Dining Out: Indian Cuisine

Although I love SP I must say I really disagree with a lot of the things in this article. I live in an Indian household (my spouse is originally from India and has only been here for a few years...) and eating Indian food all depends on where you are getting it. Many places that serve "Indian" food use non traditional cooking ingredients and methods, while if you go to a traditional Indian restaurant with real Indians the food is fatty, but in moderation is great for you.
The key with all Indian food is moderation. The majority of the dishes have frying at some point in them. Instead of staying away from dishes like butter chicken or pakoras or samosas eat mindfully. But another point to mention is that it is very difficult to overeat Indian food since it is so rich, that you can not continue eating forever.
Moderation is key, and if you don't try pakoras or samosas then it really isn't a true Indian experience. - 1/2/2013 4:05:05 PM

Coconut oil is not bad for you. It is a source of medium chain fatty acids that are very hard to find in other foods. - 11/24/2012 1:33:23 PM

Thank you for this article. I love Indian food since my brother-in-law who is from India introduced me to it. I love the flavors and the exotic spices and interesting flavor combinations. It is the only type of cuisine I could eat vegetarian on a regular basis! - 6/15/2012 4:53:36 PM

I wish people wouldn't malign ghee (clarified butter) as being so awful. It's actually a better choice than regular butter. Why? Many reasons - it removes the milk solids that butter has and so ghee is tolerated well by those with milk intolerance issues...it removes other impurities, leaving behind a product that is shelf stable and has a high smoking point. There is much useful and correct information. I like the taste of it better than butter as well. - 11/7/2011 3:48:19 PM

Many good tips, but: a whole-milk yogurt is really the least of your problems in an Indian meal. I wouldn't bother avoiding this. Nothing like Indian food! - 9/6/2011 4:26:07 AM

I see that eating the chicken and fish is preferable to beef and lamb, but what about goat? The Indian restaurant where I eat serves goat and chicken. There's also this really tasty spinach and cheese dish that I'm sure is NOT good for me. Fortunately, it's not somewhere I eat often because it is nowhere near my home. - 8/20/2010 12:19:38 PM

This is helpful, but would be even more helpful if it gave some idea of portion size - how can tandori chicken have only 260 calories when it comes in a heaping plate. Is it 260 calories for 3 oz (the usual portion for chicken?) - 5/16/2010 9:05:15 AM

Sometimes even when you make the right choices with Indian it can be hard. The food is soo good, and rich too! Yum. - 8/17/2009 9:36:50 AM

I love Indian food so much -- this article has inspired me to pop over to sparkrecipes and see if I can find some healthier versions of my faves! - 4/26/2009 4:25:19 PM

This is a huge help! We are meeting a group of friends at a local Indian restaurant and I had no clue where to start on figuring what to eat and what to avoid!

Thank you so much! - 10/21/2008 2:13:40 PM

Oh no, I love kheer! :( - 10/9/2008 7:57:35 PM

I'm on a first date tomorrow night and we're going to a an indian restaurant - I was dreading having to pick through the menu and try and pretend like I could eat anything and not get fat! this article has given me some great tips to avoid the worst options.
Hopefully he'll never know :o) - 7/8/2008 2:49:28 PM

Great article. - 5/17/2008 12:57:29 PM

This is great info! I love Indian food and we got there for lunch often from the office. This will help me know what to order or select from the buffet. I always thought the naan was bad because it is fried....go figure. - 5/6/2008 10:13:05 PM

I see naan bread listed, but you have to stick to the plain. Much as I hate to say it - Peshwari naan is a no-no. A real weakness of mine (it is SO delicious!) but rich and very high in cal-count. :-( - 4/23/2008 7:59:00 AM