at least once a month so this was a dilemma for me. Hopefully this isn't a buffet :) If dinner, eat half of what you get.
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
    Lamb Vindaloo and Na'an Bread, skip the rice. Sorry Lesa_Sass, I humbly disagree with your opinion on Na'an.
  • ViolaLeeBlueberry
    ViolaLeeBlueberry Posts: 182 Member
    LOL, chai, yeah, no kidding. And if you lived here, it would be, "Want some tea? Time for tea! Want some more tea?" And who can ever turn down another cup of chai?!? (With biscuits. Of course.)

    On recipes -- I don't use recipes, mostly, but my main tip would be: Do not be scared by the long list of ingredients with all the careful measurements! I have never once seen anyone actually measure. "Indian cooking" is not an exact science, no matter how complicated a cookbook makes it look. You do not need to strain your yogurt, or get rubber gloves to seed the chilies, or whatever the cookbook authors come up with to exoticize it. So ignore something that seems like too much of a pain, and don't worry if you're missing a spice (because it's no biggie), and just follow the basic idea and you'll catch on quickly.

    For instance, spice-wise, the two big ones are cumin and coriander. (Turmeric is mainly for color, and if you get it fresh, it's a natural antibiotic.) So invest in those and whatever else you start to see in recipes. Then feel totally free to alter it to make it low-cal .... for instance, "a cup of coconut milk" is a killer 552 calories, but a TBSP is only 34 calories, and if you add it at the end it'll make everything taste yummy without the calories. If you do it for a while, you'll figure out how to cut the calories.

    BTW, Lesa, when my husband and I moved back to this part of the world after years in the US, we thought, "Hey, now we can lose weight!" Ha ha ha. Well, at least we got to enjoy the well-meaning compliment: "You've gotten fat!" Oh thank you :-)
  • sljohnson1207
    sljohnson1207 Posts: 818 Member
    The most delicious food I ever ate was a vindaloo. OMG!
  • LiftAndBalance
    LiftAndBalance Posts: 960 Member
    I'm gonna agree with the people who said ENJOY it, especially if you've never had Indian food! The best thing about good Indian food is that you can actually taste all the different spices—if it's just hot, you should try another place.

    My favourite would probably have to be Biryani, either with lamb or chicken. The place we normally go to serves huge portions so I will generally eat half and ask them to pack the rest. With curries, I've now started to have just Naan and no rice. Yes, Naan has a lot of calories but it's totally worth it. Rice, on the other hand, is just rice.
  • MisterZ33
    MisterZ33 Posts: 567 Member
    indian food, like the cuisne of any ethnicity, in particular, when prepared in a restaurant, will always be an unhealthier option in comparision with a home cooked meal.

    OP, when dining at an indian restaurant, go for the dry meats opposed to those marinated in curry. there will be far less oil / butter
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    Lamb Vindaloo and Na'an Bread, skip the rice. Sorry Lesa_Sass, I humbly disagree with your opinion on Na'an.

    I said do not get the naan because it is high calorie., especially if it is slathered in butter, it is well over 200 calories a piece if made correctly. I never ever said it was not delicious. It is one of the reasons I put on 9 kg in India. :wink:
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
    Lamb Vindaloo and Na'an Bread, skip the rice. Sorry Lesa_Sass, I humbly disagree with your opinion on Na'an.

    I said do not get the naan because it is high calorie., especially if it is slathered in butter, it is well over 200 calories a piece if made correctly. I never ever said it was not delicious. It is one of the reasons I put on 9 kg in India. :wink:

    Oh I know it isn't calorie free! But thats why I skip the rice (200/cup). I eat whatever dish I get without rice and use the Na'an to sop up all the lovely sauce. I get Indian every other week from this awesome place in Maryland....so worth every calorie!
  • FromHereOnOut
    FromHereOnOut Posts: 3,237 Member
    I get Indian every other week from this awesome place in Maryland....so worth every calorie!

    My torrid love affair with Indian food began in Bethesda. No regrets. Ever.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    Lamb Vindaloo and Na'an Bread, skip the rice. Sorry Lesa_Sass, I humbly disagree with your opinion on Na'an.

