Healthy Indian Meals: A Flavourful Way to Eat Better

Lentils, tandoori grills, vegetables and yogurt — Indian cooking is full of genuinely light dishes. Here is how to order a balanced meal without losing flavour.

Indian food has a reputation for richness, but much of the cuisine is built on legumes, vegetables, yogurt and dry-heat grilling. Eating well at an Indian table is mostly a matter of knowing what to order.

Start with the tandoor

Tandoori dishes are marinated in yogurt and spices, then cooked in a clay oven with no added fat. Tandoori chicken, chicken tikka, ajwani fish tikka, tandoori salmon and paneer tikka are high in protein, deeply flavoured and among the lightest items on the menu.

Lentils do the heavy lifting

Dal tadka is slow-cooked lentils finished with cumin and garlic — plant protein, fibre and almost no fat. Chana masala does the same with chickpeas. Both are satisfying enough to be a main course with rice.

Choose tomato-based over cream-based

• Lighter: chana masala, dal tadka, aloo gobhi, chicken curry, vindaloo, mushroom palak.
• Richer, for sharing: butter chicken, korma, shahi paneer, dal makhani.
• Swap: basmati or jeera rice instead of fried breads; tandoori roti instead of buttered naan.

Spices that earn their place

Turmeric, cumin, ginger, coriander, fenugreek and black pepper are not decoration — they are the backbone of the cuisine and have been used in Indian kitchens for centuries for good reason. Freshly ground and cooked properly, they also mean a dish needs less salt and less fat to taste complete.

A balanced order for two

One tandoori starter, one lentil or chickpea dish, one vegetable curry, a portion of basmati rice, a green salad and raita. It is generous, genuinely balanced, and costs nothing in flavour.

Eating light while travelling the Pacific coast? Reserve a table in Manuel Antonio or Jacó, or tell us your dietary needs and the kitchen will adjust.