First time getting indian

niamh211
niamh211 Posts: 150 Member
edited November 21 in Food and Nutrition
so I'm going for dinner on Sunday for my first ever Indian and I have t a clue what to order ha what would be the best low calorie fish to order?

Replies

  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    I usually go for the Tandoori chicken and either get a naan bread, or rice. But seeing as I'm on a bulk... I now get naan bread and rice.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I like lamb vindaloo...but be careful, it's hot as *kitten*...I love the burn.
  • niamh211
    niamh211 Posts: 150 Member
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    I usually go for the Tandoori chicken and either get a naan bread, or rice. But seeing as I'm on a bulk... I now get naan bread and rice.

    Would the tandoori not be very dry with the rice though?
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    niamh211 wrote: »
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    I usually go for the Tandoori chicken and either get a naan bread, or rice. But seeing as I'm on a bulk... I now get naan bread and rice.

    Would the tandoori not be very dry with the rice though?

    It's sort of dry, but that's just the way I like it. The naan bread helps it go down. Rice does too.
  • arathena720
    arathena720 Posts: 449 Member
    Chana Marsala is a great choice, too. Vegetarian, chick peas for protein, delicious!
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
    Most of the fish are fine (I usually see a lot of shrimp and tilapia and other fillet type fish on the menu), but the way they cook it can add a lot of calories. But in general, if you want lower calorie avoid the richer cream sauces (tika masala, korma, etc.) They taste great but the cream adds a lot of calories.

    Tandori (chicken or other meat, not sure if they do fish this way) is a great option.

    Also, Indians do vegetarian dishes really well. Some are very creamy, but there are many that are low cal...especially dishes made with chick peas, lentil, etc.

    You don't say what type of Indian restaurant it is. Some only do vegetarian. Others serve food from a specific region which may be different from anything listed above. But in general, most do a great job of describing exactly what the main ingredients are, so it should be relatively easy to determine from the menu what the lower calorie options are.

    Oh, and go easy on the bread and rice. They add a lot of calories, and it is easy to go overboard. There are many types of Indian bread and most are very good. My advice: skip the rice (you can have rice anytime) and skip the chapatis (fried) and paratha (fried and lots of oil/ghee) and stick with something simple and baked like naan if you have bread.
  • niamh211
    niamh211 Posts: 150 Member
    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    Most of the fish are fine (I usually see a lot of shrimp and tilapia and other fillet type fish on the menu), but the way they cook it can add a lot of calories. But in general, if you want lower calorie avoid the richer cream sauces (tika masala, korma, etc.) They taste great but the cream adds a lot of calories.

    Tandori (chicken or other meat, not sure if they do fish this way) is a great option.

    Also, Indians do vegetarian dishes really well. Some are very creamy, but there are many that are low cal...especially dishes made with chick peas, lentil, etc.

    You don't say what type of Indian restaurant it is. Some only do vegetarian. Others serve food from a specific region which may be different from anything listed above. But in general, most do a great job of describing exactly what the main ingredients are, so it should be relatively easy to determine from the menu what the lower calorie options are.

    Oh, and go easy on the bread and rice. They add a lot of calories, and it is easy to go overboard. There are many types of Indian bread and most are very good. My advice: skip the rice (you can have rice anytime) and skip the chapatis (fried) and paratha (fried and lots of oil/ghee) and stick with something simple and baked like naan if you have bread.

    I was thinking of getting king prawn tandoori but I don't know what to get with it as I hear it is a dry dish
  • MonsoonStorm
    MonsoonStorm Posts: 371 Member
    in all honesty, I'd say sod the diet and just enjoy trying something new.

    Don't go overboard, but dont stop yourself from trying new things.
  • niamh211
    niamh211 Posts: 150 Member
    niamh211 wrote: »
    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    Most of the fish are fine (I usually see a lot of shrimp and tilapia and other fillet type fish on the menu), but the way they cook it can add a lot of calories. But in general, if you want lower calorie avoid the richer cream sauces (tika masala, korma, etc.) They taste great but the cream adds a lot of calories.

    Tandori (chicken or other meat, not sure if they do fish this way) is a great option.

    Also, Indians do vegetarian dishes really well. Some are very creamy, but there are many that are low cal...especially dishes made with chick peas, lentil, etc.

    You don't say what type of Indian restaurant it is. Some only do vegetarian. Others serve food from a specific region which may be different from anything listed above. But in general, most do a great job of describing exactly what the main ingredients are, so it should be relatively easy to determine from the menu what the lower calorie options are.

