11 Indian Keto Recipes For Beginners
Are you looking for keto recipes for beginners?
You have come to the right place! Keto diets are essentially diets that contain low carb but high fats and protein percentage to help your body burn fats.
With keto, you will consume less starchy carbs such as rice, noodles or pasta and substitute it with healthy fats such as avocado, butter, cheese, and protein such as seafood, meat, and chicken.
Let’s take a look at these easy 11 Indian keto recipes for beginners!
11 Indian Keto Recipes For Beginners
- Butter Chicken
- Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
- Fish Curry with Coconut Milk
- Prawn or Squid Curry with Coconut Milk
- Eggplant Soup
- Cucumber Raita
- Tandoori Chicken
- Bean Sprout and Tofu Sothi
- Chicken Soup Indian Style
- Flatbread with Coconut Flour (Roti)
Indian recipes mostly utilize a lot of healthy fats like coconut oil and ghee which makes it perfect to be use in making keto recipes for beginners. Contrary to many perception, Indian food is an excellent choice for those following a keto diet because we uses a lot of veggies, meat like mutton, chicken and seafood in our dish and healthy fats that is perfect for maintaining ketosis.
Let’s dive more into the 11 Indian keto recipes for beginners that you can make to maintain your diet below.
2. Butter Chicken
Ingredients for Chicken Marinate
- 500g of chicken breast (cut into bite size pieces)
- ½ cup of yogurt or curd (you can use greek yogurt)
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp kesuri methi (dried fenugreek leave)
- Salt to taste
Ingredients for Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 large onion (sliced thinly)
- 3 pieces of cardamom
- 2 tomatoes (pureed or canned)
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- ½ cup water (adjust for consistency)
- Salt and blackpepper to taste
Directions
- Marinate your chicken for about 20 – 30 minutes
- In a saucepan, add in butter, ghee, onion, cardamom, ginger-garlic paste and stir until fragrance
- Add in tomatoes, red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and coconut milk and stir well. Once it’s bubbling, add in chicken.
- Adjust the consistency with some water and add salt and black pepper to taste
- Once chicken is cook, serve up!
3. Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 500g of chicken (cut however you like)
- 1 tbsp ghee and 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 – 3 cups of water
- 1 red onion (sliced thinly)
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- Few curry leaves or bay leaves
- 2 tomatoes diced small
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 ½ tbsp curry powder for meat
- 1 pc cinnamon stick
- 3-5 pcs cardamon
- 3-5 pcs star anise
- 3-5 pcs cloves
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- Salt and blackpepper to taste
Directions
- In a pan, add the ghee and coconut oil on low heat
- Add in onion, ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves or bay leaves, tomatoes diced small, cinnamon stick, cardamon , star anise, cloves and stir well until tomatoes soften.
- Add curry powder for meat, garam masala, turmeric powder, and stir until you see oil rises above the paste. If you don’t see this, it’s best to add a bit more oil. This process helps to get a deeper depth of flavor with your curry.
- Then, add in chicken and stir for a bit until chicken is well coated. Then add in water, coconut milk, salt, black pepper and taste.
- Cook chicken for 15 minutes (depending on your chicken size) and serve.
4. Fish Curry with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 3 – 4 pcs of fish of your choice
- ½ of mixed halva(fenugreek seed, cumin seed, mustard seed, and fennel seed
- 1 tbsp ghee and 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 – 3 cups of water
- 1 red onion (sliced thinly)
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- Few curry leaves or bay leaves
- 2 tomatoes diced
- Eggplant cut small (optional)
- 2 ½ tbsp curry powder for seafood
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- Salt and blackpepper to taste
Directions
- In a pan, add the ghee and coconut oil on low heat
- Add in onion, ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves or bay leaves, tomatoes diced small, mixed halva and stir well until tomatoes soften.
- Add curry powder for meat, garam masala, turmeric powder, and stir until you see oil rises above the paste. If you don’t see this, it’s best to add a bit more oil. This process helps to get a deeper depth of flavor with your curry.
- Then add in water, coconut milk, salt, black pepper.
- Then, add in fish, and eggplant and stir for a bit until fish is well coated.
- Once fish is cook, serve with coriander as garnish.
5. Prawn or Squid Curry with Coconut Milk
- 500g of prawns or squid cleaned
- ½ of mixed halva(fenugreek seed, cumin seed, mustard seed, and fennel seed
- 1 tbsp ghee and 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 – 3 cups of water
- 1 red onion (sliced thinly)
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- Few curry leaves or bay leaves
- 2 tomatoes diced
- Eggplant cut small (optional)
- 2 ½ tbsp curry powder for seafood
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- Salt and blackpepper to taste
Directions
- In a pan, add the ghee and coconut oil on low heat
- Add in onion, ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves or bay leaves, tomatoes diced small, mixed halva and stir well until tomatoes soften.
- Add curry powder for meat, garam masala, turmeric powder, and stir until you see oil rises above the paste. If you don’t see this, it’s best to add a bit more oil. This process helps to get a deeper depth of flavor with your curry.
