How to Order in an Indian Restaurant without Blowing Your Diet

Know which Indian entrees are low-calorie and which are diet busters.

Instructions

Step 1: Forget the fried stuff Avoid fried appetizers, like puri, which is fried bread, samosas, which are turnovers, and pakoras, which are fritters. Try the mulligatawny soup, a spicy concoction of chicken and lentils.
Step 2: Order tandoori Order tandoori chicken or fish, which is baked, not fried. Chicken tikka, made of roasted boneless, skinless chicken, is also a good choice.
Step 3: Avoid ghee and khopre Ask your server to suggest dishes that are light on ghee, which is clarified butter and khopre, which is coconut oil.
TIP: If your dish comes with a pool of oil on top, spoon it off.
Step 4: Slim down your curry When ordering a curry, request a vegetable-based one, rather than a cream or coconut milk curry.
Step 5: Get some dal Enjoy dishes with "dal" in the title. That indicates a lentil-based item.
Step 6: Try the cauliflower Try the gobhi matar tamatar, which is cauliflower with peas and tomatoes. Skip the paneer dishes, which indicate a cheese and oily sauce.
Step 7: Watch the carbs Don't go crazy with the bread that's served, called naan; the tastiness comes from being brushed with melted butter! Instead, nibble on papadum, or lentil wafers, or roti, which is usually made with whole-wheat flour.
TIP: Forgo the pulau rice, which is fried; ask for steamed basmati rice instead.
Step 8: Indulge in dessert Indulge in dessert – just not the kheer, a rice pudding made with coconut milk, raisins and nuts that often weighs in at more than 500 calories! Instead, enjoy a til ladoo: These tasty sesame seed balls are under 200 calories.
FACT: The average Indian home cook regularly uses about 25 spices.