Indian · Authentic-ish Indian
Chicken Tikka Masala
390 kcal a serving, against 618 for the traditional version. That is 228 kcal off, or 37%, with 44.8g of protein. Serves 4. 90 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Chunks of chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices, blistered under a fierce grill, then drowned in a bright red tomato sauce thickened with butter, double cream, sugar and blended cashews.
What changed, and what each change costs
150g of double cream, 80g of butter and 50g of cashews for 150g of full-fat yoghurt and 15g of vegetable oil
Those restaurant fats add massive calories that offer very little nutritional return. Yoghurt brings the required acidic tang and a creamy finish without the crushing weight. A spoonful of gram flour whisked in acts as a magical stabiliser, completely stopping the yoghurt from splitting when it hits the hot sauce.
What it costs you. You lose that ultra-glossy, heavy mouthfeel that coats the back of a spoon. The resulting sauce is a bit thinner and less overwhelmingly rich, which is exactly the point.
20g of sugar down to absolutely zero
Adding sugar to a savoury curry is a cheap trick to balance acidic, low-quality tomatoes. If you use good passata and take the time to cook it down properly until it sweetens naturally, you simply don't need it.
What it costs you. So: a sharply savoury curry that tastes strongly of tomato and spice rather than syrup. A dessert pretending to be a main course anymore was never on the table once the fat came out.
600g of chicken up to 800g
Dropping the blended nuts and the thick cream leaves a physical hole in the volume of the dish. Filling that space with extra chicken pushes the meat ratio up and gives you a much better return on your dinner.
What it costs you. You'll spend slightly more at the butcher counter. That's about the only downside. More chicken is never a bad thing in my book.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 618 | 390 |
| Protein | 36.4g | 44.8g |
| Fat | 43.2g | 15.2g |
| Saturated fat | 22g | 4.1g |
| Carbohydrate | 24.1g | 18.2g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 5.9g | 11.5g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Indian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, milk.
The method is in the book
This is a proper Friday night curry that actually leaves you feeling energetic rather than exhausted. I stripped out the heavy dairy and the sugar, but kept the charred chicken and the spiced tomato tang. You've got to be a bit more patient with reducing the sauce to build the flavour, but the trade is absolutely worth it. A massive portion of meat in a rich sauce that works brilliantly.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Indian, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback