Make healthy choices when eating out — South Asian style!

Accompany your meal with plenty of salad. Courtesy of The Ismaili Nutrition Centre

Eating out at an Indian or Pakistani restaurant can be nutritious and healthy. Foods of the subcontinent include good sources of carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins, minerals and protein, and menu items usually include a variety of vegetables, lentils, legumes, meat, chicken and shrimp.

However, concern arises when food items are deep-fried, cooked in excess oil, or prepared in ghee (clarified butter), coconut oil or coconut milk. This makes the meal high in calories, fats, saturated fats and cholesterol, and such dishes should ideally be limited for good health. When eating out, it is important to minimise your choice of fried foods and foods prepared in butter or ghee.

Below are some tips for making healthier choices.

Appetizers

Among deep fried samosas, pakoras (deep-fried vegetable fitters), vadai, kachoris and puris, a healthy appetizer can be a rare find! However, there are healthier choices. Look for:

• Salads with lemon juice and black pepper or raita as a dressing (made of yogurt with shredded carrots and cucumber);
• Poppadom (papad), a thin wafer made from spicy lentils. This can be fried or baked, so request the baked, toasted, or microwaved version, and ask for chopped tomatoes, onion and cilantro salad to be served with it for balance;
• Dhal (lentil) or bean soup (lentil, vegetable and spices);
• Dhal rasam (pepper soup with lentils);
• Chicken tikka kebabs (chicken roasted with herbs on skewers in a tandoor oven);
• Upma (steamed semolina with vegetables served with chutney).

Remember to avoid creamy coconut soups; they tend to be high in saturated fats.

Main entrée

Depending on the variation among recipes, some main dishes may be higher or lower in total fat content. It is best to check with the chef if you want to be sure.

Non-vegetarian dishes include chicken, fish, shrimp, beef, goat and lamb dishes. To keep total fat, saturated fat and calories low, select fish, chicken or shrimp prepared in the following styles:

• Tandoori dishes, which are marinated in yogurt, garlic, ginger and spices, and tikka dishes, which are marinated in aromatic Indian herbs. Both are prepared in a clay oven;
• Boti kebabs are pieces of boneless lamb or chicken marinated with ginger, garlic, yogurt and spices then grilled;
• Chicken kebabs are ground chicken marinated with ginger, garlic, cilantro, chili peppers and then grilled; and
• Haleem, which is made with six different types of lentils, whole wheat, rice, Indian spices and shredded chicken. Note this can sometimes contain fried onions, which are high in fat.

Vegetarian dishes

Indian dishes include a variety of vegetables such as garbanzo beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, spinach, cauliflower, eggplant, paneer and potatoes. These can be cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices.

Although vegetables are healthy, don't assume that all vegetable dishes you order are good for you. The examples below will help you to choose healthier dishes, but ask the waiter how oily your choices are. Some suggestions for vegetable entrées include:

• Dhal or sprouted mung dhal, cooked with tomatoes, spices and herbs;
• Baingan bharta curry, which is eggplant roasted and cooked with chopped onions and tomatoes;
• Lentil based dishes such as chana masala and tadka dhal cooked with tomatoes and spices;
• Plain dosa, a South Indian-style thin rice crepe served with sambar – lentil soup. A large dosa can be high in calories, so share it;
• Idli, which are steamed rice cakes served with sambar.

The following dishes tend to be high in fat, saturated fat and calories. Try to avoid eating them or go for smaller portions:

• Malai and korma dishes are curries usually cooked in rich cashew nuts and heavy cream sauces;
• Dishes with coconut milk, coconut cream or shredded coconut;
• Entrées ending in “makhani”, as these dishes are usually prepared with lots of butter and cream;
• Dishes sautéed in butter, or served in a butter or creamy curry sauce;
• Dishes described as fritters, fried, deep fried, dipped in batter or chickpea batter;
• Nihari, which is beef shank cooked with ginger, garlic and spices, and goat or beef paya cooked in herbs and spices;
• Paneer tikka or other paneer dishes, especially if they are made with full fat paneer.