    Oh, and go easy on the bread and rice. They add a lot of calories, and it is easy to go overboard. There are many types of Indian bread and most are very good. My advice: skip the rice (you can have rice anytime) and skip the chapatis (fried) and paratha (fried and lots of oil/ghee) and stick with something simple and baked like naan if you have bread.

    I was thinking of getting king prawn tandoori but I don't know what to get with it as I hear it is a dry dish

    Or the king prawn biryhani as I was thinking it already includes the rice so I would need to get a side of rice or naan bread
  • niamh211
    niamh211 Posts: 150 Member
    MonsoonStorm wrote: »
    in all honesty, I'd say sod the diet and just enjoy trying something new.

    Don't go overboard, but dont stop yourself from trying new things.

    Aw I wish I could do that but I would rather eat something low in calories so I don't worry about it
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    The ghee + full fat milk can be crazy...or not. Depends on the prep methods.
  • jpaulie
    jpaulie Posts: 917 Member
    share some naan bread, it is the best! Chicken Tikka (like tandoori chicken) aloo gobi, saag paneer(vegetarian dishes). This thing about indian is you can share and have as much or as little as you want. Don't skip the naan! As far as fish goes not usually a lot of options depending on what type of indian food it is (east, west, north, south)
  • musicandarts
    musicandarts Posts: 187 Member
    edited July 2015
    None of the above are low calorie options. Make sure you have exercised enough for a 1000 calorie deficit before you step into an Indian restaurant.
  • blondx7
    blondx7 Posts: 1,683 Member
    Indian food is my favorite! I try to eat 500-600 calories for dinner.

    I order whatever I want, always something with ghee & cream, but I only eat 1/3 or 1/4 of it. I skip the rice and eat 1/4 of a naan. If you eat 1/2 of a naan, that's about 200 calories probably.

    Hope that helps!
  • niamh211
    niamh211 Posts: 150 Member
    jpaulie wrote: »
    share some naan bread, it is the best! Chicken Tikka (like tandoori chicken) aloo gobi, saag paneer(vegetarian dishes). This thing about indian is you can share and have as much or as little as you want. Don't skip the naan! As far as fish goes not usually a lot of options depending on what type of indian food it is (east, west, north, south)

    Oh they do king prawns in the place I'm going
  • niamh211
    niamh211 Posts: 150 Member
    niamh211 wrote: »
    jpaulie wrote: »
    share some naan bread, it is the best! Chicken Tikka (like tandoori chicken) aloo gobi, saag paneer(vegetarian dishes). This thing about indian is you can share and have as much or as little as you want. Don't skip the naan! As far as fish goes not usually a lot of options depending on what type of indian food it is (east, west, north, south)

    Oh they do king prawns in the place I'm going ! Def not going with the naan bread though it's way too high
  • dizzieblondeuk
    dizzieblondeuk Posts: 286 Member
    Skip deep fried stuff like bhajis or samosas. Tomato based curries like jalfrezi or bhunas are good, have plain instead of pilau rice, and switch the naan for chapati instead. Like you've said, anything tandoori is a dry marinade so, again you cut calories with that. Lentil dishes are often filling and lower in calories that alternatives. Just check if there's a choice in having things cooked in ghee or an alternative (oil is better). I'm looking forward to my curry on Saturday, but I'm cooking it, so am in complete control of what I get. I really love Indian food!
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Definitely tandoori, and I agree with dizzie regarding the chapati vs naan. Measure out your rice, and make sure it fits. I love Indian food and usually just eat what I want and just eat to satisfaction.
  • dizzieblondeuk
    dizzieblondeuk Posts: 286 Member
    BTW, the person above who said chapatis are fried is wrong. They are the lowest cal option of all the Indian breads (they're basically just flour and water, cooked on a hotplate). Perhaps they are thinking of poppadoms - they are fried, crispy loveliness, made to eat with raita and mango chutney! Mmmm, poppadoms!!! ;)
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
    I don't care how many calories it is. My favorite is matar paneer and naan bread. So tasty!
  • pariskathryn
    pariskathryn Posts: 173 Member
    When I get a good workout in, I do paneer makhani + rice + naan and IT'S HEAVEN
  • satisatisati
    satisatisati Posts: 260 Member
    Go for Chicken Tikka/ Fish tikka, Chana Daal, Moong Daal, Missi roti. Mutter Paneer, Dahi Raita.
    All rich in protein :)
    I am Indian and thats all I eat to make gains :)
  • satisatisati
    satisatisati Posts: 260 Member
    Go for plain Naan. Dont go for butter Naan :) You will have to do lot of cardio to burn that etc calories.
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