Indian cuisine
Avocado_Angel
Posts: 2,362 Member
Heading out to an Indian restaurant this weekend & although I believe Indian food is essentially healthy I have no idea what to avoid. Any tips or ideas on lower calorie options? I like most foods so I'm not a picky eater so all recommendations welcome 
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Replies
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I love Indian food however the saucy dishes can be really high in calories. A lot of Indian food is cooked in oil which is partly why it's so tasty.
One of the lowest calorie options is chicken shashlik (might be called chicken tikka or something similar) which is chicken pieces marinated in yoghurt and spices and cooked in a tandoori oven. It's often served with grilled peppers and onions (in the UK, anyway) and is super tasty. There are other grilled choices (e.g. fish tikka or non-meat options) that would be equally lower in fat. I'm afraid a lot of starters are high in calories too as they tend to be deep fried, such as samosas and bahjis. You could have poppadoms (like giant crisps) with yoghurt dip and pickles but it would be a shame to miss out on some traditional starters too. You could go easy on rice and breads to try and pull it back a bit!
I think it might be easier to research the worst things in terms of calories (such as korma which is a creamy dish, as is butter chicken ) and try and avoid them. I think the rice-based dish biryani is usually high too. Stick to dishes that have tomato-based sauces or meat that's marinated simply and cooked in a tandoori oven plus vegetables. It makes me sad writing this as it's such great cuisine and you should try everything but the calories break my heart! One of my favourite dishes is basically deep fried cheese or paneer! Maybe just enjoy yourself and try a bit of everything and don't worry too much about the calories!
Bon appetit!5 -
Starter salad or Kachumber (tomato, cucumber and onion salad).
Anything Tandoori.
Depending on what kind of indian restaurant it is they may also have lamb kebobs, etc. that are served with lots of vegetables.
Dal.
Raita (yogurt cucumber sauce).
Go for the Roti over Naan -- or indulge but just don't eat the whole basket of garlic naan that is calling your name.4 -
Omg I have never ever tried indian food. So curious about it! That's in my bucket list lol, and I'm in NYC so it shouldn't be hard.0
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Aloo Gobi is basically cauliflower and potatoes with a wonderful seasoning. Tandori is basically meat (chicken, shrimp, lamb) roasted in a clay oven. These are probably your best options for lower calorie options.
The curry dishes often have full fat yogurt base, many will also have ghee (clarified butter). Its all wonderful but the calories can add up quick.3 -
I don't know. Every time I see the restaurants I think the same thing, ummm how would it taste, probably so many flavors and so diferent from everything I usually eat.
I must and I will!0 -
No kosher Indian restaurants in Toronto, unfortunately. But back before I became strictly kosher, I tried (and loved) authentic Indian food. These days, I try to recreate it with recipes out of vegetarian cookbooks, but I don't know how authentic they are. (My husband is of Hungarian heritage and he understands totally when I point out that shaking paprika over everything doesn't make it 'Hungarian-style'. Similarly, just because I'm using coriander and cardamom doesn't necessarily mean that the recipe is authentic. And if it is, I know that the cuisine varies by region, too.)0
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Anything that says "malai" something will have tons of cream in it. Mughlai food is very rich. Appetizers are usually deep fried like someone mentioned. If it is South Indian cuisine, idly, dosa etc are healthier options. Lentils soups are healthy (not the tastiest necessarily). Tandoori is like baked and it is usually marinated overnight - tasty and healthy. Mango lassis are amazing for the taste buds but high calorie. Batura and puris are deep fried. Parathas can be high calorie too. Hope that helps.
-An Indian who just loves Indian food
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If you haven't had it before...try everything you can (in moderation) and you won't regret it.2
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estherdragonbat wrote: »No kosher Indian restaurants in Toronto, unfortunately. But back before I became strictly kosher, I tried (and loved) authentic Indian food. These days, I try to recreate it with recipes out of vegetarian cookbooks, but I don't know how authentic they are. (My husband is of Hungarian heritage and he understands totally when I point out that shaking paprika over everything doesn't make it 'Hungarian-style'. Similarly, just because I'm using coriander and cardamom doesn't necessarily mean that the recipe is authentic. And if it is, I know that the cuisine varies by region, too.)
