5 Low Calorie Indian Recipes

On By TunessaIn Food, Health and Exercises

When you hear the words – Indian food, you instantly think about fatty, high in calories dishes. But original Indian dishes are usually quite the opposite. Of course, you can find fatty food in any cuisine in the world, but generally speaking, Indian food is not very rich in calories. And here are 5 best low calorie Indian recipes.

Bear in mind that making these dishes at home, and ordering them, is really not the same. If you want them to be good for your health, you have to roll up your sleeves and make them yourself.

1. Low Calorie Chicken Curry

When you think about curry, low calorie probably isn’t the first thing that crosses your mind. But don’t worry, one serving of this chicken curry has only 272 calories, and it is really rich in taste. Here’s how to make it.

Ingredients:

  • 600g of boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
  • 200ml of water
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp of oil
  • 10g of butter
  • 2 tbsp of garam masala
  • 1 tsp of ground coriander
  • ½ tsp of dried mint

Preparation:

  1. Heat the oil and the butter together in a large pan. Add onions and garlic, and fry until the onion is softened. Add garam masala, coriander and mint, and stir. Add the chicken, and fry for 5 minutes, or until it gets a thin golden crust. Pour the water over, and cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is soft.
  2. Serve the dish warm. If you can afford some extra calories, you can serve it on rice. Garnish with fresh coriander.

2. Lamb Masala Kebabs

I am not a big fan of lamb, but I completely fell in love with this dish when I first tried it. The calorie count per serving goes only up to 267, but the taste is exquisite. Check it out.

Ingredients:

  • 600g of lean lamb neck fillet
  • 1 tsp of ginger, ground
  • 1 tsp of ground coriander
  • ½ tsp of ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp of ground cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp of chili powder
  • 1 tsp of garam masala
  • 1 tsp of ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp of salt
  • 1 tsp of lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp of oil

Preparation:

  1. Cut the lamb into 2” squares. Combine all the spices together, and mix them with oil, salt and lemon juice in a large bowl. Marinate the meat for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
  2. Thread the lamb squares on skewers and grill them. If you don’t have the grill, you can also bake them in the oven. Serve warm.

3. Spinach Pilau

source

Not only is it low in calories, but this Indian recipe is also very healthy. In fact, only one serving of this dish fulfills your daily needs for vegetables. Furthermore, spinach is rich in iron, potassium, vitamins and minerals, which all makes this, 226 calories, per serving dish, a perfect one.

Ingredients:

  • 150g of spinach
  • 150g of basmati rice
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ of green chili pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp of oil
  • 1 medium carrot, grated
  • 1 tsp of turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp of ground ginger
  • 20g of almonds

Preparation:

  1. Put water with a pinch of salt on the stove, and bring to a boil. Add rice and simmer for around 10 minutes. In a separate pan boil the spinach, leave to cool and chop.
  2. Heat the oil, and add turmeric and ginger. Fry until the spices release the aroma. Add onion, garlic and chili pepper. Add carrot, and fry for another 3 minutes.
  3. Strain the rice, and put it in an oven dish. Add the vegetables and the spinach, and mix well. Cover the oven dish with a lid, and bake in the oven for 15 minutes on 250C. Serve warm and decorated with almonds.

4. Masoor Dal Soup

If you’re one of those people who think that lentils have no taste, think again. This soup is simply delicious, and also very healthy. Try it!

Ingredients:

  • ¾  cup of lentils
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼  tsp of turmeric
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 2 tbsp of lemon juice

Preparation:

  1. Put 2½ cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add onion, garlic, peppercorns, turmeric, lentils and salt. Bring to a boil once more. Lower the heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are cooked, and most of the water evaporates.
  2. Mash lentils with a hand blender. Pour in 6 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add lemon juice, and salt to taste. Serve your soup warm, and with the addition of some rice.

5. Cucumber and Mint Raita

I’d like to finish my list of low calorie Indian recipes with a side dish that can be served, with pretty much any other Indian dish. It is super easy to make, delicious and has only 35 calories per serving. What more could you ask for?

Ingredients:

  • 1 cucumber, finely diced or grated
  • 2 tsp of fresh or dried mint
  • 1 cup of low fat yogurt

Preparation:

  1. It couldn’t get any easier really. You simply need to mix all the ingredients together and voila – it’s done. Season with some salt and pepper and maybe some lemon juice, if you like.