Low-Carb Paneer Makhani

In this week's guest post, I'm excited to introduce Maria Silva, the author at MariaRecipes.com, who created a delicious and easy-to-prepare vegetarian keto recipe featuring Indian-style homemade paneer cheese. For more keto recipes, don't forget to follow Maria on Instagram!

Indian food is definitely my favorite, but it is traditionally full of fat, carbs and sugar. Curries are almost always eaten with rice AND rotis (wheat flatbread), and desserts are so sweet I get a sugar rush every time. Not great for keto!

But traditional Indian recipes, when slightly tweaked, can become a delicious low-carb meal, both for people who want to find new interesting ways to cook meat, and also for vegetarians, as Indian food has a very strong vegetarian tradition.

Paneer makhani (literally, “Cottage cheese in butter sauce”) is one of the most decadent vegetarian Indian dishes. It consists of a spicy tomato-based sauce cooked in butter and then garnished with heavy whipping cream, making a creamy, spicy, tangy and sweet curry that everyone loves.

Preparation time:

Hands-on:     10 minutes
Overall:      30 minutes 

Nutritional values (per serving):

Total Carbs	10.2	grams
Fiber	2.4	grams
Net Carbs	7.8	grams
Protein	15.6	grams
Fat	40.4	grams
of which Saturated	25.3	grams
Energy	458	kcal
Magnesium	16	mg (4% RDA)
Potassium	258	mg (13% EMR)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from net carbs (7%), protein (14%), fat (80%)

Ingredients (makes 3 servings):

• 200 g (7.1 oz) paneer (you can make your own paneer)
• 3 tbsp butter (45 g/ 1.6 oz)
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ large yellow onion, roughly chopped (75 g/ 2.7 oz)
• 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped (200 g/ 7.1 oz)
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• ½ inch of ginger, chopped, or ½ tsp ginger paste
• Optional: 1 tsp coriander powder
• Optional: red chili powder to taste
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• Optional: ⅓ tsp dried fenugreek leaves
• ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream (80 ml/ 2.7 fl oz)
• fresh cilantro for garnish
• salt to taste
• Suggested sides: Flax Roti or cauli-rice

Instructions:

1. Add the butter to a pan over medium-high heat. Once it has melted, add the bayleaf and the cumin seeds. Let them cook for about 45 seconds.
2. Add the onion, garlic and ginger with a pinch of salt. Cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until the onion is very soft.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, stevia, coriander powder and turmeric, as well as ⅓ cup water. Cook about 5 minutes until the tomatoes are broken down.
4. Take out the bayleaf if you can find it, then transfer everything into a blender and blend until you have a fine paste. You can add some water if it is too thick.
5. Put he sauce back into the pan over medium-high heat, and add the cubed paneer.
6. Let it all simmer together for 5 minutes.
7. Turn off the stove, add the cream, garam masala and fenugreek leaves. Mix well.
8. Garnish with coriander and eat with cauli-rice or with flax roti.

My Story

I am a recently graduated medicine student and am passionate about health, nutrition and functional medicine. Having lived through disordered eating and struggled with self image, I understand the importance of a good diet to not only look good (after all, looks are subjective!) but to feel good, vibrant and healthy.

It is my goal to help as many people as possible to discover that food can be medicine both for the body and the soul, and that a healthy lifestyle can be not only rewarding, but also delicious and fun!

For more low-carb recipes, follow Maria Silva at:

• Blog: MariaRecipes.com
• Social media: Instagram and Pinterest

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