WE TALK ALL THINGS DELICIOUS WITH THE HEALTHIEST INDIAN RESTAURANT IN BRISBANE
We bet you didn’t know that 2016 is the United Nations International Year of Pulses. In fact, we bet you don’t even know what pulses are, or why you should be eating them. But there’s one restaurant in town that knows the value of a good lentil curry or chickpea flour and that’s It’s Mirchi.
The only Indian Restaurant in Brisbane that you can pig out on your favourite butter chicken and naan bread without that regretful guilty feeling afterwards, It’s Mirchi pride themselves on dishing up the healthiest Indian food in town, with sugar free, gluten free, nut free and dairy free options for all. Chef and owner Urvashi is pretty stoked that 2016 is all about one of their favourite ingredients, so we had a chat to her about why pulses should be on your plate next time you feel like curry.
Describe what it is It’s Mirchi does so well, and don’t be modest.
We make delicious, traditional Indian cuisine that caters to all kinds of food intolerances. Coeliacs, vegetarians, vegans, people with dairy intolerances and even sugar and nut free diners – there’s something on our menu for everyone.
How did it all come about?
It all started when I struggled to dine out with my son, who is dairy intolerant. It’s much easier now, but then I wanted to be able to provide a menu that had delicious food for any allergy.
With curries and foods that are gluten free, dairy free, and even sugar free – how do you make It’s Mirchi’s dishes taste so amazing?
Traditional Indian food doesn’t naturally have these ingredients anyway so it’s quite easy to create amazing flavours with spices and the help of some salt and honey. People think of Indian food as very heavy and fatty, but that’s not the case. It’s not all about fat, oil and cream, it’s about adding flavour with rich spices and natural flavours.
Do you have a signature dish or something you just enjoy cooking?
Our seafood curry – Keral Fish Curry. Cooked with fresh ginger, garlic, chilli, curry leaves and coconut oil, it’s one of our most popular curries!
This year is the International Year of the Pulses – why are they in the spotlight?
Pulses are so easy to cook but they are high in nutrition, easy to digest and fill you up with hardly any effort at all, whether in a salad, curry or on their own. They’re also inexpensive, sustainable and environmentally friendly to grow – it’s about time they were in the spotlight really!
We’ve bean wondering…. what exactly are pulses?
Pulses include lentils, chickpeas, dried peas and beans like kidney beans, black beans and pinto beans.
Why should we get more of them into our diet?
They are an amazing superfood, full of fibre, iron and protein – so they are great for vegetarians or just cutting down on the meat in your diet, which is better for the environment.
What’s your favourite way to use (and eat!) them?
They are easy to add to any dishes, but I like to use them in salads and curries. Chickpeas are even great just to snack on on their own. And you can never go past a good lentil dahl – especially in winter.
Do you have a favourite pulse?
Black chickpeas are my favourite!
What dish should we sample at It’s Mirchi to get ourselves addicted to pulses?
Daal Saagwal – it’s one of our vegan curries with lots of spinach and lentils.
Urvashi Patel | It’s Mirchi