If friends of mine are going to eat at places like that now, I just don't go with them.  It took alot of time and effort for me to break my old junk food habits and go paleo, I don't want to slip back.

I love Indian food.  I have started to just make it at home.  I 'rice' cauliflower and use that to soak up the yummy juices.  Although often I am too lazy to even 'rice' it and just steam the cauliflower.

I think if you had opted for the main dish without getting the 'meal'  You would have been rewarded with a much larger portion of food.  I know this is true for all of the Indian restaurants I have been to.  Sometimes if you tell the waiter you CAN"T eat the rice, they will offer something in place of it.  It depends on the restaurant though.

This is the best thread title I have seen on here so far. I've make Rogan Josh with minced venison and no chick peas.  It was soooooo good.

lol I went out for indian tonight and did as nutmeg suggested

less than a tblsp dairy in entree: I had chicken tikka - just spices with a little yogurt to bind and coat before baking - no sauce
some nightshade in main course: lamb saag - lamb cooked in spices, tomato and spinach

It's reasonable to ask for rice separately - just expect a small bowl of the meat part because this food is usually eaten with rice and breads.

If you want chinese then ask for steamed, or poached, for instance in lemongrass and ginger. You can also ask for plain stirfry.

Quote from: samjohn on August 29, 2010, 11:45:03 PM

Why didn't you just get the tandoori chicken?

Again, as I explained, as part of the set menu it would have had a bucket of rice which I'd not of eaten, and just ordering two dishes would have been proportionately more expensive. The restaurant worked out their menu and price structure very carefully: They basically sell you a meal that's 75 per cent rice and made it more expensive to do anything else.

In every indian restaurant I have been in the tandoori chicken is a whole spiced chicken done in a tandoor oven. It is not a curry.

That said, don't be afraid to be a bit of a hard arse in a restaurant. You'll get what you want very quickly if you don't back down.

Also, get used to throwing away 'food' if you're going to be eating anything you haven't cooked yourself. Part and parcel of the Paleo lifestyle I'm afraid, plus it's not really food anyway.