If you have been denying yourself the pleasure of authentic Indian cuisine because you think it’s always spicy and laden with fats, you have been labouring under one of the many misconceptions surrounding one of the world’s healthiest cuisines. In fact, upon a closer examination of the ingredients in a typical Indian dish you will see that it’s really quite healthy from an herbal perspective.
1. A Closer Look at the Most Popular Spices
Believe it or not, curry isn’t a spice! Rather, it’s a blend of spices usually consisting of at least seven of the most common spices traditionally used in Indian cuisine. While you may love ordering one of the curry dishes you can find on the urban-tandoor.com website to eat while dining in or for takeaway, curry in itself, isn’t a spice but rather a blend. Those spices most often comprising curry are:
- Cardamon
- Turmeric
- Cumin
- Clove
- Cinnamon
- Fenugreek
- Coriander
If you take a closer look at each of those, you will see that many are often used in teas or tinctures in herbal medicine. Cloves have been used for countless centuries to relieve dental pain and turmeric is known to be a powerful anti-inflammatory used to relieve pain and stiffness in joints.
2. Indian Cuisine Is Typically Low in Fats
Somewhere along the line a myth was born that Indian foods are high in fat. Actually, that is far from the truth. While they will use a little oil, when practical, much of their cuisine is not deep fried as in many other Asian and Southeast Asian cultures. In fact, even the breads they eat are not typically served with butter or other fats and although you may find dressings and spreads that appear to be high in fats, if you look at the ingredients the base is yogurt and not butter!
3. Red Meat Is Rare
Here, we are not speaking of the cooking temperature but rather the fact that most red meats are frowned upon in the Hindu religion, which is the number one faith in India. Cows are particularly regarded as sacred, so you will rarely find beef featured in a traditional Indian dish. You may occasionally find pork, rarely that is, but we all know that pork is billed in marketing as “the other white meat.” Consequently, you will find chicken in many of their dishes and it is often featured in tandoori curries.
You may also find that many Indians are vegetarians so the next time you go into a traditional Indian restaurant, take a quick look at the menu. Many dishes, most in fact, will have vegetarian ingredients. Even those dishes made with chicken are typically included for the Western palate because of our love of meat. Does poultry count as meat? That’s another question for another day, but the one main takeaway here is that you will rarely find an Indian dish that isn’t healthy. If you do, it’s time to contact the Guinness Book of World Records.