Choose dishes that are baked, braised, broiled, grilled, roasted, steamed, or cooked in a tandoor. These are likely to be much lower in fat and calories.

Breads and rice

Tandoori chicken and salad. Courtesy of Karima Kurji

The main entrée can be served with either rice or bread or both. There are a variety of breads and rice items to choose from and some can be healthier than others.

Among breads, chapatti, a flat unleavened whole wheat bread, and tandoori roti, especially when made with whole wheat flour and baked in a tandoor clay oven, are both healthier choices as long as they are not drenched in ghee or oil. Always ask for the bread without ghee or oil.

Naan is leavened bread made with white flour. This is usually plain, seasoned with garlic, or stuffed with cheese or meat. Choose the plain or garlic variety and ask if they have whole wheat naan.

Parathas are multilayered unleavened breads that are pan fried, and puris are light, puffed deep fried bread. They are both high in total fat and saturated fat, so limit eating these.

Rice is typically served with the entrée in most restaurants. Plain pilau (basmati rice with saffron) or peas pilau are traditionally served, and it is often healthier to choose plain pilau over peas pilau, because it is usually less oily. Better still, ask for steamed basmati rice. Brown rice is higher in fibre and some B vitamins, so when available, choose brown rice.

Accompaniments and condiments

Raita, a combination of plain yoghurt, cucumbers and onions, is a healthy accompaniment, especially when it's made with low-fat or fat-free yoghurt. Other chutneys (relishes), like onion chutney, mint, tamarind, tamata salat (diced tomatoes, onions with hot spices and lemon), mango pickle, and lemon pickle all complement Indian dishes well and are mostly prepared with a variety of fat-free ingredients and spices.

However, some pickles and some chutneys, though low in calories, may contain a lot of sodium (salt). Eating too much sodium can make you more at risk of high blood pressure. Mango chutney, which is quite sweet, contains small pieces of mango and sugar. Although it's lower in fat and salt, note that it is higher in calories when compared with mint or tomato-based chutneys.

Dessert

Desserts such as kulfi, kheer, gulab jamun, ras malai, gajar halwa, and mango ice cream are often a mainstay of the subcontinental menu. They all tend to be high in total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar and calories and are best saved for special occasions. If you choose to have dessert, try sharing it. You might find that a few bites are enough to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Portion control

When eating out at any restaurant, it is important to watch your serving size. Restaurant portions may be bigger than those at home, and it's tempting to order a variety of dishes, so be aware of how much you put on your plate.

Restaurants often serve “all you can eat” or buffet meals. Avoid, or limit these specials because it is more difficult to keep track of portions and it is easy to over eat. If choosing from the buffet, select a variety of dishes from all food groups (vegetables, dairy, proteins and starches) and take one or two tablespoons of each dish. Try not to make more than two trips to the buffet line and use smaller plates for the meal.

Special requests

Ask your server about unfamiliar ingredients, preparation methods or menu descriptions. Most restaurants will accommodate special dietary requests, so ask your server if they can make changes to the dish. For example, ask if the chef can substitute oil for ghee, bake instead of fry, or reduce the amount of oil or salt. They may be willing to serve leaner pieces of meat, toasted poppadoms or unbuttered naan.

Restaurants want you to come back, so they are very likely to make changes and substitutions within reason. Keep in mind that some restaurants will charge a fee to make changes, share dishes or substitute meats.

Balancing your meal

Eating at an Indian restaurant is typically done “family style”. Ordering this way allows diners to select dishes that complement each other. A good rule of thumb is to order one or two fewer entrées than the total number of people who are dining.

For example, order a mixed vegetable or dhal dish, a meat or chicken dish, two or three tandoori roti with no ghee and one large plain pilau or steamed rice along with raita, a large tamata salat or green salad and onion chutney. This will have adequate carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables for one meal and there may also be room for a shared dessert!

When dining out, it is easy to over eat and indulge in less healthy foods. However, it is possible to choose healthier options. Avoid fried foods, foods served with ghee or butter and rich meat dishes. Eat smaller portions, share dishes, and eat slowly.

Enjoy your meal and stay healthy!