Estimating the nutrient composition of South Asian foods using a recipe calculation method

Ten authentic and modified South Asian foods were prioritised from commonly-consumed foods in the UK [puri (white), puri (brown), aloo palak, Bengali chicken and potato curry, Bengali prawn bhuna, Pakistani zarda, rasmalai, chicken bhuna, aloo Bombay and lamb kebab] to estimate their nutrient composition. The recipe calculation procedure included additional parameters of water loss and fat uptake. Calculation of the recipes indicated loss of water (up to 24%) in all the dishes during cooking. Both types of puris had high levels of fat uptake during cooking [up to 18.4 g per 100 g of puri]. For most nutrients the calculated values exceeded those found by analysis. Differences between calculated and analytical data were smallest for protein, fat and carbohydrate. Other nutrients were less well estimated between calculated and analysed data especially for fibre, sodium, vitamin C, D, thiamin and riboflavin.