Going Paleo has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life. It has helped me achieve a “better” version of myself. I love Indian food and created the Indian inspired Paleo Recipes!
Crazy as this may sound, losing weight and being healthy has helped me in other aspects of my life such as work, love, and parenting.
I grew up all over South East Asia and these cuisines rely heavily on carbs and dairy. That’s why I really struggled when I started my Paleo ‘journey’. That is, until I learned a few simple tweaks to classic recipes to make them Paleo!
I am honoured that Wendy and her team have allowed me to put together a collection of Paleo Indian recipes for you, their readers. I have handpicked these so that there is something for everyone.
I have included a great starter, a beef, chicken, lamb, and fish main. A vegetarian side dish which can also be a main, a “rice” dish, a ‘bread’ recipe and a dessert
Without further ado, I hope you enjoy my collection of 9 Delicious Paleo Indian Recipes!
PS – Are you looking for more FREE Paleo Indian recipes? Subscribe on my website www.paleodiet4beginners.com to receive all these recipes at no cost to you.
PPS – You will also get early bird access to a series of Paleo recipe books that I will be rolling out in the next 12 months, so I am super excited!
1) Paleo Chicken Tikka
A Paleofied version of the fan favorite Indian Chicken Tikka.
Recipe takes around 13 minutes to Prep and Pickup and serves 4 (requires Marination)
Ingredients
- 215 g Coconut milk yoghurt
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 750 g chicken breast
- 1 onion sliced (garnish)
- 2 tomatoes (quartered for garnish)
- 4 lemon twists (garnish)
Recipe
- Mix all ingredients (except garnish and chicken) in a large bowl
- Cut chicken into cubes and drop into the bowl. Cover and leave in a fridge to marinate overnight
- Thread chicken onto skewers (divide amongst 4 skewers)
- Cook on a preheated hot grill for 6 minutes (turning frequently)
- Garnish and serve
2) Beef Curry with Sweet Potatoes
This is one mean paleo Indian curry and is awesome as a great side dish. I just love the taste of slow cooked beef and this could even be a main curry
Recipe takes around 90 minutes to Prep and Pickup and serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 onions (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 ½ tbsp coriander powder
- 5 cm piece ginger (chopped)
- 750 g stewing steak (cubed)
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- Salt
- 350 g sweet potatoes
- 4 green chillies
Recipe
- Heat oil in a large pan and fry onions till lightly coloured
- Add the garlic, spices and ginger and cook for around 5 minutes. Take care to add water if mixture turns dry.
- Add beef and cook till browned all over. Next add the tomato puree, salt and just enough water to cover the meat. Stir, bring to a boil, cover and cook till meat is tender. This takes around an hour.
- Next add the sweet potatoes, chilies and simmer till potatoes are cooked., This takes a further 15 minutes.
3) Lamb Curry with Coconut
A hearty, comforting and beautifully spiced lamb dish that has just the right amount of creaminess brought by the coconut.
Recipe takes around 90 minutes to Prep and Pickup and serves 4
Ingredients
- ½ a Coconut (grated flesh)
- 4 dried red chillies
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 5 cm ginger (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 4 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 4 curry leaves
- 750 g lamb (cubed)
- 227 g canned tomatoes
- Salt
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander (chopped, garnish)
Recipe
- Heat coconut, chillies, cumin, coriander and poppy seeds in a dry pan for 1 minute.
- Blend using an electric blender, the mitre from the pan along with peppercorns, ginger, garlic, turmeric and lemon juice. Blend all this into a smooth paste.
- Now, heat the oil in a pan and fry onions until soft. Add curry leaves and the paste from above and fry for a further 5 minutes.
- Add lamb and cook whilst stirring for 5 minutes. Now introduce tomatoes and some salt (to taste) and bring to simmering point. Cover and cook till meat is tender. This takes me around 1 hour.
- Garnish with fresh coriander. Serve and Enjoy!
4) Chicken Korma
A traditional, mild North Indian dish that is now Paleofied thanks to a few small tweaks but with the same great flavor.
Recipe takes around 48 minutes to Prep and Pickup and serves 4 (requires Marination)
Ingredients
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- Small piece of ginger (chopped)
- 2 green chillies (chopped)
- 4 x 3 finger pinches coriander
- 2 x 3 finger pinches salt
- 50 g almonds
- 750 g chicken (pieces)
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- Small sprinkle of cardamoms
- Small sprinkle of cloves
- Small cinnamon stick
- 150 g coconut milk yoghurt
- Small pinch of saffron (soaked in hot water)
- A few sprinkles of chopped coriander (garnish)
Recipe
- Chop one of the onions, throw into a blender with garlic, ginger, chillies, coriander, salt, some water and half of the almonds. Blend till smooth.
