Curries & Sabzis

Lentil and vegetable stew with tamarind, a South Indian staple. The dal and vegetable combination keeps GI low.

Spinach and cottage cheese curry. Low GI, high protein dish. The fat from paneer slows glucose absorption.

Potato and cauliflower curry. The potato component raises the GI — the cauliflower helps balance it somewhat.

Tempered yellow dal (toor or moong) with ghee, cumin, and garlic. The most common everyday dal in Indian households.

South Indian spiced tamarind-tomato broth. Very low calorie and low GI. Excellent digestive and often served as a soup course.

Chickpea curry with deep-fried maida bread. While chole alone is low GI, the bhatura (refined flour + deep fried) makes this a high GI combination.

Smoky roasted eggplant mashed with onions, tomatoes, and spices. Very low GI, full of flavor, and one of the healthiest North Indian dishes.

Kidney bean curry served over steamed rice. The rajma's low GI and high fiber partially offsets the white rice's high GI.

Yogurt-based curry thickened with besan (gram flour). Low GI from both curd and besan. Comfort food across North and West India.

Creamy slow-cooked black lentils and kidney beans simmered with butter and cream. Low GI from high fiber and protein in the legumes.

Chickpeas simmered in a spiced onion-tomato gravy. Low GI thanks to the slow-digesting chickpeas rich in fiber and protein.

Cottage cheese cubes in a rich tomato, butter and cream gravy. Low GI as paneer adds protein and fat with minimal carbs.

Green peas and cottage cheese in a spiced tomato gravy. Low GI with protein from paneer and fiber from peas balancing the carbs.

Okra stir-fried with onions, tomatoes and spices. Very low GI as okra is low in carbs and high in soluble fiber.

Potatoes and green peas in a spiced tomato gravy. Medium GI from the potato, partly offset by fiber from peas.

A medley of seasonal vegetables in a spiced gravy. Low GI from the variety of fiber-rich, low-starch vegetables.

Kerala mixed vegetable curry with coconut, curry leaves and yogurt. Low GI from fiber-rich vegetables and healthy coconut fat.

Rajasthani curry of steamed gram-flour (besan) dumplings simmered in a spiced yogurt gravy. Besan and yogurt are both low-GI, making this a blood-sugar-friendly choice.

Punjab's beloved winter dish of slow-cooked mustard greens (often with spinach), finished with ghee. Very low GI and rich in fiber, iron and antioxidants.

A Gujarati winter mixed-vegetable casserole of surti beans, yam, brinjal and methi muthia. Packed with fibrous vegetables, it has a low GI despite its richness.

A spicy Maharashtrian curry of sprouted moth beans (usal) topped with farsan and served with pav. The sprouts are low-GI and protein-rich, but the pav adds refined-flour carbs.

A Kerala dry stir-fry of finely chopped vegetables (cabbage, beans or carrot) with grated coconut and curry leaves. Low in carbs and high in fiber, it is excellent for blood sugar.

A Hyderabadi curry of mild green chilies in a tangy peanut, sesame and coconut gravy, usually served with biryani. The nut-and-seed base keeps the GI low.

Small brinjals simmered in a Hyderabadi peanut, sesame and coconut gravy. Low in carbs and rich in healthy fats and fiber, making it gentle on blood sugar.

A lightly spiced Bengali mixed-vegetable medley with bitter gourd, drumstick and milk, traditionally eaten at the start of a meal. Low in carbs and rich in fiber.

A Bengali favourite of potatoes cooked in a ground poppy-seed (posto) paste with mustard oil and green chilies. The potato gives it a medium GI despite the poppy seeds.

A light Odia dish of mixed vegetables (pumpkin, brinjal, beans, potato) lightly cooked with minimal spices and a touch of milk. High in fiber and low in carbs.

An Odia dish of soft-cooked brinjal in a lightly spiced yogurt gravy tempered with mustard and curry leaves. Low in carbs and rich in probiotics from the curd.

A tangy, spicy Tamil tamarind gravy with sundried vegetables (manathakkali or sundakkai vathal), no coconut and very little oil. Low in carbohydrate and big on flavour.

A Tamil semi-thick dish of vegetables (bottle gourd, chow chow or spinach) simmered with moong or toor dal and a mild coconut-cumin paste. High in fiber and plant protein.

A Tamil dry dish of beans or cluster beans tossed with crumbled, steamed and sautéed lentils (toor and chana dal). Very high in protein and fiber with a low glycemic impact.

A delicate Kerala dish of ash gourd and cowpea (red beans) simmered gently in thin coconut milk with green chillies. Low in carbs, light and naturally low-GI.

A Kerala curry of mashed pumpkin and cowpea (or yam) finished with a roasted coconut tempering. Fiber-rich and moderately low-GI, a sadya favourite.

An iconic Rajasthani dry dish of desert berries (ker) and beans (sangri) cooked with spices and yogurt. Extremely high in fiber with a very low glycemic impact.

A Maharashtrian dry dish of gram flour (besan) cooked with onions, garlic and spices, traditionally eaten with jowar or bajra bhakri. The chickpea-flour base is protein-rich and low-GI.