@estherdragonbat - follow "Vegan Richa" on her blog, email list and Facebook. All her recipes are authentic and amazing. Vegan of course. But fabulous. Some take a little time, and you may have to source a few ingredients from an Indian grocer, but it's well worth the effort.0 -
Thanks for the tip! Fruits and veggies won't be a problem. Most 'processed' foods need kosher certification or a recipe so I can do my own, but I'll check her out.1
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estherdragonbat wrote: »Thanks for the tip! Fruits and veggies won't be a problem. Most 'processed' foods need kosher certification or a recipe so I can do my own, but I'll check her out.
I second the recommendation for Vegan Richa. I cook a lot of her recipes and I find them to be delicious and authentic. She doesn't use a lot of processed vegan substitutes (at least in the recipes I've seen). There are some with tofu, but lots with just beans, grains, vegetables, and spices. The only thing I've had to go out of my way to source was curry leaves (which were optional anyway).2 -
janejellyroll wrote: »estherdragonbat wrote: »Thanks for the tip! Fruits and veggies won't be a problem. Most 'processed' foods need kosher certification or a recipe so I can do my own, but I'll check her out.
I second the recommendation for Vegan Richa. I cook a lot of her recipes and I find them to be delicious and authentic. She doesn't use a lot of processed vegan substitutes (at least in the recipes I've seen). There are some with tofu, but lots with just beans, grains, vegetables, and spices. The only thing I've had to go out of my way to source was curry leaves (which were optional anyway).
@janejellyroll - I managed to get my hands on some curry leaves - I found an Indian grocery that always carries them. My gawd! They are AMAZING in cooking. It's so worth the effort to get them. When you fry them up, the smell is incredible. They do go bad after about five or six days in the fridge though, so I found a way to keep them. You fry them lightly in canola and then store in a little mason jar in the fridge. Take them out as you need them. It works! Freezing works too!0 -
omg.... Indian Food is what made me SNAP and started me on my fitness journey over 5 years ago. I was eating Indian food at work and was pleased with myself thinking about how healthy it was. A co-worker walked by with her Indian food and mentioned that she loved it too... but that she wished it wasn't so bad/fattening... I didn't believe her, until I began to google the nutritional values of various types of Indian food. I was digusted... not at the calorie or fat content but at my own ignorance. I tossed the rest of my lunch in the garbage and started a healthy weight loss and nutritional journey... over 100 LBs and more than five years later and I've never looked back.2
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Skipjack66 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »estherdragonbat wrote: »Thanks for the tip! Fruits and veggies won't be a problem. Most 'processed' foods need kosher certification or a recipe so I can do my own, but I'll check her out.
I second the recommendation for Vegan Richa. I cook a lot of her recipes and I find them to be delicious and authentic. She doesn't use a lot of processed vegan substitutes (at least in the recipes I've seen). There are some with tofu, but lots with just beans, grains, vegetables, and spices. The only thing I've had to go out of my way to source was curry leaves (which were optional anyway).
@janejellyroll - I managed to get my hands on some curry leaves - I found an Indian grocery that always carries them. My gawd! They are AMAZING in cooking. It's so worth the effort to get them. When you fry them up, the smell is incredible. They do go bad after about five or six days in the fridge though, so I found a way to keep them. You fry them lightly in canola and then store in a little mason jar in the fridge. Take them out as you need them. It works! Freezing works too!
This is a good tip -- I'm going to try it! They are delicious.1 -
If they are doing it right, they use Kashmiri chili powder. Fiery red colour and hot as hades.0 -
Cayenne pepper, red chili powder or (as someone else already mentioned, when done right) Kashmiri red chili powder.0 -
Indian food is my favorite food so when I go out I order Jalfrezi and boiled rice with a poppodom on the side. Its mainly tomatoes and peppers and is one of the lower dishes on the menu you could also try Tandoori chicken or lamb or even Briyani ( cant spell that correct ). I prefer a sauce so go for Jalfrezi I did Slimming World for a long time and they recommend that,1
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Thats what you think they add? The spices you note will spice it up, not add colour. For colour you can add smoked paprika that you rub into the chicken. You after that you marinade in the tandoori spices and then cook. This is how its done at home, properly.
Nope. Its all kinds of food coloring. Not that a small amount of this crap will harm anyone, but as FYI.
Who are "they"? Not sure where you are but we have great authentic Indian restaurants in London, even Michelin starred ones. I wouldn't be so presumptuous to think I could make more authentic Indian food at home than a chef trained in Indian cuisine with a genuine tandoori oven.
ETA: I think in the 1970s Indian takeaways served that bright red tandoori but it's really old hat now and there's a trend here (UK) for more gourmet Indian food.3
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