I got a quick meal at Shree Gupta Bhavan.
It’s the kind of joint with a menu longer and more diverse than the country.
I usually avoid these places since the hygiene can be iffy. And they’re far too generous with the ghee, butter and oil. But stingy with the veggies. And the veggies they serve are overcooked or over salted.
But i had to make do in a pinch.
First up avoid the chat and the gravies. Too many variables. Too much hidden fat. And overcooked veggies. Not to mention too little of it.
Not thalis. Too little of too many things. Except the rice and rotis.
The South Indian idli/dosa fare was just a thali sans the greasy, inadequate veggies.
That left me with the tandoor. There’s a mushroom skewer and paneer tikka.
My first request: could the brush of butter or oil on the skewers be skipped? He said yes.
So i ordered a paneer tikka and a mushroom tikka. There was a little paneer stuffed into the mushroom caps.
More importantly no roti, rice or potatoes.
Of the 500-700 calories from the 150-200 grams of paneer, 80 percent is from fat and 20 percent from protein. So there’s no shortage of energy in this meal.
There’s a decent bit of fiber from the mushrooms.
This isn’t about the ideal meal. To make this meal more ideal, we would use a low fat paneer, some more vegetables and a nice low fat yoghurt by the side.
This is about how to adjust your plate when you’re constrained in your choices.