Lose weight at the curry house

Our damage-limitation guide for when you're eating out

Words by Men's Health

Main courses

Rogan Josh: The leanest of lamb-based meals is the healthiest sheep dip on the curry house menu. It averages around 100 calories per four tablespoons – well, you did say you'd ‘share' it with her – and has between 5g and 10g of fat. It's a tomato-based dish too – which means it's packed with lycopene, an antioxident that protects against heart disease.

Chicken jalfrezi: As long as you haven't had a skinful and can still say the word ‘skinless' beside this chicken option then it's the dish to try. Jalfrezi comes with a tomato-based sauce and offers extra vitamin C in the red and green peppers. Steer clear of the pool of oil surrounding the main dish if you're having all of its 350 cals and 20g of fat yourself. However, if that gang of vultures you're sharing a table with swoops down, you'll get about 100 calories and 5g of fat from the three of four spoonfuls that remain.

Korma dishes: The spice mix used in these contains plenty of heart-protecting garlic, cumin and turmeric, but kormas are usually made with fried meats and enriched with nuts, cream and butter. Even a modest 350g main course will mean 700 calories and over 40g of fat and probably a night banished from the marital bed.

Chicken Tikka: Much kinder to your ticker than korma, tikka is Hindi for kebab, and these chicken chunks are marinated and baked on skewers in a dry tandoori oven. It's one of the lowest-fat Indian choices around – and it doesn't come accompanied by the lank veg, lethal chilli sauce and faded photographs that you'd normally associate with the word ‘kebab'.

Biriani: Any dish named after the persina word for ‘fried' isn't going to top the list of food favoured by supermodels. The saving grace of this traditional curry, however is that it comes with pilau rice and saffron, which will reduce the effect of the fried meats to a sylph-like 140 calories and 5g of fat – per four tablespoons.

Drinks

Lagers: Not only would you sound like the doorkeeper on Noah's ark calling for two Kingfishers, two Cobras and a Tiger, these traditional Indian brews are also too heavy to go with an already heavy meal. Stick to Heineken if you prefer a lighter, cleaner drink that will cut through the strong flavours and has a good sharp contrast in taste.

Lassi: This cool Indian drink made from yoghurt and crushed ice normally comes flavoured with mango. The yoghurt contains calcium, good for strong teeth and bones, while the mango will provide you with a shot of the antioxidant beta-carotene which will help protect your lungs.

Breads and Chutneys

Chapatis: A thin bread made from a special finely ground chapatti wheat flour. Ask your waiter if you can have them minus the clarified butter that most curry houses brush them with just before serving. This way you get around 110 calories and 0.5g of fat per slice. Double this when brushed with butter.

Poppadoms: Thin, crisp wafers made from lentil flour that we just love to break up with a karate chop. Like crisps, they are fried in oil, so if you're careful about your waistline just eat one or two. Whether spicy or plain, expect around 100 cals and 6g of fat for every three you eat.

Naan bread: Since you're most likely to soak up all that oil with this it's better to stick with a plain one. Even this will set you back 538 calories and 20g of fat – but you can add an extra 150 calories if you go for the nut-filled varieties.

Chutneys: Choose wisely. While a mango version is usually made from sugar and mango with a variety of spices for flavour, an aubergine chutney can have copious amounts of oil. So while dipping your chapatti in the former will set you back 181 calories and 0.1g of fat per serving, the latter has 256 calories  and 17g of fat. Do an oil check by sticking your finger in and rubbing it on your hand. If it's slippery it'll be oiled based – and you'll know to give it a miss. Make sure you wash your hands first.

A bit on the side

Onion bhajis: With 150 calories and 12g of fat each, avoid them at all costs and go for Bombay potatoes instead. The spuds contain just 50 calories and 4g of fat for a two-tablespoons scoop. Recipes vary but all contain a spicy essence called curcumin, which has arthritis-soothing and anit-inlfammatory qualities.

Vegetable samosas: These are the suspect packages of the curry house health war. They may be packed with spiced peas and lentils but there are 130 calories and 10g of fast in each one – and even more if you opt for the meat-filled versions! Instead, ask for gobi aloo saag. Made with spinach, cauliflower, potatoes and tomato puree, it's antioxidant rich and full of metabolism-boosting goodness, thanks to chills and cayenne.

Vegetable dahl: Unlike Sophie of the same name, this is one tubby little number you may not want to share a table with. It's usually rammed ful of extra butter and oil – although the lentils have the advantage of being rich in soluble fibre, which helps keep blood cholesterol levels down.

Saffron rice: A good low-fat choice with just 0.5g of fat along with 335 calories per typical serving. Great for bulking out a meal and supplying pure carbohydrate to refuel after a workout. Pile it on!