Healthy Indian Food

The beauty of Indian foods is that it is tasty, but often it is a heart attack just waiting to happen it can be fat laden or it can be modified and be healthy. I personally eat some form of Indian food every day but it is has been modified to contain less fat, but maintain the taste. Many of the meals are on the table have the added benefit of being on the table in less than fifteen minutes. With care an Indian meal can be part of a diet, but eating out in Indian restaurants is all to often a fat laden option, the safest bet is Tandoori Chicken.

Vegetables Subzi

Ingredients:

Choose a 0.5 kg or 1lb of vegetables from
fresh green beans,
cauliflower florets,
potatoes,
carrots,
peas,
sweetcorn,
Spices,
1 inch piece of ginger chopped,
4 cloves garlic finely chopped,
1 cup Water,
1 tablespoon of Vegetable oil,
3 teaspoons whole cumin seeds,
2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds,
2 medium Tomatoes, peeled (place tomatoes in boiling water for about a quarter of a minute until the skin splits, take out, cool then peel off the skin and chop roughly.
Salt and fresh black pepper to taste,
3 tablespoons Lemon juice

Method:

Heat the oil in a heavy based pan over a medium flame. When hot, add the cumin seeds and stir, then add the ginger and cook for two minutes. Add the garlic and fry for another minute, add the ground coriander and stir. Put in the tomatoes, and add the cup of water, turn the heat to low and cook for 8 minutes or until the beans are tender and the majority of water has been absorbed. Add the lemon juice and season and top with fresh cilantro, serve immediately with brown rice.

Add fibre with channa dhal or ring the changes with other cooked lentils. These dhals are extremely healthy and low fat but they can be made very successfully from cooked bottled chickpeas and lentils. They add essential fibre and taste wonderful. Few meals are served in India without a dhal as they are a major source of protein to a mainly vegetarian nation.

Channa Dhal

Ingredients:

500 grammes cooked chickpeas
2 red peppers
1 red onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 inch of fresh ginger
4 tomatoes or a small tin of peeled tomatoes,
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
2 teaspoons of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of turmeric,
1 large pinch of dried methi or fenugreek leaves
Stick of cinnamon bark or a teaspoon of cinnamon,
Salt and black pepper

Method:

Chop the onion finely and the peppers peel the tomatoes by dropping in boiling water and then peeling when cooled. Saut¨¦ the onion until translucent on a medium heat, add the peppers and cook until they are tender. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for a minute, add the chickpeas. At this point they can be roughly mashed this seems to me to make the result more fragrant but others prefer the chickpeas whole, it is a matter of preference. Add the spices; simmer for five minutes, top with fresh methi or cilantro leaves as a garnish, and then serve.

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken has to be definitive Indian dish the meat is marinated in yoghurt, lemon juice, and plenty of spices, then grilled or barbecued. Traditionally in India, it is cooked in a fiery hot Tandoor oven, but a barbecue is a perfect substitute. Marinade the chicken the day before to develop the full flavour of the dish.

Ingredients:

1 chicken, cut into serving pieces, skinned and trimmed of all visible fat It is important to remove the skin because the flavours will not fully permeate the meat with the skin on.
1/2 cup plain unsweetened Greek type yoghurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5-6 garlic cloves
1-inch piece of peeled and grated ginger root
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil, for brushing
Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Slices of cucumber, red Spanish onion, tomato and lemon, for a small salad to serve.

Method:

Slash the flesh of the chicken with a sharp knife, add the spices to the yoghurt, stir well, and coat the chicken well, but also push the marinade into the gashes. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to forty-eight hours. Spray a light coating of oil over the chicken and grill or barbecue the meat and serve with a salad and fresh coriander leaves.

If roasting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan, brush with oil, and cook, turning once, 25 to 30 minutes until the juices run clear when a piece is pierced near the bone with a knife.

Serve with sprigs of cilantro and slices of cucumber, red onion, tomato, and lemon.

Yield: 4 servings

Per serving (without cucumber, red onion, tomato or lemon, for garnish)
Each serving of tandoori chicken contains

300 calories, approximately (depending on the size of the chicken)
33 percent calories from fat,
45 grams protein,
3 grams carbohydrates,
0.54 gram total fibre,
11 grams total fat,
124 milligrams cholesterol,
707 milligrams sodium.

Ring the changes with the dhals, I like to add about a half a kilo of fresh spinach to the lentils and cook for two minutes, and then serve with lemon juice. Add any other vegetables for taste, flavour and a change of texture.