by josie
Chef Mehernosh Mody created a healthful lunch menu for London’s Porte des Indes, and he shared his recipe for salmon achari (shown).
We love Indian food — the spices, rich creamy sauces, fragrant rice, papadum and naan … and that’s before even we get to dessert. But it’s easy to rack up more than 1,000 calories dining out at an Indian restaurant. During a recent trip to London, we were thrilled to discover that the elegant La Porte des Indes — one of our favorite Indian restaurants — was offering a new, light lunch menu.
Executive chef Mehernosh Mody introduced the new menu early this year, presenting three courses with a grand total of 650 calories. His plan wasn’t all about calories, though. Mody wanted to make a meal that was packed with essential vitamins, minerals and beneficial enzymes, to help the restaurant’s patrons to be healthy — but not leave them feeling deprived.
For our part, we found it to be delicious. The starter, tandoori grilled florets marinated with green lime, lemongrass and yogurt, is high in calcium, A, C and iron. The vegetarian entrée has Portobello mushroom marinated in herbs and grilled in the tandoori. Served with tomato rougali, it’s packed with selenium, B vitamins, lycopene, potassium and carotene. The menu boasts that the organic red rice has fiber, vitamin B, magnesium and potassium; and thyme roti is rich in B and niacin. Even dessert — a lychee and rose sorbet, made without extra sugar — is rich in antioxidants. Without the sugar, the floral, fruity tastes really come through.
Mody shares his recipe for healthful salmon achari. Don’t be intimidated by the list of spices; they can be found at an Indian or specialty grocers or online from purveyors such as Penzey’s Spices.
Salmon Achari
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp onion seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1½ tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp mustard oil
½ tsp fenugreek
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tbsp garlic pickle, chopped and puréed
¾ cup Greek yogurt
Juice of ½ lemon
1 pound salmon fillet, skin left on, cut into chunks (about 2-inch squares)
Salt to taste
Lime wedges (for garnish)
1. Pound the garlic and ginger in a mortar with a little bit of water to make a paste.
2. Mix and pound all the whole spices (onion, mustard, fennel and cumin seeds) and fry in the mustard oil. Leave to cool.
3. Combine mustard oil mix with remaining ingredients (fenugreek, turmeric powder, chili powder, roasted cumin powder, garlic pickle, yogurt and lemon). Mix well and marinate the salmon pieces in the mixture for 1–2 hours.
4. Heat the stovetop or outdoor grill to maximum, skewer the salmon chunks and place them in mid position from the heat. Grill until cooked, about 4–5 minutes total, turning them over at 2–2½ minutes.
5. Remove from skewers and serve hot garnished with lime wedges.
NUTRITION SCORE (per serving)
376 calories
Fat 27 g
(8 g saturated)
Carbs 5 g
Protein 27 g
Fiber 1 g
Calcium 83 mg
Iron 1.6 mg
Sodium 108 mg
How do you eat healthfully while dining out?
