What is your favorite Indian dish?
 

I am having Indian food tomorrow night, and I need some suggestions. I have only had it once before, and I don't remember what I had. Thanks!

Chicken tandori is really good. So is Curry chicken. They have a spinach dish that is really good too, but I can't remember the name of it... There's actually a lot of healthy choices.

I have never had anything curry. I may end up trying it since so many people seem to like it!

Naan bread dipped in anything, I love it.

My advice is based on trying to stay within your daily calorie range, if you're having a treat meal, just go for it!

Healthy

• Baighan Bharta (spicy pureed eggplant) - I probably spelled that wrong
• Chana Masala (spicy chickpeas)
• Dal (lentils)
• Tandoori chicken/shrimp
• Sambar - delicious very spicy soup
• Try the raita - Indian yogurt (great for cooling the mouth after spicy bites)
• Pappadams are usually baked (made with lentils)

Not So Healthy

• Skip the rice, ask for whole wheat roti without butter
• Skip anything with paneer (cheese)
• Skip the malai kofta (I probably spelled that wrong) - basically fried cheese
• Read the descriptions for ghee (butter) or cream-based sauces, coconut and avoid accordingly
• Makhani means butter, so dishes with this in the name are probably bad choices
• Korma means cream, probably also a good one to avoid
• Samosas - filling is good, shell is fried

My neighborhood Indian restaurant makes a Baigan Bharta (spicy eggplant) that is to die for! :drool: But I'm not sure how healthy it is; there is a lot of oil in it.

I get paratha (which are two very thin tortilla-like slices of bread filled with spiced potato, spinach, or pumpkin) from my local farmers' market and those are awesome too. And I love samosas, but since they are deep-fried, they probably aren't so healthy. :T

I also love the pulao (basmati rice spiced with onion, clove, and saffron); I could eat it by itself. But I'm pretty sure it has a lot of oil in it, so you might want to skip it as Glory suggests. I found a recipe once that I think is similar and it was something like 900 calories per serving! For rice! How can that be? :dunno:

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions! I am leaning towards the eggplant dish or something called Chicken Patia, which is chicken cooked with sweet and sour mangoes, ginger, and scallions.... or some other veggie dish. Most of it does seem fairly healthy, but thankfully their menu has descriptions so I can be sure.

Hi - I just wanted to jump in here... as has been said, if this is just a 'treat night' and you are not counting calories, by all means, have anything you like - Indian food is delicious! :D

However, you might find this info helpful (or not!): Indian dishes are mostly made with a flavourful reduced butter base called ghee - this is pretty deadly when it comes to healthy eating - it is a fat. ANY dish that is creamy (Korma, Kashmiri, Pasanda, Masala to name the most common) is not a great choice for the dieter, but good lord, they are fabulous! :)

The very best option for calorie-counting is a tandoori dish - these are dry cooked, VERY tasty dishes - opt for prawns (if you like seafood) or chicken - the lamb WILL be fatty.

Watch the 'extras' - it's amazing what you don't even notice - naan breads are oiled before they are baked, and any that are filled (I LOVE peshwari naan!) are virtually impossible to add up. Popadoms are fried, and the 'pickle' they are served with is often high-calorie. Even Basmati and Pilau rice are a sure add-on!

I can't live without my Indian food, but I do opt for Tandoori prawns and salad... I do miss my days of popadoms, nann bread, saag paneer and chicken Pasanda... but the meal I have just mentioned is over 5000 calories!!

Have a lovely time - and go knowing you have been warned! LOL!! :D

Heather :)