Curry uses a blend of herbs and spices which flavours the food without adding extra salt.

However, it is recommended that you use a heart-healthy oil for cooking, such as canola or olive oil, and replace part of the coconut milk or cream with low- fat milk or yogurt.

Some studies show that turmeric and curcumin, commonly found in curries, have benefits such as reducing irritable bowel symptoms and inflammation.

Turmeric is derived from the underground stems of the plant Curcuma longa, a member of the ginger family. Curcumin is a substance in turmeric.

However, more studies need to be conducted.

Both pork and chicken are a good source of protein.

Remove all visible fat and skin from the chicken and choose only lean cuts of pork. They both contain comparable calories and protein content, but the zinc content in pork tenderloin is double that in a chicken breast.

For example, 100g of pork tenderloin has 143kcal, 26g of protein and 2.6mg of zinc, while the same amount of chicken breast has 165kcal, 31g of protein and 1mg of zinc.

This recipe is high in protein and fibre.

Each serving of the dish gives us 19 per cent of our daily protein requirement and 28 per cent of our daily fibre requirement.

This recipe can be made healthier by adding different coloured vegetables to give us different phytochemicals.

The pork collar can be replaced by a healthier choice of meat such as pork tenderloin or chicken breast to reduce the intake of saturated fat.

Bibi Chia

Principal dietitian, Raffles Diabetes and Endocrine Centre