- Then add in water, coconut milk, salt, black pepper.
- Then, add in prawns or seafood, and eggplant and stir for a bit until seafood is well coated.
Once seafood is cook, serve with coriander as garnish.
6. Eggplant Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants (cut small)
- 2 tbsp of coconut oil
- ½ of mixed halva(fenugreek seed, cumin seed, mustard seed, and fennel seed
- 1 red onions
- Few green or red chili based on your preference.
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ water (if needed)
- Salt and blackpepper to taste
Directions
- In a large pot of boiling water, boil the eggplants until the skin turns brown and soften. This should take around 5 – 10 minutes.
- Once soften, add the eggplant into a blender with the chili and blend for a few second with some of the water used to boil the eggplant.
- Once everything is blended, in a pot, add coconut oil and mixed halva and stir for a few second
- Add the blended eggplant with ½ tsp turmeric powder, salt and blackpepper and stir. You don’t need to cook this long as the eggplant is already cooked. If you prefer looser consistency, add in water.
- Once everything is well combined and boiling, you can serve.
7. Cucumber Raita
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain yogurt (or Greek yogurt, whisked until smooth)
- 1 medium cucumber (peeled and grated or finely diced)
- 1 green chili (finely chopped, optional for spice)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 1–2 tbsp fresh cilantro or mint leaves (chopped)
Directions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the whisked yogurt, cucumber, green chili, cumin powder, and salt.
- Add in the cucumber and mixed well
- Taste and adjust the salt or spice level as needed
- Garnish with fresh cilantro or mint leaves and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes before serving for a refreshing taste
8. Tandoori Chicken
Ingredients
- 500g chicken thigh or legs
- 1 cup greek or plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp mustard or olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1–2 drops red food coloring , this is optional. But typically use to achieve the bright red color
Directions
- In a bowl, mixed the chicken with all the ingredients and refrigerate overnight for max or 1 -2 hours for min, to allow flavor to sip into the chicken.
- Next, preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
- Add the chicken to a sheet pan, and roast for 25–30 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through. If you have leftover marinate in a bowl, base the chicken as you turn to ensure all flavor is there.
- Broil for the last 3–5 minutes for a charred effect.
9. Bean Sprout and Tofu Sothi
Ingredients
- 1 cup bean sprouts (washed and trimmed)
- 1 block firm tofu (cubed and pan-fried until golden)
- Few curry or bay leaves
- 2 tbsp of coconut oil
- 1 red or yellow onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 green chilies (slit lengthwise)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup water (adjust for desired thickness)
- Salt to taste
Directions
- Heat oil in a pan and pan-fry the tofu cubes until golden on all sides and set aside.
- Then, in a pan, add in coconut oil, and pan fry sliced onions, garlic, ginger, and green chilies, curry leave until fragrant
- Add in the turmeric powder and saute for 30 seconds
- Next, add in coconut milk, water, and salt. Stir well and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer
- Then, add in tofu and bean sprout and cook for 5–7 minutes until the bean sprouts are tender.
- If the curry is too thick, add a little water to reach your desired consistency.
10. Chicken Soup Indian Style
Ingredients
- 500g chicken (cut into desire size)
- 1 yellow onion sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups of water
- 1 pc carrot sliced or diced according to perference
- 1 pc cinnamon stick
- 3-5 pcs cardamon
- 3-5 pcs star anise
- 3-5 pcs cloves
- 2 tbsp ginger – garlic paste
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp white pepper powder
- 1 tsp salt (adjust accordingly)
Directions
- In a pan, add in olive oil, onion , cinnamon stick, cardamon, star anise, cloves and stir until onion soften
- Add in ginger – garlic paste, carrot and chicken and mixed until well combined.
- Add in water, turmeric powder, white pepper, and salt and simmer until chicken and carrot is cook. This should take about 20 minutes depending on your chicken size.
- Once cook, serve and garnish with coriander.
11. Flatbread with Coconut Flour (Roti)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut flour (for keto option)
- 2 tbsp psyllium husk powder (helps for binding and elasticity of roti)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
- ¾ cup boiling water (adjust as needed)
Directions
- In a mixing bowl, combine coconut flour, psyllium husk powder, and salt.
- Then, add coconut oil or ghee to the mixture
- Gradually pour in the warm water while mixing with a spoon until dough is soft but not sticky. Warm water helps in making the dough soft. Do not use cold water
- Knead the dough with your hands until a soft, pliable dough forms
- Then, divide the dough into 4–6 equal portions and roll each portion into a ball and flatten it with a roller to about 1/8 inch thick
- Then, heat a non-stick pan or skillet over medium heat and gently placed the bread onto the pan
- Cook for 1–2 minutes on each side until golden brown spots appear
- Brush with melted butter or ghee for more flavor and serve with curry for a delicious pairing.
Conclusion
Now that you have seen these keto recipes for beginners, are you excited to try it out?
These recipes are really easy to follow and you can make it in no time. It is also perfect for meal prep that you can keep up to a week when frozen.
I hope you have fun trying out these recipe!
