What to order (non-diet killer) at an Indian restaurant...

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GeauxL
GeauxL Posts: 57 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Going out tomorrow night & they chose an Indian restaurant. I’ve never eaten at an Indian restaurant so I am wondering what the healthiest choices would be?

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  • smh_cliff
    smh_cliff Posts: 146 Member
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    I was going to say pretty much the same thing. Mind you, I rarely follow my own advice. I'm a sucker for pilau rice, and love a madras. Usually a bit of naan too. And always a pint of lager.
    So I tend to just eat very low cal the rest of the day (and lower than normal the following day too) to minimise the damage and order what I want. As a rare treat it's worth the splurge for me.
  • Janice6543
    Janice6543 Posts: 92 Member
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    Naan bread is my favorite with lentil curries. Both are high calorie. To avoid making things worse, I avoid the rice and keep the portions modest.
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited August 2018
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    A Jalfrezi Curry would be low calorie. It's one of the few Indian sauces that isn't made with cream or Coconut Milk. It's tomato and pepper based. It's somewhat spicy though. Just have that with chicken or vegetables and limit your intake of rice/naan and you should be fantastic. Either that or a Vindaloo (also no cream/coconut milk).
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    [1] go easy on the naan (note that 1 full piece is > a serving size)
    [2] If they have tandoori (and you like it), go with that (no sauce calories, chick pea calories, etc)
    [3] avoid the creamier-looking sauces (lots of fat calories)
    [4] go easy on the rice (have an idea of what a serving size of rice looks like before you go).
    [5] dessert is usually worth it imo (but I'm a sucker for rasmalai, etc).
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    I don't even try any more :lol: But yes, tandoori chicken is probably your best bet, along with plain rice and avoid or limit the naan. Curries can be tricky to guesstimate calories for because they vary so widely. I usually just go for what looks good and accept the consequences on the scale the next morning.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    Tandoori dishes instead of curries
    Roti instead of naan
    Prawns instead of lamb

    or

    save some calories / do some exercise and enjoy the wonder of Indian food.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited August 2018
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    Meh I don't go out to eat that much, so if I was going to an Indian place I'd get what the heck I want, tikka masala. The Problem is, it's always served with 10 pounds of rice and a small bowl of the chicken. I'd just try to go easy on the rice, and I just pick out the chicken pieces from the little bowl instead of like, dumping it on my rice with all the sauce.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
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    I'm going with- you've never had it, eat what speaks to you.

    I hope it is a restaurant where dishes are shared so you can try a small taste of a number of things.

    If you are going to choose one dish the tandoori prawns would be my choice if I was trying to be low cal. Peshwari prawns for the joy.

    Tomato based dishes are generally lower in cals than those cooked in almonds, coconut or cream.

    Spiced dry veg is usually a good bet, but boring if there isn't a sauced dish to go with it. I love aloo variants.

    Go easy on the nan, rice, etc. They are fillers.
    If you are not familiar with hot/spicy food, get a side of yogurt, lime or lemon to help cool things.
    A bite of nan will also disperse the heat.

    Cheers, h.
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
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    The basic rule for any restaurant is to avoid the 4 "C's".
    Creamy, Crunchy, Crispy, and Cheesy.

    While there are exceptions (Crispy garden salad - perfectly fine). Cunchy & crispy, usually means deep fried. Creamy is generally used for food in a cream and butter based sauce. Cheesy is self explanatory. This basic rule holds true 90% of the time at every restaurant.
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
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    Pick what you like and ask for a half serving, or to have the meat and sauce separately so you can have less of the sauce.
  • taunto_
    taunto_ Posts: 91 Member
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    I will just leave this here for anyone interested
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1087041/so-i-hear-mfp-likes-indian-food/p1
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    taunto_ wrote: »
    I will just leave this here for anyone interested
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1087041/so-i-hear-mfp-likes-indian-food/p1

    :heart: This is awesome, thanks!

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