Sidhartha Mallya follows this mantra as do Hollywood’s first family — Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. The mantra of carb-free dinners is what we are getting at. Chef Vvivek Salunkhe of Skyye Bar, UB City reveals, “Sidhartha Mallya almost always orders for grilled chicken whenever he comes here. And while he eats a lot of grilled chicken, he absolutely avoids rice.” Celebrities aside, have fitness-conscious Bangaloreans taken a fancy to a carb-free dinner plan to watch the pounds? It is a categorical yes from popular chefs in the city. Chef Naren Thimmaiah of the Gateway Hotel attributes this trend of diet-consciousness to greater awareness.

He says, “Earlier, healthy food was synonymous with bland, un-fried, tasteless food, a reason why people didn’t take to it much. Those days dieting was a fad” he says and reckons that today, “with greater awareness, people have realised that following a healthy diet is essential.” Offering an instance, he says “While earlier, one didn’t know about the logic behind fasting, today easy access to information gives one the scientific reasons behind it,” he says. As a mindful eater, the chef reveals his eating rule: heavy breakfast, normal lunch and very light dinner.” He explains: “While daytime metabolism and being active in the day ensure that your breakfast gets digested quickly, lower metabolism at night justifies going for a light dinner.”

Other Bangaloreans might be prescribing to a similar logic. For instance, Chef Nimish Bhatia of The Lalit Ashok is seeing a perceptible change in the eating pattern of Bangaloreans. He says, “The preference for carb-free dinners is growing to a certain extent. Diners today want low-carb, high-protein dishes, for both lunch and dinner.” “They are eating shorter meals over the day. The portion-size is getting smaller,” is another observation of his. And if the chef is to be believed, it is the soup and salad section in the buffet that’s getting popular. And what’s more, diners avoid bread and thick soups, opting instead for the clearer varieties!

Customising menus
For most of the leading hotels and restaurants,changing dietary preferences of the clientele means changing the menus to suit their needs. Here, the hotels seem to have gone one step ahead. As Chef Naren Thimmaiah says, “Around 90 to 95 per cent of our clientele are 25- 35 years old business travellers who travel for 18 or 20 days a month. Now, while they may be aware of the need to eat healthy et al, time constraints don’t give them the privilege to do so.” That’s a reason why the hotel’s adopted the ‘Active food’ concept. The Active food concept focuses on the ingredients that go into a dish, instead of the cooking style. Foods that are low on starch, high on anti-oxidants and foods that have low glycemic levels go into making a dish.

Skyye’s Vvivek Salunkhe might not exactly have diet-conscious diners streaming in. He points out: “Most of the people who come to Skyye bar have had their drinks and are already high on carbs. I haven’t come across a single guest who asks for help with a no-carb menu.” While that may be the case, Vvivek says that while designing the menu, he consciously decided to have more grilled, low-fat, steamed items. So, while you won’t find French fries in the menu, steamed peanuts and corn in olive oil with cayenne-pepper will certainly be on offer.

Incidentally, supermodel Elle McPherson too credits her flat board abs to following a carb-free dinner. Some food for thought, that?

Recipes for a Carb-free dinner

Mediterranean grilled vegetable platter

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
Zucchini – 200 gm
Yellow squash – 200 gm
Red pepper – 100 gm
Green pepper – 100 gm
Yellow pepper – 100 gm
Mushroom – 100 gm
Egg plant -200 gm
Cherry tomato – 100 gm
Broccoli – 200 gm
Olive oil – 30 ml
Basil shredded – 20 gm
Garlic -30 gm
Balsamic vinegar – 20ml
Salt – to taste
Pepper – 10 gm
Pesto sauce – 30 gm
Basil leaves – few

Method
1. Cut zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant in to thick slices, peppers in to triangles and broccoli in to florets
2. Marinate all the vegetables with basil, garlic, balsamic, salt, pepper and olive oil
3. Grill on a hot griddle till cooked
4. Arrange in a plate and serve garnished with pesto drizzles and basil leaves

Poached fish with spinach & tomato mushroom broth

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
Mushroom – 250 gm
Leeks white and light green parts sliced – 50 gm
Chopped onion – 30 gm
Chopped ginger – 10 gm
Garlic finely chopped – 20 gm
Tomato blanched and chopped – 50 gm
Olive oil – 25 ml
Vegetable stock – 750 ml
Salt – to taste
Poached Fish
Fish fillet (90 gm each)
Ginger julienne – 40 gm
Carrot julienne – 40 gm
Celery julienne – 40 gm
Salt – to taste
Pepper – 5 gm
Lime juice – 10 ml
Spinach base
Olive oil – 15 ml
Garlic – 15 gm
Spinach leaves (cleaned) – 100 gm
Salt – to taste
Dill sprig (for garnish)

Method
1.Trim and discard mushroom stems. Slice caps and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan sautés leek, onion, garlic ginger with little oil. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until very soft. Add mushrooms and tomato to the stock. Bring to a gentle boil, season with salt, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Marinate the fish with salt, pepper and juliennes of ginger carrot and celery and pour little broth and poach till done.
4. Sauté garlic in olive oil, add spinach, sauté till wilted .Drain the excess water season with salt.
5. Arrange the fish in deep dish over spinach and pour more mushroom broth over the fish garnish with julienne vegetables from the fish.

Recipe courtesy – The Gateway Hotel
source: http://www.dnaindia.com / Home> Lifestyle> Report / by Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran / Bangalore / DNA / Tuesday, October 11th, 2011