Chinese recipes

Let me guess. It's Friday night, everyone at home wants Chinese, and you're sitting there with a sad salad thinking, "There goes my diet." Or you give in, order the chilli paneer and Hakka noodles, and then spend Saturday feeling guilty about it.

I want you to hear this clearly: Chinese food is not the problem. I grew up on my mom's chilli chicken, and I still eat it. I've helped thousands of women lose weight while eating noodles, fried rice and Manchurian. The difference is how it's made and how much of it lands on your plate.

No food is "bad". It's the portion, the oil and the way it's cooked that decide whether it fits into your fat loss or not.

Why the takeaway version and the home version aren't the same dish

Most of the extra calories in restaurant Chinese don't come from the chicken or the vegetables. They come from three places: deep frying, the oil in the wok, and thick, sugary sauces. Just one tablespoon of oil is roughly 120 calories, and a restaurant kitchen isn't measuring it for you.

Here's what changes when you cook it yourself:

Same flavours. Same craving satisfied. A fraction of the calories.

The three rules that let you eat what you love

1. Make it a little healthierNot "diet food". Just a few smart swaps: less oil, more vegetables, more protein, and sauces you make yourself. Your family won't even notice the difference, I promise.
2. Make it at homeWhen you cook, you control everything that goes into the pan. That's the whole secret. Most of my Chinese recipes are ready in 20 to 30 minutes, which is faster than delivery on a busy night.
3. Count itThis is what makes it work. When you know your daily calorie target and how many calories are on your plate, you can fit in noodles, fried rice or chilli chicken and still lose weight. Not sure what your number is? Use my free fat loss macro and calorie calculator.

Your home-style Chinese menu

Here are all my Chinese recipes in one place. Each one is lighter than the restaurant version and packed with flavour. Tap any dish to open the full recipe.

Craving manchow, hot and sour soup or chopsuey?

These are easy to make lighter at home, too.

Manchow and hot and sour soup: Load them with finely chopped vegetables, use just enough cornflour to thicken, and add tofu, egg or shredded chicken so the soup actually keeps you full. With manchow, the crispy fried noodles on top are where most of the calories hide, so skip them or keep it to a small sprinkle.

Chopsuey: Make the vegetable and protein sauce the star, and serve it over a small portion of boiled or lightly toasted noodles instead of a big pile of fried ones. Use my homemade chilli sauce in place of bottled sauces to cut the sugar.

A bowl of soup before your stir fry is also a great way to fill up on fewer calories.

This is how our clients lose weight

Everything above is exactly what we teach on our programs. No food lists of "never eat this", no starving, no cooking separate meals for yourself. Over 27,000 people in 160+ countries have transformed their health with Nurrish, and they did it eating real food.

"We can eat whatever we want but with portion control. In fact this lifestyle change has helped my small family a lot." Pooja, lost 10 kgs in 3 months with Nurrish

If you're ready to stop dieting and start eating smart, here's where to start:

So go ahead, make that chilli chicken tonight. Just make it at home, make it a little lighter, and count it. That's how you eat what you love and still see the scale move.

With love,
Sim