Low-fat/healthy curry recipes

[ronconcoke]

Hello, DH has had to swap to a low-fat, no red/processed meat, no horrible fats etc diet.

We religiously make curry on a Friday/sat night and in the past used a ready-made sauce from the Curry Company or a ready-made paste (Pataks etc). Now we have to make them from scratch and I’m running out of ideas. I need something I can hopefully prep ahead ie blitz the paste beforehand and then we can just make a sauce and add it to chicken and then simmer. I regularly use the Hairy dieters chicken Bhuna recipe, Jamie’s pukka yellow one and a couple from whatshername’s Curry Easy book, but haven’t found any other recipes that tick all the boxes we have.

What are your favourite healthy, home-made curry recipes?!

TIA!

The hairy bikers do very low fat curries.

I doubt it's very authentic, but I use the spice mix in a packet, rather than a paste. If you don't use the whole packet you can keep in an airtight container for next time.

Fry spices in small amount of oil for 5 mins, add chopped onion for 5 or 10 mins (add water if starts to catch). Then add garlic for a minute, a tin of chopped tomatoes, a tin of chickpeas, chopped sweet potato, a tin of reduced-fat coconut milk. Add your chicken here too, although I usually keep it veggie.

Cook for around 30 mins until sweet potato is tender.

Towards the end, add an aubergine that's already been chopped into largish chunks and oven roasted (could do this the day before if prepping ahead), and a bag of spinach (or even frozen spinach).

Freezes brilliantly, I always make double.

Lovely with roasted cauliflower, couscous, rice, and a dollop of yogurt.

Not with cauliflower, couscous, rice, and a dollop of yogurt all at the same time of course!

ANY of those with it are lovely. You could serve with cauliflower rice for extra healthiness. Or green beans.

There’s a spinach, sweet potato and lentil dhal on the bbc good food website which is very healthy and tasty

This curry is completely delicious and vegan - filling enough not to have rice with, or could have roti or naan with.
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/coconut-squash-dhansak

If you google “skinnymixers” she is the queen of healthy option Curry’s and other recipes. They are for a Thermomix but you would be able to adapt it.

She has a few different curry paste bases too that you can batch make and freeze ahead in portions

Have a look at spicentice mixes.

I have used them since weening DD as they don't contain salt or sugar. You are meant to put yoghurt & cream (I think) in the tikka masala but I never do & its really yummy

they do little packets with all the spices and herbs for a curry.
use spray oil.
reduced fat crème fraiche instead of cream or non fat yoghurts.
always steer to tomato based curries.
add lots of veggies.its pretty healthy when you make from scrath and if you do want to stick to your jars there are actually some from scratch ones nowadays that don't have much add gubbins to them so have a look.lots has been made to make jar sauces waaaay better for you now.
chicken thighs are more flavourful if you have to cut down on other stuff.
if cream is used to thicken try using a bit of cornflour with milk instead.
coat the chicken in flour before cooking to thicken if you want to add less cream or milks

This chilli prawn curry is pretty quick and low fat

tyne-teas.blogspot.com/2014/04/chilli-prawn-curry.html

Dhal is your low fat friend. Red lentils, onions, spices and water. I eat bowls of the stuff and love it!

Try Gupareet Bains Indian Superfood book, lots of really tasty healthy recipes.

You don't need a ready made sauce or spice paste.

Fry (in a little veg oil) whole black mustard seeds till they pop.
Add onions, garlic and ginger. Also deseeded chillis if you like it spicy. Fry.
Add tinned tomatoes.
Add ground coriander, garam masala, ground cumin, bit of turmeric.

Simmer till thickens a bit.

Add whatever veg or pulses you fancy and cook them till soft. Curries are better veggie than meat in my view.

When cooked, switch off and stir through fresh coriander.

Serve with brown rice or wholemeal roti.

A belated many thanks for all these suggestions!

I should add, DH is a carnivore through-and-through - for him a meal isn’t a proper meal if it doesn’t contain some animal protein. But some great ideas here, thanks!

Google ‘home style curry recipies from India’ and substitute oil for water. My gran and lots of poor Indian women of that generation from East Africa learned how to make curries without oil or butters because they couldn’t afford them in the UK. Kadhi, made from gram flour and yoghurt, is also very very healthy.

I like curry a lot. I learned a recipe from my cousin. For these you will need

6 spring onions, 3 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, half a 400g tin, chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp curry powder, 1 tsp ground ginger, 400g/14oz boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into 2.5cm/1in pieces
100ml/3½fl oz Greek-style natural yoghurt, plus extra to serve
salt and pepper.

Slice the spring onions, reserving a handful of the sliced green parts for garnish. Peel and chop the garlic. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the spring onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, curry powder and ground ginger and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes until all side get brown color. Add 250 ml water and bring to the boil. Reduce to a medium to low heat and cook for 10-15 minutes. Take the curry off the heat, stir in the yoghurt then season with salt and pepper. You can be able to enjoy a good curry. ;)

I use spice packs from www.easypeasycurry.co.uk/?nonamp=1. A few call for a fair bit of oil but I make with less and they still taste amazing.

Some great recipes here!

We have a low fat curry cookery book, there are quite a few on Amazon

Nadia Hussein has a great Bhuna sauce recipe that is really easily scaled up and designed to be frozen. It’s in her Great British Food Adventures book.