- Use This mixture to marinate the chicken for about an hour.
- Now chop the second onion and fry in oil until soft. Throw in cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon.
- Now add the chicken and marinade from (2) and fry till it starts turning dry.
- Add the yogurt bit by bit till it gets fully absorbed and incorporated. COver and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Add water if it gets too dry.
- Now take the remaining almonds and saffron and blend till smooth and introduced into the chicken that is simmering.
- Garnish with coriander, serve and enjoy!
5) Fish Molee
The fish version of this South Indian favourite! I love this spiced fish in a creamy coconut sauce and it’s so easy to make in literally half an hour.
Recipe takes around 30 minutes to Prep and Pickup and serves 4
Ingredients
- 750 g cod fillet
- 4 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 onions (sliced)
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 2 x 3 finger pinches turmeric
- 4 green chillies (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 175 ml coconut milk
- Salt
Recipe
- Cut the fish into 4 large pieces. Fry in heated oil on both sides for a couple of minutes each. Set aside.
- Fry onion and garlic till soft and golden.
- Add chillies, turmeric, lemon juice, coconut milk, salt and simmer uncovered for around 10 minutes. This will be thick.Add the fish set aside from (1) and cook gently till tender. This takes around 3 minutes.
6) Sweet Potato with Mustard Seeds
What a delightful combination of sweet potato and mustard seeds! This is my Paleo twist to the Indian classic Sookhi Aloo. This dish is ideal as a side dish or even stand alone as a vegetarian main dish.
Recipe takes around 30 minutes to Prep and Pickup and serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 x 3 finger pinches mustard seeds
- 2 x 3 finger pinches turmeric
- 2 green chillies (chopped)
- 500 g sweet potato (diced and boiled)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt
Recipe
- Heat oil in frying pan and then fry mustard seeds till they pop.
- When they begin to pop, stir in the turmeric and chillies and cook for a few seconds.
- Add sweet potato and stir well to mix.
- Add lemon juice and salt, stir and heat through.
- Serve and enjoy!
7) Paleo Pilau “Rice”
Pilau rice is an essential part of any Indian curry feast. Walk into any Indian restaurant, take away and Pilau rice is the featured side dish which is why I missed it so much when I first went Paleo. After a lot of trial and error, this is ,my perfect Paleo Indian Pilau “rice” recipe.
Recipe takes around 20 minutes to Prep and Pickup and serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- Small cinnamon stick
- Small sprinkle cloves
- Small sprinkle cardamoms
- 1 onion (sliced)
- 750 g cauliflower rice
- Optional stock cube (if no vegetarians to serve)
Recipe
- Fry cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves in heated oil in a large casserole dish.
- Add onion and fry til golden
- Add rice to pan and fry gently for around 8 minutes. Crush stock cube here if using.
- Optional – you can make this into a vegetable pilau by adding some peas and carrots to the pan just after step 2
8) Paleo Naan
Naan breads are by far the most popular accompaniments in Indian cuisine. Walk into any Indian restaurant and you will find Naan breads on the menu without fail. It is an Indian flatbread that is cooked in a Tandoor oven. It’s fluffy and crisp on the outside with a soft centre. This relies on the flour which is why making this paleo was a challenge, but this works!
Recipe takes around 30 minutes to Prep and Pickup and serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 2 cups coconut milk
- Salt
Recipe
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Separate into 4 portions
- Cook each portion on a non stick pan on medium heat until it starts getting firmed up. Flip and cook the other side
- Put in an oven at 400 F for 15 minutes if you want crispy naans. Enjoy!
9) Paleo Barfi
I don’t eat desserts these days but as a child I remember Barfi was my favourite. All this contained was milk and sugar with nuts or spices and this goodness was one of my favourites. Today I will share with you how to make a Paleo version of the Barfi.
Recipe takes around 75 minutes to Prep and Pickup and serves 10
Ingredients
- 400 ml coconut milk
- ½ tbsp coconut sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 100g desiccated coconut
- 2 x 3 finger pinches cardamom powder
Recipe
- Boil coconut milk in a pan.
- Drop the heat to very low and throw in the coconut sugar and the maple syrup and leave on for about an hour making sure you whisk frequently. The result is a thick syrup.
- Add in all the other ingredients and mix until you get a sticky mixture.
- Blend till mixture is smooth. This takes around 5 minutes.
- Next, put the mixture to set in a fridge or freezer on a lined baking tray
- Serve and enjoy!
What are your thoughts on this? Would love to hear from you in the comments below?
PS – Are you looking for more FREE Paleo Indian recipes? Subscribe on my website www.paleodiet4beginners.com to receive all these recipes at no cost to you.
PPS – You will also get early bird access to a series of Paleo recipe books that I will be rolling out in the next 12 months, So I am super excited!
