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Thread: Healthy Indian/Pak food - does it exist?
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Far7an

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Assalaamu alaikum,

Does anyone know of any healthy recipes for Indian/Pakistan/South Asian/Desi Food? I asked a friend and he said, "It doesn't exist."

Looking forward to your ideas insha'Allah, JZK!
 
I don't think it exists either lol. All our curries are made from Oil, and the side lines like samosa's are fried in Oil. And the deserts are full of bad stuff too lol.
 
I actually baked some samosas, they don't taste as bad as you'd think bro!
 
dhaal is healthy....chapati is healthy.....gosht is healthy....chicken tikka is healthy


pagal!
 
I once asked my mum if the curries can be made with water instead of oil, and she said that can't happen. =( I guess the healthiest way is reduce the salt you put in and use extra virgin olive oil.
 
I have made chicken and lamb without oil. You would be surprised at the amount of fat they contain, naturally.
My dear dad (passed away) gave me an awesome recipe for cooking healthy lamb samosa rolls and it was basically to cook the lamb mince in its own fat then add diced potatoes and peas. Then to use samosa pastry sheets to roll them up and bake them in the oven. Very yummy. I can taste them now.
 
Extra Virgin oil is good for pouring over food. But my mums GP said that when you heat Olive oil its not that different to Butter.
 
^Yes I heard all oil is bad when heated. I also heard a statistic a while back, not sure how true it is, but according to an NHS survery that was done, the highest community with heart related problems was the Indo/Pak community. I'm not sure how true that is.
 
Salaam Br

Its very true. Those from a South Asian orgin are 6 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and the chance increase vastly if either/both parents have this. I know so many within the small community that have to rely on kidney dialysis. Its very scary but it could be prevented through life style changes especially our sedate lifestyles.

The Indo/Pak community need to look very carefully at what they shovel into their mouths.
 
I dont have recipes but some suggestions:

Grilled meats like lamb chops, chicken tikka pieces prepared with spices and yoghurt.
Dhal is pretty healthy too and you can really limit the oil/butter content.
Make chappati's using wholemeal flour or 50/50 mix.
Make a huge salad with every meal so the portion size of everything else is reduced.
Avoid excessive sweets like gulab jamun... I didnt realise how much sugar they actually contain until I made some myself!

Its all about moderation. I love our cuisine <3
 
Indian food can also be made by using less oil and spices. :mmokay:

yas2010 said:
The Indo/Pak community need to look very carefully at what they shovel into their mouths.
Click to expand...

Yeah many Indians and Pakistanis whom I know have mostly diabetes or high blood pressure :ermm:. I am delighted to see that Indian food is quite famous . It looks like there are many Indian and Pakistani here :giggling:.

peãrl said:
Avoid excessive sweets like gulab jamun...
Click to expand...

I love to eat that .
 
Far7an i think Any Food is healthy

but here people have different standard of their own for Healthy Food.
 
I have Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi Muslim Friends, sometimes they take me out to eat. I love their food, but I dont like the oil, and too many spices. But I love plain naan with kabab or some plain rice. Or Chicken Tikka with plain rice Hmm!

Mango Lasii!
 
thequietone said:
pagal!
Click to expand...

:giggling:

I dont know if this happens to everyone else here or its just me I was reading Salahuddin as Salad mg:


********* Back to Topic ************

I dont think its a big deal for people who care about Nutrition and health factor in their food.You can make your Pakistani/Indian food Healthy as well.Use green chillies or black pepper instead of red chilli powder and put small amount of oil in your food.Believe me it wont hurt the taste.Try this recipie.

Dhuaa Ghosht./Smokey Meat.

Meat.1 kg
Garlic/ginger paste.1 tsp
Yogurt.1 cup
Red chilli powder.1 tsp.Or Green chilli.4 to 6.grinded.

Turmeric.1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder.1/2 tsp
Salt.(According to taste)
Onions.3 medium size
Coal (Koyla) 1 piece
Oil.1/2 cup
Chapati.1

Recipie.
Add all spices,yogurt,oil and 4 glass water in meat and cook till tender.Now cook meat till oil seperates,add sliced onions and cook it for 2 minuted.Now burn Koyla till it turned red,spread chapati on meat and put the Koyla on it and drop 1/2 tsp oil on koyla and cover the pan properly.After 5 minutes remove koyla and chapati and garnish Dhuaa Gosht with Fresh Dhanya leaves and green chillies.
 
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:sl:

Ofcourse healthy Indian/Pak food exists. Infact, its healthier than most foods. :hmm:


... If we take 3 steps into consideration;

1. Use good wholesome ingredients and Good equipment e.g. use olive oil instead of butter oil [olive oil doesnt clog your arteries]. Initially to fry the onions, a couple of tablespoons are enough. But if one likes more oil, they can pour it on after the karahi/curry etc has been cooked. Btw this is not unhealthy (unless u are really fat). Olive oil has many many benefits, including good source of vit E.

2nd e.g. use non-aluminium pan because aluminium is toxic and effects brain cells. Steel is best. But if you really have to use aluminium then fresh corinader leaves eliminates the toxic effects.

2. Manner of cooking. e.g. Dont burn the onions tooooo brown otherwise can become carcogenic. 2nd e.g. Put the ginger/green chillies in at the end 2 mins before turning the fire off. 3rd e.g. Dont over-cook.


3. Serving. - Any food, even if its English food which people consider healthy... if you dont portion it on your plate properly, it wont be healthy. e.g. a person piles their plate with meat and potatoe but No veg.

Same with asian food. You have to portion it out properly. So if we mentally divide the plate into 4 portions... In one portion you have your curry/protein, in the 2nd portion you have your carbohydrate which is your roti or rice, in the 3rd portion you should have your salad... n the last portion you leave empty. But most Pakistani/Indian people fill their plate with rice or curry and dont leave enough room for salad. Now you cant blame the food for peoples bad eating habbits :hmm:

If we take a look at some of the ingredients used in asian cooking, you'll find it to be quite a healthy dish.

e.g. Tumeric or haldi - a great herb brilliant for pain relief in joints and decreasing inflammation

Ginger - vital source of zinc needed for immune health.

Garlic - clears all the arteries, rids body of infections, and does a whole load of other good stuff.

cayenne pepper - again, brilliant health benefits. Helps flow of blood in tissues, accelerates oxygen of cells etc.

Oil - Our bodies need a certain amount of fat.... certain vitamins wont even be asborbed without fat. So people who think healthy food = no fat... thats a misunderstanding.

Cumin - Really beneficial for indigestion

.... and so forth.

So in summary, indian/Pak food can actually be quite healthy. Even pizza can actually be quite healthy if its made taking the above 3 steps into consideration ^. And yummy too.


Salahudeen said:
according to an NHS survery that was done, the highest community with heart related problems was the Indo/Pak community.
Click to expand...

yas2010 said:
Those from a South Asian orgin are 6 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and the chance increase vastly if either/both parents have this.
Click to expand...
Thats more to do with the people eating too much and not excercising enough. :hmm: Its not the Pak/Indian food.
 
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Lol, I went to the reputed 2nd most cleanest and best restuarant in Rawalpindi, and I still got sick the next day...