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Helping the Health of Scots
Indian takeaways are usually associated with high-fat, calorie-laden dishes, but now a successful Glasgow establishment has become the first Indian restaurant in Scotland to receive the healthyliving award. Catering in Scotland met its proprietor, and discovered that you really can have your lamb bhoona and eat it…
The menu at Balbirs contains many Scottish favourites, including Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Karahi, and you'd think from the popularity of the place that it's a typical Indian restaurant. However, the difference here is that at least 50 percent of the menu has been classed as a healthyliving choice, meaning the dishes are lower in fat, sugar and salt.
Balbirs achieved the healthyliving award by cutting out some of the less healthy practices associated with Indian cooking, including the use of ghee, a fatty butter traditionally used to cook Indian dishes. Instead, the restaurant's chefs use rapeseed oil, dry-roast or stir-fry dishes where possible, and refrain from adding food colourings. Cream and butter have also been cut from many dishes, and sugar and salt are kept to a minimum.
Proprietor Balbir Singh Sumal turned his attention to healthy eating soon after his father suffered a fatal stroke linked to blocked arteries: 'After I lost my dad I started thinking more about healthy eating and the effects of dishes full cream and butter,' he says. 'I wanted to give Scottish people the chance to enjoy good, healthy Indian food without the bagged-up feeling you often get after an Indian meal and the health risks associated with food that is high in saturated fat.'
To prepare for the award, Balbir and his colleagues applied the healthyliving principles across more than the minimum requirement of 50 percent of the menu.
Fresh vegetables are used liberally, a wide range of fish dishes is offered and a side salad is served with many main courses, whether customers request it or not.
'Even the items which aren't healthyliving choices are healthier than they were,' he adds.
And now Edinburgh's fans of Indian food can also enjoy a guilt-free take-away, after Kasbah in Marchmont received the healthyliving award. The restaurant has made its dishes considerably healthier by using olive oil instead of ghee, baking poppadums instead of frying them, and using low-fat yoghurt.
The healthyliving award is open to most food-serving outlets in Scotland, and over 375 public and private sector food outlets have already received the accolade.
To qualify, caterers need to meet a set of key criteria, which includes a commitment to providing and supporting healthier eating. For more information on how to apply, visit www.healthylivingaward.co.uk
This article has been edited from its original version. For the complete feature, please see Catering in Scotland magazine September/October 2009.
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