Binge light

Yes, urban Indians are eating out in huge numbers. But in the gloom of obesity warnings and cholesterol alerts, they are also forcing restaurateurs across the country to come up with healthier alternatives. 8220;People are conscious of what they eat and what food adds how much calories to their body. So eating healthy when eating out is a spin-off from that awareness,8221; says Sudha Kukreja, owner of Saltz.

At her restaurant, Mediterranean dishes, usually cooked in olive oil, are mixed with spices and steamed without oil to retain their authenticity. In dishes where the use of oil is unavoidable, Kukreja8217;s master chefs fall back on the tried-and-tested extra-virgin olive oil. At Ploof, the seafood restaurant in Delhi8217;s Lodhi colony, Kukreja8217;s other venture, customers get to choose the medium of cooking in the Oriental cuisine section.

To initiate her guests into the tradition, Kukreja has also introduced classes to demonstrate zero-oil cooking at Saltz twice a week. 8220;It8217;s easier to substitute oil for Continental dishes but we teach our guests to cook everyday Indian fare like dal makhni with no oil or butter,8221; she says.

Which is precisely what Anjan Chatterjee, owner of the Oh! Calcutta and Mainland China chains around the country, has been trying to do at his restaurants. 8220;Our clientele base is very cosmopolitan. At Oh! Calcutta, we have as many foreigners and non-Bengali customers coming in as Bengalis, and many of them want a meal that is not fattening. Which is why we have been experimenting with the way we cook,8221; he says.

So, the rich, oily paturis8212;fish marinated in oil and mustard paste and cooked in a banana leaf wrapper8212;is now steamed without oil. Crabmeat and prawns are melted together and steamed with spices to come up with an unique starter, called kakra-chingri bhapa. The taste, too, has impressed customers. 8220;The food is as authentic as it gets but because of the minimal use of oil, it8217;s much easier on the palate,8221; says 34-year-old executive Sayon Majumdar, who has been a regular at Oh! Calcutta since it was set up in Delhi.

At Mainland China, too, things are changing in the kitchen. Instead of the traditional fried rice, you can choose the lotus-wrapped rice rice steamed in lotus leaves with herbs. If you like lots of greens in your food, you can opt for the healthy Chinese vegetables instead of the richer, deep-fried spring rolls.

The fad is catching on down south as well. Bangalore-based boutique hotel Regaalis is upgrading the menu in their coastal food restaurant Coral Court. More and more customers have been asking for alternatives to their cooking medium, which, till very recently, was coconut oil. 8220;I love their appams and their lobsters, but I get put off by the layers of oil that congeal the moment the food gets a little cold. I guess, if the coconut oil goes, that problem will be sorted out,8221; says 28-year old business consultant Hirok B, who is a regular at the Lavelle Road restaurant.

Food consultant Manu Mahindra, who runs the firm Under One Roof, has been working on the menus of several restaurants and hotel chains, including Silk, an upcoming Oriental restaurant in Faridabad. 8220;In India there8217;s nothing which is truly organic or 100 per cent natural, which is why the oil becomes an important ingredient for health-watchers. Many of the new projects that I am working on, like Silk, currently have specific instructions to have a low-oil or zero-oil menu. The kind of oil being used has also undergone a sea change. Restaurateurs now mostly opt for extra-virgin olive oil or sunflower seed oil which are healthier,8221; says Mahindra.

Some of the five-star hotels are joining in. While Maurya Sheraton in the capital has a zero-oil menu at their cafe, meant exclusively for their employees, Shangri La in Delhi has implemented a similar menu for their guests at its cafe Uno and the pan-Asian restaurant, 19, Oriental Avenue. 8220;We use techniques like baking, grilling and poaching to avoid unsaturated fats. We have been using our pizza oven to give a smoky flavour to the dishes. Besides, sushi and sashimi feature largely in this new menu because they are the healthiest option one can get,8221; says David Ansted, executive chef, Shangri La, who took over six months ago after a long stint in the restaurant8217;s branch in China.

So, the next time you eat out, don8217;t worry about hitting the gym to expunge the guilt and the calories or crib about how low-cal diets ruin the authenticity of traditional cuisine. Instead, look forward to the generous second helping you so regretfully gave up.