Udupi!

O.K. So I have to apologize because it's been way to long since I've blogged. I hope I haven't lost the few readers I've accumulated. Anyhow, I tried a vegetarian Indian restaurant this week called Udupi, and it's a spot I have been meaning to try for a long time. My friend Tina(fellow foodie)

and I went in blindly, which is usually not the way I roll. Also, although our waiter was extremely polite and gracious, there was a huge language barrier. This is not good because I tend to order like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally- lots of questions. So I think our waiter assumed I was your typical fried-food-loving American. He offered to bring us a platter of various, popular appetizers. They were all deep-fried and admittedly tasty, but not healthy-blog-friendly. One of the fried items resembled a hockey puck. It was black and had a crispy outer layer but was sweet and bright PURPLE on the inside. I imagine this was beets, but again, I had trouble getting a description from the waiter.

I ended up ordering Malia Kofta, which is a dumpling made of potatoes, carrots and peas. It came in a delicious and mild saffron sauce made from cashews. It was extremely rich. So, I guess the title of this post could be labeled, "Do as I say and not as I do..."

After I left, I did some research on eating healthy at Indian restaurants. The following are some rules of thumb you should follow if you are trying to watch calories and fat.

Key words to look for are:

"Tandoori"- baked or grilled

"Vindaloo"- red, spicy sauce

"Daal"- lentils which are low-fat and rich in vitamins and fiber

"Parantha"- Whole wheat bread

"Raita"- A tasty yogurt-based condiment which balances out the spicy sauces

Key words to avoid:

"malai"- means cream

"makhani or "ghee"- means butter

"pakora"- deep fried fritter

Overall our experience was great! By nature, Indian is naturally good vegetarian fare. The rich and exotic sauces and spices used in Indian cuisine make you forget that meat is missing from the dish. The only thing I was missing was some Indian friends to help me translate.