indian restaurant choices

going out with the girls to an indian restaurant tomorow night. cant wait! but REALLY dont want to screw up the diet

so, here is the menu

i was thinkin chicken tikka or tandoori chicken? but what is the difference between the two?????/

HELP PLEASEEEEEEEEE -lowest cal and fat pls

http://www.diningout.com.au/menu.aspx?ID=277& amp;img=menupage_589.jpg

Tikka and tandoori are both marinaded in yoghurt and spices before being baked or grilled.  Tandoori tends to be drier.  If you had those with a few spoonsful of plain rice and maybe a vegetable dish such as green beans or okra you may get away with about 600-700 calories.   Drink water, obviously, and pass on things like poppadoms, naan breads and dessert options.

Regardless of calories, enjoy the evening.

I always opt for tandoori- it's quite similar to tikka (tikka MASALA is a creamy tomato sauce). I think chicken tikke is generally chunks of meat, whereas tandoori is likely drier and a cut of meat (ie, less marinade and probably more moist). Go for what sounds good and have fun.

Definitely get the tandoori: it's marinated in yogurt as gijane said, then cooked in a tandoori oven on a hot plate (similar to fajitas), sometimes with onions and peppers.  It's not drowning in sauce or oils like a Tikka probably will be.  It might come with a sauce: ask for one spicy if you like that kind of thing as you'll use less of it and it will be more flavorful

Poppadoms are pretty low in calories, so you could have one, but instead of the rice you should order chapati bread: it's only about 80-100 calories per piece, compared to 400-500 for naan bread, which is dripping in oil.  Just make sure you ask for it without oil as some places will put it on.  I looooove chicken tandoori with a bit of Madras or Vindaloo sauce rolled up in chapati bread.  Save 500-600 calories as the portions will probably be bigger than you'd eat and enjoy!  Indian food is actually pretty easy to eat low calorie.  MMM now I'm hungry!!

I adore Indian food, but it's a real mine field for the dieter.

They use huge amts of ghee (clarified butter).

As a vegan who wants to eat Low-Fat too, I always order simply plain white rice (they NEVER offer brown, or I would order brown), chickpeas, and a spinach choice. Have a little dal and rice (dal is lentils, a tiny bean, very tasty).

Bean and rice together make a complete protein, so don't worry about skipping the chicken, shrimp, beef, or whatever animal carcass they're offering.

Eat cleaner and lighter. Your body wants high fiber, which the choices I offered supply.

Skip wine or beer, but if you must--go with sharing an Indian beer and plenty of water.

Skip dessert!!!

Be strong!

In my experience, it's best to wait a few days before weighing yourself after an Indian meal. One might get discouraged.

The spices and salt make the body retain fluids.

Avoid bringing yourself down--it's worked for me anyway.

Amazing how a mere meaningless digits can alter my mood. Does this happen to anyone else?

Ok for healthy or whatenot  go by what othes have suggested. I usually get Chicken Tikka Masala with white rice, and Naan. I mix some chicken, sauce and rice and have wrap it in Naan like a burrito. It's delicious! Not low cal in any shape or form, then again I don't eat at Indian restaurant frequently so I indulge myself.

Indian Food is so delicious and to be honest I haven't had it for a while...tends to be pricey. Opt for whole wheat naan...it's still delicious and has more fiber then regular. And believe me, a one night splurge is not gonna kill you.

Well right now i was eating chicken curry soup, it was 88 kcal per 100g which is nothing :D!

the thing is that indian food is pretty healthy, at the end it is just lean chicken with sauce, dont worry much about it, just dont overeat, one dish and a glass of water are more than enough, and you wont go more than 800kcal for sure :)!

i never get rice, i always find i get too full.  a nice spicy dish like chicken pathia gets a good sweat up mopped with one naan, maybe a side dish of some lentils all washed down with a diet coke does me well.  again, if its a once in a while thing dont worry about it.  i give myself a day off the calorie counting a week so my body doesnt get into a routine anyway, if we end up having a spontaneous meal out then that is my day off!

Get what you want and don't overeat. It's okay to treat yourself on occasion. And to whomever who said something about beef... Indians don't eat beef. 

Perhaps indians don't eat beef - but many restaurants make it for their western customers who eat plenty.

Check out some indian take-out menu's and you'll see :)

http://www.theroseofindia.com/menu.htm 

I've never been to an Indian restaurant that served beef and I've been to plenty. The only one I have been to that does was an Indian/Nepalese restaurant. 

I would not go to an "Indian" restaurant that servered beef.

UD