This Goan Fish Curry with Coconut Milk and Cauliflower Rice is a PCOS-friendly recipe with 554 calories, 45.5g protein, and 34.2g carbs per serving. Ready in 40 minutes. High in fiber (9.7g), which supports insulin sensitivity.
Nutrition per Serving
Goan fish curry is a coastal dish from western India: white fish in a sauce that is tangy from tamarind, red from Kashmiri chilli and smooth from coconut milk. This version is served on cauliflower rice instead of white rice. Each bowl has 554 calories, 46g of protein and 10g of fibre, with no dairy and no grains.
Grocery list:
- White fish fillets (cod or haddock)
- Canned full-fat coconut milk
- Tomatoes
- Onion
- Garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Green chillies
- Tamarind pulp
- Coconut oil
- Ground coriander
- Kashmiri chilli powder or mild paprika
- Ground turmeric
- Cumin seeds
- Curry leaves (optional)
- Cauliflower
- Fresh coriander
Nutrition notes: Figures are per serving, half the batch, worked from USDA FoodData Central values for every weighed ingredient. Cod was used for the fish. Haddock or pollock give very similar numbers. Kashmiri chilli is counted as paprika, its closest match in the USDA data.
Keeps: The curry keeps 2 days in a sealed box in the fridge. Warm it gently so the fish does not turn rubbery. Keep the cauliflower rice in a separate box.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Squeeze the soaked tamarind with your fingers, then strain the liquid into a cup. Throw away the seeds and fibres.Toss the fish with a pinch of the salt and a pinch of the turmeric. Set it aside while you make the sauce.Heat the coconut oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and curry leaves and let them sizzle for 30 seconds.Add the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until soft and golden at the edges. Stir in the garlic, ginger and green chillies for 1 minute.Add the ground coriander, Kashmiri chilli and the rest of the turmeric. Stir for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and the rest of the salt. Cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down.Pour in the coconut milk, the tamarind water and 100ml of water. Bring to a gentle simmer.Slide in the fish. Cover and simmer on low for 5 to 6 minutes, until the fish flakes easily. Do not stir hard or the fish will break up. Shake the pan instead.While the fish cooks, pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it looks like rice. Cook it in a dry non-stick pan for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until just tender.Spoon the cauliflower rice into bowls, ladle the curry over it and scatter with fresh coriander.
Why this works for PCOS
A fish curry is usually eaten with a big pile of white rice, and that rice is most of the carbs in the meal. Swapping it for cauliflower rice keeps the meal you know and drops the fast starch. That matters if you have insulin resistance, which many people with PCOS do.
The fish does the heavy lifting. Each bowl has 46g of protein, which helps keep you full through the evening. The carbs come in at 34g, mostly from vegetables, with 10g of fibre.
The ingredients doing the work
- White fish: lean protein that cooks in 6 minutes. Cod, haddock or pollock all work.
- Coconut milk: gives the sauce body without any cream. It is also where most of the 30g of fat comes from, so this is a filling meal, not a light one.
- Tamarind: the sour note that makes it taste Goan. Lemon juice is a fine swap if you cannot find it.
Make it your own
Use large raw prawns instead of fish and cook them for 3 to 4 minutes. If you eat grains and want something heartier, serve it with a small scoop of brown rice next to the cauliflower rice.
How this fits a PCOS week
One good recipe is easy. A whole week that skips the foods you avoid is the hard part. PCOS Meal Planner builds your week around the food you actually cook, keeps out what you do not eat, and turns it into one shopping list.
Why this Goan Fish Curry with Coconut Milk and Cauliflower Rice works for PCOS
With 45.5g of protein per serving (about 33% of calories), this Goan Fish Curry with Coconut Milk and Cauliflower Rice sits at the top end of the 25-35g per-meal range that the 2023 International PCOS Guideline recommends for managing insulin resistance and supporting lean mass. Higher-protein meals also blunt the glucose response when carbohydrates are included, which matters for women with PCOS because chronic insulin elevation drives androgen excess and irregular cycles.
The 34.2g of carbohydrates here come paired with 9.7g of fibre, which slows glucose absorption and produces a flatter post-meal blood sugar curve. Fibre is one of the most under-rated tools for PCOS: it feeds gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids linked to improved insulin sensitivity, and it modestly lowers circulating androgens by binding bile acids in the gut.
Fat makes up about 48% of calories in this dish. Dietary fat plays a load-bearing role in PCOS because sex hormones are synthesised from cholesterol, and very-low-fat eating can suppress hormone production over time. The 2023 PCOS guideline does not specify a strict fat target, but most clinicians recommend at least 25-35% of calories from a mix of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated sources.
Evening meals affect overnight insulin and morning blood sugar more than most women realise. Keeping dinner protein-forward and finishing eating at least 2-3 hours before bed gives your body time to clear glucose before the overnight fast, which improves morning fasting insulin readings.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this Goan Fish Curry with Coconut Milk and Cauliflower Rice recipe is designed to be PCOS-friendly. At 554 calories per serving with 45.5g of protein, it supports balanced blood sugar and hormonal health. It also provides 9.7g of fiber, which helps with insulin sensitivity.
This recipe takes about 40 minutes total. Prep time is 15 minutes and cook time is 25 minutes. It makes 2 servings, so you can meal prep for multiple days.
Per serving: 554 calories, 45.5g protein (33%), 34.2g carbs, 29.6g fat. Plus 9.7g fiber. PCOS meal plans typically aim for 30% protein, 35% fat, 35% carbs to support insulin sensitivity.
Yes, this recipe works well as a PCOS-friendly Dinner. At 554 calories, it fits within typical PCOS meal plan targets for Dinner. Pair it with other PCOS-friendly foods throughout the day for balanced nutrition.
This recipe can be part of a structured PCOS meal plan. It makes 2 servings, making it great for meal prep. For a complete weekly plan tailored to your PCOS type, take our free 60-second quiz at pcosmealplanner.com/pcos-quiz to get a personalized 7-day meal plan.
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