Restaurant food advice..

[girlsenberry]

I really want to try Indian food and there's this new joint down the street that I'm looking forward to trying. Other than curry, in general, I don't know what to expect.. any recommendations that would be a little more PP-friendly? I'm looking forward to this naan I keep hearing about.

[Lovely]

Oh goodness... do tell us how it is. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Indian cuisine. Did I mention how much I like it?

I'd say if your goal is stay more PP-friendly then stay away from the creamier sauces and things with paneer in it (even though I love cheese).

You might actually want to try Tandoori Chicken. It's a very tender cooked chicken. Or a Vegetable Biryani (a seasoned rice mix).

If you're going to have naan, stick to one slice or half a slice. As delicious as it is, it can range anywhere from 5 to 8 points for ONE PIECE!

[nina125]

Good luck with sticking to one or half slice of naan

[Lovely]

Originally Posted by nina125

Good luck with sticking to one or half slice of naan

I know, right?!

But, if it's moderation vs no naan... well I'd take moderation and eat it slowly with my eyes closed while savoring!

[girlsenberry]

Originally Posted by Lovely

But, if it's moderation vs no naan... well I'd take moderation and eat it slowly with my eyes closed while savoring!

LOL! I have heard it's amazing.

Thanks for the tips. I probably can't go until after the 1st, but I'll definitely keep y'all updated.

Does the WW restaurant guide have point values for individual foods? I normally stay away from restaurants because it's too easy to waste an entire days worth of points, but I'm looking to treat myself. (I'm the only one who will eat Indian-- and Thai.. mmm massaman curry-- over here.)

[pointspluspioneer]

I've only been once and got the lental soup, can't imagine that's too too bad. But yes the naan is to die for! I got the potato naan!!

[Munchy]

This Link should help!

[girlsenberry]

PPPioneer

Sweet! Thank you, Munchy!

[kelly315]

I was just living in India this Winter/Spring! I LOOOOOOOOOOVE Indian food (I often joked that I wanted to stay forever just for the food!) Indian food is often very healthy, although they tend to use a lot of oil in their sauces here in the US, so some dishes can be very heavy and have a lot of calories!

If you're hoping to stay diet-friendly, I would recommend a few dishes. First of all, there are many Indian dishes that aren't super saucy and just include wonderful spices, vegetables, potatoes, garlic, onion, etc. Those ones are often named by the Hindi words for the vegetables, such as aloo (potato) and gatar (not sure if that's spelled right, carrot).

There are also many dishes made with chickpeas, quite a few of which aren't super saucy, which are yummy and quite healthy. They're usually dishes with the word "channa" in them (hindi for chickpeas).

Also, other non-saucy options are called "tandori." This is the name of the oven they cook them in, and have the wonderful flavors without all the extra oil.

And my FAAAAVORITE Indian dish of all time is daal (sometimes written as dhal or dal). It's a type of lentil, kind of like a soup, and is absolutely amazing. There are many types of daal, and I'm a fan of most of them! They're very packed with protein and fiber, and are amazingly satisfying! (this is the dish that pointspluspioneer was talking about)!

Also, about naan. It's incredibly yummy and very addictive, but it's made with fine white flour and tends to be quite calorie dense. Try ordering Chipatti (sorry, I think that's spelled right...?), which is basically naan made with wheat flour and usually served in smaller portions. Personally, I prefer chipatti anyway.

Oh, and samosas, while yummy, tend to be fried, so it's best to avoid them. "Paneer" is a type of soft cheese that's pretty calorie dense. And the tea, while worth trying, is usually made with whole milk instead of water and has a ton of sugar in it.

I'm jealous! I'm going to have to go get some indian food soon!

[girlsenberry]

I finally tried it! The restaurant has a buffet bar for to-go orders, and a sit down restaurant. I went with the buffet, which the employee told me changes variety on a daily basis. I won't go as far as to say I stayed within a reasonable point limit because there were only a few things on the to-go buffet, so I decided today was going to be about enjoying what I tried. That being said, I ladled about 1/3 cup of each of the following into my container (I had to Google the names because I couldn't remember after I came home):

Makhani- I think this is butter chicken? This is my absolute favorite, it was A-MA-ZING! Which probably means it's the highest pointed. lol

Google pictures appeared to be green chicken masala? This was my second favorite, the flavor.. incredible.

Indian-spiced roasted vegetables- this was good, but made me feel extremely full, very fast.

lentil dahl. I liked this, but I should have eaten it first because the flavor explosion of the other food made it seem bland.

I had a small scoop of basmati rice which I did not eat all of, I just used it as a palate cleanser between tastings.

Naan. Oh em gee, the naan. I'll admit, I got one piece that was a little on the large side (like 1 big little caesar pizza slice)- I used it to mop up all the sauces. I think I'm riding an Indian food high right now. LOL!

I also got a tandoori chicken leg, that I only ate half of. And I proudly skipped over a batter-fried item that I don't know the name of.


Kelly315- thank you for your suggestions, I'm gonna print them up and take them with me when I go back and try the sit-down portion of the restaurant.


Overall, I am definitely a fan!

[Lovely]

I'm living vicariously through your trip to the restaurant!