Caveman diet / Paleo diet and how is it working for me

My wife is keen about nutrition and I am a good husband - I listen to her and to be honest, I need to lose the weight. She’s put us on the Paleo Diet aka the Caveman Diet. This post is about how I am going about it.

What is the Paleo Diet? 

This link explains it well: “The paleo diet is designed to resemble what human hunter-gatherer ancestors ate thousands of years ago. Although it’s impossible to know exactly what human ancestors ate in different parts of the world, researchers believe their diets consisted of whole foods. 

By following a whole food-based diet and leading physically active lives, hunter-gatherers presumably had much lower rates of lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. In fact, several studies suggest that this diet can lead to significant weight loss (without calorie counting) and major improvements in health.” 

This has happened to me - I have lost 5kgs in 2 weeks. I also have 2 of 3 aforementioned lifestyle diseases and a bad knee. So losing weight is the need of the hour, especially given the 'work from home' situation due to COVID-19 and the lack of physical activity thereof. 

What are my thoughts on it?

A few personal reflections:

1. The secret of a happy marriage is to listen to your wife especially if she's reading the books that you are not!
2. The Paleo Diet seems healthier than the Keto Diet that I did for 6 months in 2018. I did lose 15kgs then but the high-fat bit always sounded dubious to me.
3. I like the aspect of only eating fresh meats, vegetables, and fruits as a part of the Paleo diet. Also no processed foods. (Except in my case a bit too much of Coke Zero and coffee)
4. You cannot do this diet if you don’t eat chicken and/or fish.
5. I wish you could eat cheese and more nuts. (Anyway I don’t smoke, and I am an occasional drinker which I don’t miss at all when I don’t)

All in all, the Paleo Diet looks promising and I hope to continue to lose weight. I am sincerely hoping that means I am getting healthier.

What have I been eating?

Here are some of the things I have been eating:

Breakfasts are usually simple and consistently no frills

Breakfast is usually 3 boiled eggs (1 whole, 2 whites) and a fruit with a cup of coffee...

... and when I feel indulgent (and it is a weekend), I make eggs a bit more fancy as you can see below (recipe here)

Lunch is typically lean proteins and salad. I love playing around with the meat marinade, salad ingredient, and dressing as you can see below.

Pan-fried chicken flavoured with Chorizo slices with a side of red pepper, carrot and cucumber salad with light caesar dressing and a hint of Nando's Mango and Lime Sauce

Chicken marinated with mustard with a side of green salad and cherry tomatoes with a balsamic vinegarette dressing. The red sauce drizzled on the top is Encona Hot Sauce.

Pan-fried smoked haddock, with fried aubergine/eggplant (aka 'begun bhaja') with a green salad with a balsamic vinegarette dressing. 

Lemon & herb marinated smoked haddock, pan-fried in butter with a side of bistro salad with walnuts & chilli cheddar drizzled with Sriracha sauce and Caesar dressing.

Tandoori chicken with a side of pressure baked veggies (carrots, cauliflower and beans)

Rainbow chicken fajita with red, green, yellow and orange bell peppers garnished with red onions juliennes and chive cheddar cheese flakes, and served with a wedge of lime.

Dinners are usually the same as lunch but with a side of pressure baked veggies (cauliflower, carrots and beans). At times, I have 'cheat meals' that I cook not just for myself but for others in the family who are not on Paleo Diet.

Pan-fried chicken with a side of Mediterranean char grilled veggies & walnuts with a drizzle of Sriracha sauce.

Ultra spicy dan dan prawns 

Zucchini pasta with meatballs in marinara sauce

Pan roasted aubergine with tomato chilli sauces, cheddar cheese and spicy chicken sausages 

Breaded chicken steak topped with burger sauce with a green salad and orange juice as a dressing.

I also make these chicken kebabs on a weekly basis (recipe here)

Sometimes I add onion paste to the marinade of the chicken kebabs so that it becomes very much like "Chicken Chaap" or "Chicken Kosha" that you get in Kolkata.

Snacks are usually loads of bananas and a few nuts - walnuts, almonds, cashew nuts, peanuts - but not more than 10-12 pieces a day.

