25 Easy Indian Recipes That Make Delicious Weeknight Dinners, from Curry to Tandoori

By Frances Kim
Intimidated by cooking Indian food? While there’s always a time and place for ordering takeout, it’s easier than you think (and healthier!) to recreate the flavors you love at home. Our best recipes for curry, tandoori, and more are oh-so-simple and ready in a flash.
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Shrimp Tikka Masala

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Intimidated by cooking Indian food? Don't be. While there’s always a time and place for ordering takeout, it’s easier than you think (and healthier!) to recreate the Indian flavors you love in your own kitchen. Our best recipes for curry, tandoori, and more are simple, delicious, and surprisingly quick to make.

Shrimp Tikka Masala

We lighten up this classic curry by swapping in yogurt for the usual heavy cream. You can use chicken breasts instead of shrimp for an equally delicious result.

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Chicken with Roasted Coriander in Coconut-Curry Sauce

Jake Stangel
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You have to try this take on dakshini murgh, a southern India-style chicken dish packed with flavorful ingredients like coconut milk and roasted fenugreek and coriander seeds. It's just one of Madhur Jaffrey's Easy, Healthy Indian Recipes.

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Sauteed Okra with Coconut and Indian Spices

Joanna Garcia
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A quick turn in the skillet and a handful of spices are all you need for super flavorful, tender okra. We go the extra mile with fresh coconut, which adds just the right amount of sweetness, and a squeeze of lime at the end, which brightens the versatile side dish.

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Tandoori-Marinated Chicken with Cucumber, Lime, and Chiles

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Upend your roast chicken routine, go for the tandoori treatment. Rub the bird with a bold mix of spices, onion, and yogurt. You'll enjoy tender, flavorful meat every time.

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Tomato Rice

Joanna Garcia
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Serve this southern Indian-style rice dish as a side or even a light vegetarian main -- it's that good and comes together in just 35 minutes. Curry leaves are the MVP ingredient here -- they add an incredible aroma.

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Stewed Lentils with Yogurt, Cucumbers, and Green Chiles

Raymond Hom
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Simple, affordable, good for you -- the list of attributes for this vegetarian dish goes on and on. Serve the flavor-packed lentils over rice with cooling yogurt and a spicy cucumber-cilantro relish. Ready for more meat-free goodness? Check out the rest of our Vegetarian Recipes That Will Make You Want to Move to India.

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Quick Chicken Curry with Spinach and Peas

Bryan Gardner
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Cook once, eat twice! This simple one-pot recipe makes a rich, spicy chicken dinner that’s just as delectable the next day for lunch.

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Tandoori Chicken Wings

Marcus Nilsson
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How do you take chicken wings from good to great? Marinate them in garam masala-spiced yogurt, broil, and glaze with mango chutney. Buffalo wings will be a thing of the past after you taste these.

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Lamb Curry

Jonathan Lovekin
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Combine lamb shoulder with potatoes, chicken broth, and tons of aromatics and spices in your pressure cooker, and 24 minutes later, you’ll be rewarded with a rich, flavorful curry. Magic!

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Masala-Spiced Rib-Eye Steaks with Tomato-Okra Relish

Chris Court
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These juicy steaks rely on the three Cs for their divine crust: cumin, coriander, and cinnamon. Serve alongside charred tomato-okra relish and Grilled Corn with Lime and Chile to take your cookout to flavorful new heights.

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Tandoori Fried Chicken

Christopher Testani
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You’ve never had fried chicken like this before! Marinated in traditional tandoori flavors and served with cucumber spears and herbed red onions, this bird is undeniably delicious.

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Northern Indian Lamb Meatballs

Antonis Achilleos
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These fluffy lamb meatballs have a sweet surprise on the inside -- prunes! Serve with plenty of naan to soak up all that spicy tomato sauce and pickled carrots to cut the richness.

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Chicken-and-Squash Curry

David Prince
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Curry is a wonderful cold-weather comfort food, especially when you throw in sweet winter squash like Kabocha or butternut to temper the spice.

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Spicy Indian Chicken Soup

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Move over, chicken noodle! This piquant soup is our new go-to dish for when we’ve got the sniffles or just need a bowl of something super comforting.

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Curried Shrimp and Cauliflower

Bryan Gardner
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Go for the gold with this sunny supper that flavors plump shrimp and tender cauliflower with curry powder and ginger. It’s ready in just 25 minutes.

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Spice-Rubbed Chicken with Israeli Couscous

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Garam masala is an Indian spice mix of black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, and coriander. It will totally change your weeknight chicken game!

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Shrimp Masala

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Frozen okra and shrimp are the secrets behind getting this satisfying dish on the table in just 20 minutes. Serve with a quick Coconut-Cilantro Chutney, store-bought mango chutney, rice, and naan, then cool down with lassi-inspired Yogurt-Pistachio Smoothies.

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Tandoori-Style Chicken Burgers

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Classic tandoori flavors are transformed into juicy chicken burgers that everyone will love. Tuck them into pitas instead of buns and serve with a cooling cumin yogurt sauce and slices of sweet watermelon.

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Salmon with Indian Spices

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It calls for just a few spices, so you can put together this zesty salmon dish in less than 20 minutes.

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Cinnamon Broiled Chicken with Raita

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Sprinkle cinnamon on chicken and serve with raita, a yogurt-based condiment with cumin and cilantro, for a simple-to-make meal.

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Curried Shrimp

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This crowd-pleasing curry takes shrimp in a fiery new direction.

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Yogurt-Marinated Chicken

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Make the most tender, flavorful grilled chicken you’ve ever had by immersing it in garam masala-spiked yogurt first. Serve with a crunchy cucumber and onion salad and naan.

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Chicken and Pork Seekh Kebabs

Krause, Johansen
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Ingredients borrowed from Indian cuisine give far-flung flavors to these kebabs. Naan and a summer-fruit chutney cool the spicy dish.

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