What is best to order from Indian Restaurants?

newbies
(jimmy) #1

Hi All,

I am just starting on the Keto plan and reside in Mumbai, India. Currently, my situation is such that due to a job relocation, I am succumbed to ordering out food from restaurants for every meal. I do know cooking is the best option but since that is not possible in my scenario:

What would be the best things to order from restaurants? (heard things like tandoori/ palak paneer/ mozeralla sticks?)

Any other suggestions for type of dishes/snacks to take/avoid would be great and helpful as well. (to limit and stay within 20 carbs/day)

Cheers.

(Rob) #2

You’ve hit on the tandoori and paneer dishes, though tandoori meats typically lack sufficient fat (lean protein) so you need to add fat in some other way. Curries shouldn’t be too bad unless your favorite has a particularly carby sauce - Korma seems carbier (though also fattier) than say a vindaloo. I don’t know what the local cuisine includes in Mumbai as I’m used to more generic UK/US Indian food. The killer replacement required is obviously rice… do any do any of the fake rice e.g. konjac noodles, or cauliflower rice? They might do a mixed grilled/steamed (non-starchy) vegetables to have with the curry.

A lot of my favorite Indian foods are just not keto - samosas, pakoras, popadoms, naan, bhajis, various chaat, honey drenched sweets, etc. :yum::weary: At least I have a wide range of cuisines to choose from if I go out, though several lack too many keto options (Mexican, Italian, Chinese). If you have other cuisines, assuming mozzarella sticks aren’t native Indian food :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: there are lots more things. Chicken wings are a classic keto take out food and can have any sauce on them to your preference. BTW - breaded/battered mozzarella sticks are not very keto with quite a few carbs in the breading.
French food usually has lots of keto options - meats with fatty sauces, German food (sausages and sauerkraut but not the things made out of potatoes) has options. Burgers (with whatever permissible meats) with toppings but no buns are many people’s standby fast food options in burger chain filled western countries.

You could supplement takeout food with high fat nuts, cheese, deli meats, boiled eggs, etc. to minimize repetition or bad options - macadamias, almonds, walnuts, etc. can all give you lots of calories and nutrients without need for cooking facilities.

Good luck and I hope you get some cooking facilities soon.

(jimmy) #3

Thanks for the prompt response, Capnbob.

There is no limit on the type of cuisine and restaurants to order from (indian/chinese/continental) etc, though German and French only would be lacking; you would find few dishes here and there.

I have indeed stopped taking rice, naans etc. Have started for now only with soups but tandoor is an option to progress towards. Mozzeralla sticks are available, but again they are the breaded kind. So, may need to think of some other dish for my cheese intake.

There is lot of option of fried food here, everything gets fried on par with Scotland around here. So even the chicken wings have a fried variety. For now, getting more options and things to order will get me started and avoid the wrong dishes.

For snacks, nuts indeed are a great option. And omelettes are generally my goto breakfast option. If deli meat was readily available then it would solve lot of problems but for now I am indeed a slave to all the restaurants surrounding me.

(Rob) #4

Fried is fine as long as it isn’t heavily battered (as it might be in the back passage eateries of auld reekie :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:) Even a light flouring before frying is not bad. Most buffalo wings or similar are fried over here and it’s very few/no carbs (depending on sauce) and ups the fat value - bonus. It is worth checking the food tracking apps for a chain restaurant equivalent for reference values for what you might order. It might not be local but will give you some idea for many choices.

I love all things battered/breaded and it is just too emotionally scaring to peel the batter or breading off fish, onion rings or mozzarella sticks (all my former faves). :confounded:

(Jay AM) #5

Also adding that many restaurants will use flour and sugar in sauces to thicken, flavor, cut acidity, and make it cheaper. Bean flour is also a thing. Sauces are questionable and just because you ask doesn’t mean you’ll get the truth.

(jimmy) #6

Thats true. I wonder if anyone else has had the same scenario where most/all of their meals are takeaway or ordered in

#7

I’m based in the UK. I don’t know what the exact breakdowns are but if going to an Indian restaurant here I usually get a half (or occasionally whole) tandoori chicken which is served with salad. Or chicken/lamb shashleek (a skewer with grilled pieces of meat and vegetables).

Most Indian restaurants serve salads, and I usually order a side dish called Sag Paneer which I hope is mainly cheese and spinach.

(A ham loving ham! - VA6KD) #8

I’m a fan of the saag (or saagwala) dishes. Saag is spinach and mustard and they usually make it with a meat compliment. Lamb saag for example. Lamb is a fairly fatty meat too.

(Robert C) #9

Given the food environment and the requirement to order out, I would find trying to stick to keto too difficult. Throwing away non-compliant parts of the order, not knowing what kind of ingredients are actually used, receiving breaded fried shrimp when the picture on the menu looked more like grilled etc. Instead, I would alternate day fast. Buy one large meal for lunch every other day and have a large lunch and a large dinner (ensure large and satiating).
I think that would be more effective than keto (if you can sustain it) simply because you don’t really have access to true keto foods.

(Daniel) #10

If whole foods is to be believed, Butter Chicken sauce has 8 carbs per 1/4 cup, Jalfrezi has 6. usual serving I’ve seen around Cambridge, UK is about 4. I usually try to eat the meat, and limit the sauce.

(jimmy) #11

Yes for now ordering the curries like butter chicken but only eating the chicken. Are there any suggestions for vegetables curries/dishes i can order in?

(Alec) #12

This is a real shame, as one of my old dishes that I LOVED that I now can’t really have is rice with butter chicken sauce. Yummo!

Thinking about it, tonight I am going to make cauli rice and make my own keto butter chicken and ENJOY!! :heart_eyes: