Indian · Authentic-ish Indian
Chicken Curry, everyday
414 kcal a serving, against 646 for the traditional version. That is 232 kcal off, or 36%, with 52.3g of protein. Serves 4. 60 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A homestyle staple featuring bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces simmered in a dark, intensely savoury sauce made from tomatoes and heavily fried onions, relying on a huge glug of oil to build the base.
What changed, and what each change costs
60g of vegetable oil down to 15g, and add 100g of chicken stock
Frying onions down to a sweet, jammy paste usually takes a vast amount of oil to stop them sticking to the frying pan. I use just 15g to start the process, then rely on splashes of chicken stock to keep things moving. The stock deglazes the pan, lifting the caramelised bits off the bottom while keeping the onions softening.
What it costs you. You have to pay attention. You can't just drown the pan in fat and walk away to watch television. You have to stand there, stir constantly, and add stock exactly when the onions threaten to burn.
800g of skin-on chicken thigh for 1000g of skinless chicken thigh
Braised chicken skin is a rubbery nightmare anyway. Leaving it in the pot just dumps rendered fat into a sauce that you've already worked hard to keep lean. Stripping the skin off removes the grease, and I use that saving to cram an extra 200g of actual meat into the pan.
What it costs you. A dense and meaty braise, then. Not a glossy, oil-slicked bowl anymore, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. You lose the traditional red oil ring that floats on top of the sauce, which some purists consider essential.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 646 | 414 |
| Protein | 35.6g | 52.3g |
| Fat | 49.1g | 15.2g |
| Saturated fat | 11.1g | 3.4g |
| Carbohydrate | 15.4g | 15.8g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 5.5g | 12.6g |
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.
The method is in the book
This is what everyday Indian cooking actually looks like. You get a massive portion of tender chicken in a sharp, heavily spiced tomato sauce, without the heavy sluggishness that comes from downing a huge volume of vegetable oil. Standing over the pan to babysit the onions is a bit of a chore, but the trade is entirely worth it. It delivers huge flavour on a totally ordinary weeknight.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Indian, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback