The Curry Lounge now offers a healthier low-fat selection of
mains
You can have your curry and eat it, according to Nottingham's
Curry Lounge, following its results from a six month project that
has significantly reduced the number of calories on its menu.
The Nottingham restaurant is set to launch new dishes as part of
a wider campaign to promote the health benefits of Indian cuisine,
as it is often deemed as high in fat and calories in today's
ever-increasing health conscious society.
The Tandoori Salmon starter for example, is now 90 calories due
to its steaming and tandoor cooking methods, followed by the Lamb
Seekh Kebab at 174 calories per portion.
Lamb Rogan Josh has a calorie decrease of 21 per cent, now
containing 372 calories, whilst the Chicken Tikka Masala is just
285 calories per portion - a decrease of 20 per cent compared to
the dish before the clamp down on energy values. Chicken Korma also
underwent a 20 per cent decrease, now at 405 calories per
portion.*
Not only have the main menu ingredients and cooking methods been
tweaked where possible, the Curry Lounge has also added a healthier
low-fat section of mains, cooked with zero butter and only a
miniscule amount of olive oil - all for the more mindful diners and
exercise buffs that may be on a diet or following a healthy eating
plan.
The research, testing and final outcomes were undertaken by
students from Nottingham University's food research team, who were
asked to measure the calorific and nutritional values on the entire
menu.
"It was a really interesting exercise, and one that we all took
very seriously, especially as being in the kitchen with such fine
Indian food makes for larger waistlines!" said Arfan Razak, owner
of the Curry Lounge.
"I'm pleased to say that we've succeeded in lowering the calorie
content in most of our dishes, but more importantly, we haven't
lost any of our tremendous flavours, or compromised on the use of
quality, fresh ingredients, or even altered our traditional cooking
methods - so now we can offer our health conscious customers a
better, informed choice."
As a result of this project, the restaurant was also able to
compare and contrast its dish suitability with the mainstream
Indian and Western ready meals that are available from major
supermarkets.
Notoriously indulgent and creamy, the Chicken Korma ready meal
came out at 356kcal in Asda for 450g; 618kcal in Somerfield for
450g; 703kcal in Sainsbury's for 400g; and 720kcal in Tesco for
just 350g. Interestingly, Sainsbury's Be Good to Yourself Chicken
Korma meal contains 403kcal, due to the skimmed milk and low-fat
yoghurt and fromage frais - a similar value to the Curry Lounge's
405 calories.
"The supermarket findings were a real shock, particularly when
you scrutinise the nutritional information and come to realise that
the average meat content is only 22 per cent of the whole dish - so
it seems that you certainly get more meat for your pound sterling
when dining out!" Raz concluded.
*All Curry Lounge calorie values are based on a 400g portion to
provide direct comparison with the supermarket products. Actual
portion sizes may vary in the restaurant.
For more information on the Curry Lounge, view their website
here: www.currylounge.co.uk