Condiments: The biggest find of Paleo has been hot sauces. I have been able to build quite a global collection as you can see below:

What a hot 🌶 all star global lineup

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🇿🇦 Nando’s Range - extra hot, hot, lime and mango, lemon and herb

🇮🇳 Maggi Masala Chilli Sauce

🇯🇲 Encona Hot and Extra Hot

🇨🇳 Lee Klum Kee Chiu Chow Chilli oil 

🇨🇳 The ‘imposter’ chilli oil

🇲🇽 Cholula - regular and chipotle 

🇹🇭 Sriracha

Orko’s recipes: Egg-cellent Pizza

I am on the ‘caveman diet’ (aka Paleo diet) and it’s working for me, but I do crave for pizza from time to time. Decided to make an alternate this morning for breakfast. I was inspired by a fluffy omelette recipe video I saw. 

Here’s how I made it:

1. Take 3 eggs and season with salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese and chilli flakes or paprika 

2. Whisk with a mechanical whisk till airy

3. Heat oil in a frying pan on high heat

4. Pour mixture and reduce heat after 1-2 mins

5. Add cheese bits and chorizo pieces

6. Cover and cook till no raw egg (about 5-7 mins)

Nice crust at the bottom, airy texture, absolutely yummy!

Orko’s recipe: Arka’s Special Pan Grilled Chicken Kebabs

I am not a very good cook (I am a good eater, though - ha!) but over the past few months, I have found my niche with a chicken kebab dish. I started out trying to replicate Tandoori Chicken at home but with a few trials and errors (mostly the latter) I have developed this amazing recipe of my very own pan grilled chicken kebab.

Here’s how I make it:

Step 1 - marinade the chicken (10-15 minutes)

1. Take 4 chicken thighs on the bone but with the skin off. Score the pieces so that the marinade really penetrates.

2. Put them in a box which you can chuck into the freezer before adding the marinade masala

3. Now add the magic marinade masala which is...

• 2-3 tbs of ginger garlic paste, mustard oil

• 2-3 tbs of onion paste

• 1-2 tps of red chilli powder

• 1 tps of turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garlic powder and onion powder

• 1/2 packer of dry tandoori masala

• Add the juice of 1green lime

• 1 tbs of apple cider vinegar

4. Massage the masala marinade onto the pieces nicely

5. Close the lid and let it rest for at least 1 hour if you want to freeze it / or put it in the fridge for at least 12 hours - the longer the better 

Step 2 - pan grill the chicken (cooking time: 20-25 minutes)

1. Take out the chicken from the freezer and thaw for 8-10 hours before cooking

2. Take a large frying pan and heat 1 tbs of white oil and 1tbs of mustard oil or ghee (for flavour) On high

3. Once the oil is nice and hot, put the chicken piece flat side down

4. Fry for 3-4 mins before flipping; fry the other side as well for 2-3 mins

5. Now cover and let the chicken cook for 4-5 mins (turn down the heat to half way)

6. Open the over, flip the chicken and cover again to cook for another 4-5 mins

7. Turn up the heat to max and fry off the chicken on both sides for 2-3 minutes each to finish it off

Note: This pan grilling technique keeps the chicken juicy and moist on the inside and crispy, smoky on the outside (as you can see above). We tried using the oven but the chicken got quite dry.

Step 3 - garnish and plate up (5-7 mins)

1. Make a nice salad of sliced cucumber, red onions, tomatoes and carrots. Dress with squeeze of lime, chat masala and black rock salt.

2. Add a couple of green lime wedges 

3. Place the chicken to rest on the plate for 2 mins and sprinkle chat masala

4. Garnish with coriander leaves 

5. I recommend making a raita on the side (take some curd in a bowl, mix it up to a smooth consistency, add some boondi, chat masala, chilli powder and black rock salt. Mix gently.)

Step 4 - tuck in

I recommend serving with parantha, pita bread or naans. See it disappear in 10 mins. Yummy!

Step 5: wash the frying pan 
The frying pan will be a mess after cooking the chicken. So I usually rise off the pan when cooled. Then put a little hot water and cleaning liquid, cover with 3 sheets of kitchen paper towels and lease to soak it overnight. It does the job and becomes easy to clean in the morning without the need for vigorous scrubbing!

Cocktails and Dreams

Ok, so the name is plagarised. Ok, so it was a corny movie with a cheesy tag line: "When he pours, he reigns." and excruciating bromance. But hey, when Brian Flanagan stood up on the bar and recited the Last Barman poem, I knew I wanted to mix some great cocktails one day...

