A mouthful of butter chicken and dal makhani cupped in a swatch of grilled garlic naan at your favourite Indian eatery could be described as 'heavenly' - or 'rich and fatty'. But the partially hydrogenated vegetable ghee (the cheaper alternative to asli ghee, which is made from cow's milk butter) commonly used in its preparation is loaded with trans-fat.
For those who love the flavours and variety of Indian cuisine but would like to stay friends with our coronary arteries and waistline, are vegetarian Indian restaurants a healthier option?
'In Hong Kong, there are only two or three pure-vegetarian restaurants that I can think of,' says Vaneet Wadheri, chef at Babek, an innovative eatery on Elgin Street that serves tasting portions of meat and vegetable kebabs. 'And with those, you'll run into the same kind of heavy oils and fats you'd find at many non-veg places. When eating out, it's best to have smaller portions. Also, try to balance fatty meats with high-fibre vegetable dishes.'
Health-conscious spice lovers may also consider cooking at home.
'Traditional home-cooked Indian vegetarian cuisine is probably the healthiest food you can eat,' says Mumbai native Zubin D'Souza, head chef at the Fringe Club. 'It is essentially lacto-vegetarianism, which ... is self-sustaining, and unlike veganism, you do not need supplements.'
D'Souza has held a number of Indian cooking classes at the Fringe Club, including ones based on the healing properties of spices and low-oil cooking and inspired by the Kama Sutra.
