India Herbs

Publication: Times Online

Author: Amanda Ursell

Date: 20 January, 2007

Nutritious but delicious eating out at the Quilon Restaurant
 
Sriram Aylur, the head chef of the Quilon, an Indian restaurant in Central London, has devised a special Ayurvedic set menu (£25) for the first two months of this year.
“My customers want to eat healthily, so I planned the menu for them,” he says.
Rather than have an Ayurvedic doctor on site, diagnosing what type of “dosha” or body type you are, the menu is simply a general introduction to Ayurvedic food, an ancient Indian healing way of eating. “It’s designed to create a sense of overall balance, which benefits everyone,” says Aylur. “You can apply the rules of this menu to any Indian restaurant menu, by choosing a similar balance between vegetable dishes and carbohydrates.”

Nutritious but delicious eating out at the Quilon Restaurant Sriram Aylur, the head chef of the Quilon, an Indian restaurant in Central London, has devised a special Ayurvedic set menu (£25) for the first two months of this year.“My customers want to eat healthily, so I planned the menu for them,” he says.Rather than have an Ayurvedic doctor on site, diagnosing what type of “dosha” or body type you are, the menu is simply a general introduction to Ayurvedic food, an ancient Indian healing way of eating. “It’s designed to create a sense of overall balance, which benefits everyone,” says Aylur. “You can apply the rules of this menu to any Indian restaurant menu, by choosing a similar balance between vegetable dishes and carbohydrates.”He believes that the English tendency to make fat-rich choices, such as chicken korma served with rice and naan bread, prevents Indian food from being as healthy as it could be.
STARTER

The menu begins with spiced yam and green pea cakes. They are small and tasty, with the yam giving energy and the peas some immune-boosting vitamin C.

MAIN

Next comes baked grouper with mustard. The serving is modest because Aylur believes that we cannot digest more than 30g of protein in a meal and the grouper is baked without oil. The mustard seeds are good for sore throats. The fish is served with a largish bowl of stir-fried snake gourd. Both snake gourd and bitter gourd have been found to help lower blood sugar levels, making them especially useful for people with diabetes. They are also good for vitamin C and are easily digested.
SIDE DISHES
Side dishes of okra with peppers are included to add potassium to help to balance blood pressure. Spinach and lentils are served to give extra-slow-release energy and iron, which is also good for energy levels. A small bowl of Khichdi, a dish of rice and lentils, provides vitamin B for a healthy nervous system (this dish can be eaten as a main meal by vegetarians because it is so well balanced in its own right). Most of the dishes contain a pinch of turmeric, a spice rich in the supernutrient curcumin, which has been linked to having protective anti-cancer effects. The main course also includes a small chapati, made with wholemeal flour for extra roughage. 

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