Indian Food Cuisine

The scenario is typical of a Friday night in the UK. You do not feel like going out or cooking so you order an Indian takeaway. It is a convenience thing and it also tastes delicious which makes the decision even easier. But have you ever thought that Indian food could actually kill you? The common image of spicy, oily and fattening food comes to mind when thinking about a mouth watering curry. But is this image warranted?

It is hard to enjoy your food these days. It seems all the best tasting things in life are bad for you, chocolate, pizza and burgers to name just few. We are constantly bombarded with research from various food standard agencies and universities suggesting that eating too much this or that will lead you to develop diabetes, cancer or some other dangerous disease. Yes, some Indian food dishes do use oil and contain cream and ghee, which are considered unhealthy if eaten in excess.

This has led to many misconceptions regarding Indian food. However, it is possible to make curry which is both healthy and delicious. And if you look hard enough you can find dishes at your local Indian restaurant which will not contribute to you opening another notch on your belt.

Indian food has evolved over thousands of years and uses a much wider array of fruits, legumes and vegetables than a lot of people realise. This is due to its climate and various influences from other countries and regions throughout history. As well as the abundance of vegetables part of what makes Indian cuisine so tasty and appealing are the various spices used. These include turmeric, garlic, ginger and green chillies, which are all said to contain medicinal properties.

Many people think Indian food is fatty and oily, but this is totally arbitrary and you can actually make it with as much or as little oil as you want. Many of the better quality restaurants and takeaways have started to cater for the more health conscious patron and now make their dishes lower in fat content and with much less oil.

If you are cooking at home there are a few things you can do to make your curry healthier. Let us start with ghee, which is a type of butter. You can substitute this with a low cholesterol vegetable oil. If you need to use yoghurt or cream go for the healthier low fat options. Use a wide array of vegetables, legumes and lentils and steam the rice.

When you order from an Indian take away or restaurant you can ask what ingredients they use and how they cook the food. If you want to you can ask for a healthier alternative or request they use lower proportions of the un-healthier ingredients such as cream, ghee or oil. Indian food is not unhealthy or fattening if it is prepared and cooked in the right way.

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