PR – The Curry Lounge Launch New Healthier Menu

LOW CALORIE CURRY, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT!

NEW HEALTHY MENU FROM THE CURRY LOUNGE REVEALED

The Curry Lounge in Nottingham is launching its much awaited new menu on June 7, 2010, following its mission to cut-back on calories, in order to offer a much healthier dining experience when eating out.

Over recent years, consumers have shown greater interest in what food they eat; whether it’s organic, locally sourced, gluten-free or low in cholesterol, and have become far more health conscious as a result – hence the Curry Lounge’s extensive research, testing and year long development of its new healthy menu.

Indian food is well known for being high in calories and saturated fats, but the chefs at the restaurant, led by owner Arfan Razak, have taken a completely different approach to the way they cook their cuisine, opting for more traditional dishes.

Techniques have been adapted, with more ingredients being marinated for longer, followed by being steamed, chargrilled, tandoor-cooked or stir-fried. There’s also been a big shift towards tempering spices for longer periods, as well as removing saturated fats and using the ingredients’ own natural oils in meats and fish, so that there’s no need to add any additional oil, ghee or butter.

The low calorie results from the Curry Lounge’s dishes have been phenomenal. The chefs have switched to cholesterol-free vegetable and olive oil, and they’ve reduced the amount they use by an impressive 40 per cent.

Calorie values have been revealed at the back of the menu for all of the dishes, but diners that choose the dishes nearer the top of each section will be safe in the knowledge that they’re automatically opting for a dish with lower calories compared to the ones below.

There is also a brand new ‘healthy options’ page where diners can choose from six meals (that include a main dish, rice, salad and raita) that have a total average calorie count of only 665 calories.

A secret trial was held last week amongst customers who didn’t necessarily realise they were eating their favourite Indian dishes but with reduced calories. Feedback was excellent, as each diner felt there were increased depths of flavours, and lighter and fresh new dishes. And as a few said they noticed some dishes weren’t as spicy, Raz and his team have been tweaking the heat levels since to get the menu absolutely perfect.

“We’re really excited about our tasty new, healthier menu!” said Raz. “The lamb dishes, such as the Chef’s Korma (654 kcal) and Bhuna (755 kcal) are where we’ve had the most success in reducing the number of calories, as each are cooked with almost zero oil and use more water to keep the meat moist and ensure there’s still plenty of flavour.

“Natural oils from aromatic spices, curry leaves and specially sourced herbs from India are also used, as well as cuts of meat that are trimmed of all fat, slow-braised and some are even served on the bone.”

Other heavily reduced calorie dishes that are particularly worthy of note are the Mahi Makhni sea bass (286 kcal) and Murgh Chettinand Balti chicken (717kcal).

“It’s important to consider people’s request for healthier options when they dine in your restaurant,” added Raz. “So, by using even more traditional cooking techniques and reducing the oil and calorie content across all of our dishes, we’ve come up with a balanced menu that we’re really proud of.”

To Celebrate Raz and the team at the Curry Lounge are offering a special offer on the new menu – so why not view the menu and enjoy a great deal!