    I said do not get the naan because it is high calorie., especially if it is slathered in butter, it is well over 200 calories a piece if made correctly. I never ever said it was not delicious. It is one of the reasons I put on 9 kg in India. :wink:

    Oh I know it isn't calorie free! But thats why I skip the rice (200/cup). I eat whatever dish I get without rice and use the Na'an to sop up all the lovely sauce. I get Indian every other week from this awesome place in Maryland....so worth every calorie!

    And that is how I went from 105 to 123.

    Leaving Oct 6 for 3 months there. Sigh......I will dine on Aloo Bhaji and poori every morning, drink south indian coffee with 4 percent fat in the milk and have a chai tea with lots of sugar and buffalo milk every afternoon. I wonder how many kgs I will gain on this stay? Worth every ounce. :happy:
  • Boccellin
    Boccellin Posts: 137 Member
    I get Indian every other week from this awesome place in Maryland....so worth every calorie!

    My torrid love affair with Indian food began in Bethesda. No regrets. Ever.

    Is this awesome place in Maryland anywhere near Elkton? I would love to give it a shot if it is.
  • baubisson
    baubisson Posts: 11 Member
    Tandoori chicken is supposed to be healthy, but it's not really Indian. Also, in the United States, because people can't handle the heat from a lot of cayenne, they use Red Dye #40 to make the chicken red. It's weird and artificial and has been linked with health problems.

    So THAT'S why it always looked so bright and red at every restaurant I go to! I just thought my family had always been making it wrong. It's kinda funny how I grew up thinking the americanized variety was the right way of doing it.
  • Anxieux
    Anxieux Posts: 275 Member
    The Indians definitely don't eat healthy food, hence why all of India is overweight and Western nations are slender and athletic. Oh, and yoga.

    Are you kidding me? Homemade Indian food can be extremely healthy. Restaurant food is a different story, but the stuff served in restaurants isn't always the best representation of the food consumed daily by all Indians. And half, if not more, of India is malnourished, not overweight. Stop making judgmental and ignorant statements when you clearly don't know what you're talking about.

    Don't mind him. He's out of his mind.
    Not sure if serious
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    The Indians definitely don't eat healthy food, hence why all of India is overweight and Western nations are slender and athletic. Oh, and yoga.

    Are you kidding me? Homemade Indian food can be extremely healthy. Restaurant food is a different story, but the stuff served in restaurants isn't always the best representation of the food consumed daily by all Indians. And half, if not more, of India is malnourished, not overweight. Stop making judgmental and ignorant statements when you clearly don't know what you're talking about.

    Don't mind him. He's out of his mind.
    Not sure if serious

    Indian people are logical, that is why many are engineers. They do not get sarcasm. It is a major issue for me when I am living there. They take everything literal.

    So this is a case of a cultural difference and not understanding that it is a joke.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    Tandoori chicken is good. battered fried broccoli, pass. Naan bread is very fattening so pass. Chana masala is pretty reasonable (chick pea dish). Basmati rice ok in moderation.
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
    I get Indian every other week from this awesome place in Maryland....so worth every calorie!

    My torrid love affair with Indian food began in Bethesda. No regrets. Ever.

    Is this awesome place in Maryland anywhere near Elkton? I would love to give it a shot if it is.

    Not really. Columbia. http://www.royaltajmd.com/ The owner loves his place, and it shows in the food and the service. My water glass never dips below half!

    But I think it is worth the drive =)

    ETA: Sorry for the delayed response
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    Butter chicken (probably the highest calorie thing ever on Earth) is a MUST try.

    My recommendation is to buy small dishes and share with your friend!

    Naan is quite a few calories so your are probably better off with using the rice instead of the naan.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    ...I love Masala Dosa...It's a long round pancake...

    Can you post a pic? Because...what?:ohwell:

    dosa is a batter that is like a pancake but is not sweet. It is spread thin like a crepe in the pan then filled with a spicy potato mixture and folded. They are rather high in calorie, but my god are they delicious.

    http://www.padhuskitchen.com/2012/12/masala-dosa-recipe-how-to-make-masala.html

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