Healthier curries for Bupa David Lange Care Home residents
When it comes to curry dishes, the Bupa David Lange Care Home kitchen staff have found innovative new ways to provide variety and healthy alternatives at meal times.
Trialling new plant based, chicken, and egg curries has meant the care home cuisine is providing significantly healthier meal options for residents.
Bupa David Lange Care Home Kitchen Manager Hakan Yuksel says the difference between the menu now compared to three years ago is considerable.
“We have introduced vegetarian curry options that were never there before. We’ve also been able to widen the range from the normal red meat curries like pork and beef that were served by saying to ourselves ‘why don’t we mix it up’,” Hakan says.
Each week Hakan sits down with his Sous-Chef Shalin Dixit to plan the menu the week in advance and says sampling flavours and the feedback from residents and their families has helped.
Recent feedback from a resident was a request for a plain, healthier yoghurt to be served with their curries, to which the team was more than happy to oblige.
Hakan, who is celebrating four years in his role as kitchen manager, says not only has his Indian menu range expanded but also his knowledge.
“I’ve learnt that egg curries in India are considered to be meat and so are accepted as a dinner meal option and not just lunch”.
Bupa David Lange Care Home, located in Mangere East, has a growing population of residents of Indian descent and is one of 48 Bupa care homes, 34 retirement villages, and 7 rehabilitation sites across New Zealand. Bupa David Lange Care Home resident Balkrishan Madan says he enjoys the healthier curries.
“I really like the flavours and the variety. Some are different to what I traditionally used to have but I like the change because they taste good,” Balkrishnan says.