 "I am the last barman poet / I see America drinking the fabulous cocktails I make / Americans getting stinky on something I stir or shake / The sex on the beach / The schnapps made from peach / The velvet hammer / The Alabama slammer. / I make things with juice and froth / The pink squirrel / The three-toed sloth. / I make drinks so sweet and snazzy / The iced tea / The kamakazi / The orgasm / The death spasm / The Singapore sling / The dingaling. / America you've just been devoted to every flavor I got / But if you want to got loaded / Why don't you just order a shot? / Bar is open..."

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A couple of weekends back, a friend was kind enough to ask me to bar-tend for her party. The drinks I concocted were quite well received (yes I say so myself!) and I have been meaning to write down the "recepies" lest I forget them... reading yesterday's Mint Lounge prodded me into action. So here's what I mixed - Cheers!
 
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Dirty Lemonade

Alcohol: Vodka (preferably Sminorff Citrus) 30 ml

Lemon juice, mint leaves, jal jeera, a few seeds of green chilly, a pinch of sugar, black salt / rock salt (kala namak) and soda

Glass: Tall Glass

Rim the glass with jal jeera

Pop in the mint leaves in the glass

Squeeze in the lemon juice

Add a hint of sugar and black salt / rock salt

Swirl in the glass

Fill with ice

Pour the Vodka in

Top up the glass with Soda

Drop a few (max 5) seeds of green chilly

You’re ready to take a swig!

Nimbooz:

Alcohol: Vodka (unflavoured) 30 ml

Nimbooz, soda and tabasco sauce

Glass: Tall Glass

Pour the Vodka in the Shaker

Add about 5 cubes of ice (fill about 2/3^rd of glass with Ice)

Pour in about 90 ml of Nimbooz

Add a couple of drops of Tobasco Sauce

Top with a bit of soda for the fizz and shake well

Pour in the tall glass and serve

Well LIT 🔥 

Alcohol: Vodka 15 ml, White Rum 15 ml, Gin 15 ml, White Tequila 15 ml

Cola, Lemon

Glass: Tall Glass

Pour in the alcohol in the shaker – and swirl

Add a squeeze of lemon and the cola – shake well

Fill a Tall Glass with Ice and pour in the drink

Spanner (my twist on the classic Screwdriver)

Alcohol: Vodka 30 ml

Guava Juice, chaat masala and one green chilly (split in the middle)

Glass: Round Glass

Pour the vodka and Guava Juice in the shaker – shake well

Pop in about 4 cubes of ice in the glass

Pour the mix into the glass

Drop in the split green chilly and serve

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These are some more, that I am saving for the next party!

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Cobra Coffee:

Alcohol: Whiskey 30 ml

One pouch of Nescafe, a pinch of cinnamon powder and chocolate sauce

Glass: Coffee Mug

Brew a strong half mug of coffee

Pour in the whiskey

Add a hint of chinnamon powder and a couple of drops of chocolate sauce

Shake well and serve hot in a coffee mug!

Kal Boishakhi (stolen from the menu of Oh! Calcutta)

Alcohol: Vodka 30 ml

Aam Panna / Aam Pora, lemon juice, soda, chaat masala and one green chilly (split in the middle)

Glass: Round Glass

Rim the glass with chaat masala

Pour the vodka, squeeze in the lemon juice and and swirl in the glass

Fill with ice

Pour the Aam Pora

Top up the glass with Soda

Drop in the split green chilly and serve

Hara Kiri (aka Herbie)

Alcohol: Vodka 20 ml, Bacardi 20 ml and Gin 20 ml

Sprite / 7Up, mint leaves, tulsi leaves, khus syrup

Glass: Tall Glass

Drop the herbs in the shaker and crush’em

Add a few ice cube

Pour in the alcohol in the shaker – and shake well

Fill a Tall Glass with Ice - Strain and pour in the drink

Top up with sprite and garnish with a leaf of mint and tulsi

Add a drop of thick khus syrup in just before serving

Vellam

Alcohol: Vodka 30 ml

Coconut Water and tobacco sauce

Glass: Tender Coconut Shell

Pour in the alcohol and coconut water in a shaker

Add a couple of drops of green Tabasco  sauce, some ice and shake well

Strain and pour into the coconut shell to serve

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This post would not have been possible without having seen the master himself at work - a huge thank you to my Mama ... and to the "Cocktail Kings" on TLC. 

Here's what I mean by Tall Glass and Round Glass - and if you happen to like these recepies and/or want to share some of your recepies with me, do drop me a line: