Food is the only subject in human society which tends to increase the conversation and communication between people from any community. Food has its own language whereas the taste of the food gives it authenticity and recognition. Among all these numerous taste buds wriggling food present in the world, Indian cuisine stand one of the best and is also one of the diverse cuisines. For people from India, food is not just for eating but rather food is the way of expressing all of their mixed emotions, be it love or anger or anything else. Despite being famous for their spices and flavors, Indian food are sometimes subject of discussion regarding some carbs and calorie containing food. Even though the flavor can content your heart and soul, sometimes the carbs contained can put on some extra unwanted body weight.
Indian Cuisine: Content and Calories
Indian cuisine is full of highly-flavored delicacies and except some exceptional plain food recipes, there is no such thing as a plain boring food in this cuisine. People familiar with Indian food always tend to explore all kinds of spices and aroma available and they are never scared to perform food experiments and tend to enjoy cooking a lot. People might say that Indian cuisine consists of low-carb foods containing just the oil and fats but the reality lies somewhere beyond that blurry vision. In fact, Indian food is also the only food in the world that can make your low carb diet tasty and rich of all the spices you just need to make your food flavorful without adding many extra calories to it. In addition to this, the calorie-free herbs and spices used in Indian food society for the preparation of the meals, can help you enjoy your low carb diet which would otherwise be plain and boring.
It is never easy for a desi food lover to switch to a low carb diet but now you can even create your own spicy, flavorful desi low carb meals and not worry about weight control anymore. In this article, we are going to talk about some homemade low carb recipes which can delight your taste bud as well as satisfy the soulful Vegetarian or Non-vegetarian Indian inside you.
Low Carb Cauliflower Rice
This is one of the fastest recipes that you can prepare and cook within 20 minutes and it lets you enjoy the approximately120-calorie desi veggie flavor without manipulating your body weight. So, all of you can enjoy this low carb treat whether you are vegetarian or not.
Ingredients
- Cauliflower (100 gram of the flower part)
- Butter (1 tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and ginger
- Salt (Desired)
- Pepper (Desired)
- ½ tablespoon cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preparation
- Cut the cauliflower into few pieces and mince it to smaller granular pieces by using a blender to blend it.
- Heat the pan under medium heat until the butter melts and add the cauliflower. Add all the spices and rest of the ingredients and mix well. Stir well and cook the cauliflower for about 10 minutes until it becomes soft.
- The meal is cooked. Remove the pan, add the lemon juice and mix well. Your desi cauliflower rice is ready.
Keto Palak Paneer
Palak Paneer resides in the heart of every Indian food lover and since this food is under the low carb diet so choosing the low carb diet is surely going to be easy for most of us. Now we can enjoy the authenticity of Palak (Spinach) and Paneer (Indian Cheese) in a ketogenic low carb diet by consuming just 6 gram of carbs in around 280-calorie diet.
Ingredients
- Paneer (100 gram, cut in 2×2 cm; square pieces)
- Spinach (80 gram cut and ready to cook)
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- Salt (Desired)
- Pepper (Desired)
- ½ tablespoon cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper
- 1 green chilly (chopped)
Preparation
- Heat the pan under medium heat and add oil. Add the garlic/ginger paste, onions and stir until the onion turns golden brown.
- Add the spinach and green chili, pour in some salt and pepper and let it cook for 4 minutes.
- Take the cooked spinach and blend it all together using a blender into a smooth mixture.
- Heat the pan and pour in the mixture, add all spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper) mix well and stir from time to time.
- Add the Paneer and cook for about 2 minutes.
- The meal is cooked. Remove the pan, add the lemon juice and mix well. The low carb, nutritious Palak Paneer is ready.
Desi Boiled Egg Curry
We only talked about the Vegetarian low carb recipe above but now we’ll talk about the Eggetarian’s choice of healthy Indian low carb food and how they can simply eat whatever they like in such a healthy way.
Ingredients
- Eggs (6, boiled and peeled)
- Tomato paste (80gm blended and mashed)
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 green chilly (chopped)
- Cilantro (chopped, desired; for garnishing)
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- Salt (Desired)
- Pepper (Desired)
- ½ tablespoon Spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper)
Preparation
- Heat the pan under medium heat and add oil. Add the garlic/ginger paste, green chili, onions and stir until the onion turns golden brown.
- Add the tomato paste, sprinkle some salt and let it simmer for about 2-3 minutes until cooked.
- Cut each egg into at least 4 halves and add some water, stir and let it cook.
- Stir occasionally and add all the spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper) mix well and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- The meal is cooked. Serve it in a bowl and garnish it with the cilantro. The very low carb, flavorful egg curry is ready.
Low Carb Chicken Makhani
In Indian cuisine, Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken) to Non-vegetarians is what Palak Paneer is to Vegetarians i.e. essential and must have. Butter Chicken uses chicken breast and is one of the Indian dishes that naturally consist of low amount of carbs and a lot of protein.
Ingredients
- Chicken breast (Cut into small even pieces)
- Tomato paste (80gm blended and mashed)
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 green chilly (chopped)
- Low-fat Cream (10 ml)
- Cilantro (chopped, desired; for garnishing)
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- Salt (Desired)
- Pepper (Desired)
- ½ tablespoon Spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper)
Preparation
- Heat the pressure cooker under medium heat and add the butter.
- Add the garlic/ginger paste, green chili, onions and stir until the onion turns golden brown.
- Add the tomato paste, sprinkle some salt and pepper and let it simmer for about 2-3 minutes until cooked.
- Add chicken and stir occasionally. Add all the spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper) mix well.
- Cover the lid of the pressure cooker and let it cook for 7 minutes.
- Let the steam out of the pressure cooker and use a spoon to separately take out the chicken.
- Add the cream to the pressure cooker and stir it for few minutes.
- Add in the chicken and let it marinate slowly into the mixture.
- The meal is cooked. Serve it in a bowl and garnish it with the cilantro. The mouth-watering healthy Indian Chicken delicacy is ready.
Mushroom Masala Curry
Another Vegetarian delight, Mushroom curry along with all the Indian herbs and spices obviously give the desi tadka to the foodies all over the world. In spite of the spicy name it carries, it is cooked in an equally healthy and is a very low carb diet.
Ingredients
- Diced Mushrooms (200gm)
- Tomato paste (80gm blended and mashed)
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 green chilly (chopped)
- Cilantro (chopped, desired; for garnishing)
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- Salt (Desired)
- Pepper (Desired)
- Lemon juice (1 tablespoon)
- ½ tablespoon Spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper)
Preparation
- Heat the pan under medium heat and add Olive oil. Add the garlic/ginger paste, green chili, onions and stir until the onion turns golden brown.
- Add the tomato paste, sprinkle some salt and let it mix and marinate for about 2-3 minutes until cooked.
- Add the diced mushroom into the paste, let it cook for about 10 minutes and stir from time to time
- Stir occasionally and add all the spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper) mix well and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- The meal is cooked. Serve it in a bowl and garnish it with the cilantro. Your healthy Indian Mushroom diet is ready to eat.
Gravy Tamatar (Tomato) Bhindi
The veggies cooked with all sort of spices in Indian food are to die for, especially Bhindi or Ladyfinger is one such must have veggies which is equally helpful in weight maintenance. Worry no more carb conscious peps, we are going to discuss about healthy Gravy Bhindi which you can enjoy without fearing to put on extra weight.
Ingredients
- Diced Ladyfinger (Bhindi) (200gm)
- Tomato paste (80gm blended and mashed)
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 green chilly (chopped)
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- Salt (Desired)
- Pepper (Desired)
- ½ tablespoon Spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper)
Preparation
- Heat the pan under medium heat and add a little bit of Olive oil. Add the garlic/ginger paste, green chili, onions and stir until the onion turns golden brown.
- Add the tomato paste, sprinkle some salt and let it mix and marinate for about 2-3 minutes.
- Heat another pan and add the remaining Olive oil.
- Add the Bhindi, and stir it occasionally and let it cook for about 7-8 minutes.
- Add the cooked Bhindi into the pan with the cooked tomato and stir it well.
- Add all the spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper) mix well and let it cook for a few minutes.
- The meal is cooked. The delicious low carb and healthy Indian curry is ready to be served.
Palak raita
Raita is a famous type of Indian delicacy which is mostly served with the mixture of yogurt. Here we discuss about Palak (Spinach) raita which is as desi as it sounds but is healthier as well. Spinach contains lots of iron and yogurt is beneficial for our digestive system so they make quite a duo in this gem of an Indian cuisine.
Ingredients
- Non-fat Yogurt (100ml)
- Spinach (100 gram cut and ready to cook)
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- Salt (Desired)
- Pepper (Desired)
- ½ tablespoon cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper
Preparation
- Heat the pan under medium heat and add oil. Add the garlic/ginger paste, onions and stir until the onion turns golden brown.
- Add the spinach, add in some salt and pepper and let it cook for few minutes until the water dries out and it looks cooked.
- Add all spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper) mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
- Take the cooked spinach and blend it all together using a blender into a smooth mixture.
- Pour it in a bowl and add in the yogurt and mix it well so that everything is blended properly.
- Your Palak Raita is now ready. Serve it as you like and enjoy the healthy low carb meal.
Low Carb Veggie Masala
Even though the Indian Kitchen has a thick book full of non-veg recipes, Indian food community equally consist of the vegetarian dishes which include a lot of veggies. That’s the beauty about Indian food, the diverse eating culture and the choice of healthy ingredients. One of such mixed veggie diets cooked around 130 calories that comes under the low carb diet can be cooked easily in your kitchen in your own style.
Ingredients
- Cabbage (100gm, Chopped)
- Broccoli (50gm, Chopped)
- Corn (10gm, 1 medium cup)
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- Salt (Desired)
- Pepper (Desired)
- ½ tablespoon cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper
Preparation
- Heat the pan under medium heat and add oil. Add the garlic/ginger paste, green-chili, onions and stir until the onion turns golden brown.
- Add the cabbage as well as broccoli and cook them in medium heat for about 8 minutes until both turn soft and soggy.
- Add salt and pepper as per your desire.
- Add all spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper) mix well and cook for 3 more minutes.
- Add the corn, stir it, cover the lid and let it cook for 5 more minutes
- The Veggie delight is now ready. Serve it in a plate and satisfy your hunger with less carbs.
Keto Murgh Masala Tikka
Chicken (called Murgh in Indian native Language), the famous desi non-veg ingredient can be used for cooking almost all of the non-veg recipes of Indian cuisine. One can dive deep into the variety of ingredients that can be made using chicken and can definitely come up with something yummy and healthy. It is often mistaken for Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani) but Murgh tikka uses lots of spices whereas Butter Chicken consist a lot of butter and heavy cream.
Ingredients
- Chicken breast (Cut into small even pieces)
- Tomato paste (80gm blended and mashed)
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 green chili (chopped)
- Yogurt (40 ml, blended)
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- Salt (Desired)
- Pepper (Desired)
- ½ tablespoon Spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper)
- Cilantro (chopped, desired; for garnishing)
Preparation
- Heat the pressure cooker under medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Add the garlic/ginger paste, green chili, onions and stir until the onion turns golden brown.
- Add the tomato paste, cook it for about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle some salt and pepper and let it simmer for about 2-3 minutes until cooked.
- Add chicken and stir occasionally. Add all the spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper) mix well.
- Cover the lid of the pressure cooker and let it cook for 7 minutes.
- Let the steam out of the pressure cooker and mix it well.
- Add the blended yogurt to the pressure cooker and stir it for few minutes.
- Add the salt and pepper as per desire and let the chicken marinate slowly into the mixture.
- Your healthy Chicken tikka masala is ready. Serve it in a bowl and garnish it with the cilantro and enjoy.
Desi Egg Bhurji
One more healthy Indian delicacy for the Eggetarians, will definitely pull back your interest in a low carb diet. Eggs contain a lot of protein, which keep you energized plus the taste will lure you more for getting into a low carb diet. The desi which means purely Native scrambled egg dish will surely make you drool.
Ingredients
- Raw Eggs (4)
- Green Onions (50gm, chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- Salt (Desired)
- Pepper (Desired)
- ½ tablespoon cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper
- Cilantro (10gm, chopped)
Preparation
- Heat the pan under medium heat and add oil.
- Add the garlic/ginger paste, onions and stir until the onion turns golden brown.
- Add the green onions and sprinkle some salt and pepper.
- Stir it occasionally and let to cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add all spices (cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper) mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
- Break the eggs and pour all the egg white and yolk in a bowl, add salt and stir it until evenly mixed.
- In a separate pan heat 1 tablespoon oil, pour in the mixture of egg white and yolk and then start scrambling it with a spatula.
- Turn the heat low and scramble the egg into small pieces until perfectly cooked.
- Pour the scrambled eggs into the cooked green onion.
- Stir it slowly for about 1 minutes, mix it well and turn the heat off.
- The scrambled (which is called Bhurji in Native Language) egg curry is now ready and can be served on a plate.
- You can use cilantro for extra garnishing.
The High Carb Aspect of Indian Cuisine
Although the spices and herbs barely carry carbs alongside them, many peculiar methods of cooking and recipes are sometime responsible in Indian cuisine for carrying various dangerous kinds of saturated fats which can lead to weight gain and even to obesity. Many such recipes include deep oil fried food such as Samosa, Kachori and many more. Consumption of this kind of fried food along with the fast-food and carbonated drink is never good for your health, especially when you are trying to be in shape.
If you are trying to maintain your body weight and if you are an Indian food lover and like to have your food in the desi way, you better remember the key aspects to cook your food and always be in account of how your food is being prepared because it is said that “you are what you eat” which means that your choice of food can lead to your improving or degrading health condition alongside your personality. If you are addicted to Indian food and are having difficulty cutting the carbs then start from avoiding fried food and cut off sugar from your diet. Take one step at a time and then try having the above-mentioned recipes in your meals. You can even modify the recipe to make it spicier and healthier in your own way because it is your body and no one knows your body and its needs better than you.
Choosing Low Carb Indian Diet
If you are taking an extreme amount of calorie, eating heavy Indian food on a daily basis, and then suddenly you realize about your increasing body weight and determine to control your weight, then it is slightly difficult to change your eating habits. Once you have got the hang of eating the high carb food switching intoa healthier habit is bit of a struggle, so you need to let yourself evolve step by step.
- Stop eating outside (Cook More using spices)
Don’t drool on the thoughts of the fried foods like Samosas, Pakoras, Pau Bhaji and stuff. Instead of doing that you can cook yourself a spicy healthy meal at home which can be tempting as well as healthy. You can mix and match, boil and cook all the meals with minimum oil and less sugar.
- Cut off Carbonated drinks and sugar
A part of the Indian eating habit is to have cold carbonated drinks or pops i.e. drinking sprite, coca cola and many more. One should stop luring over such sugary carbonated drinks which have a bad impact on your health. This small step can also help you shift towards overtaking healthy low carb food.
- Choose a healthy favorable low carb Indian diet for yourself
You can yourself decide what is healthy for you. Even in your daily diet if you cut off carbohydrate in food, it automatically turns your food into low carb food. So, keep your mind open, explore your food choices,
Related questions
Do the Spices used in Indian Cuisine increase the carb content in the food? No, of course not. The herbs and spices used in Indian food are just there to increase the taste of food and increase the aroma in order to build you appetite. The thing is most Indians are foodies and they don’t like their food to be flat plain. So, in order to make the food more delicious and tangy, they use the spices. The spices may add a very negligible calorie count to your diet. The thing is you can even boil the food and then add the herbs and spices in order to retrieve the rich taste out of your food so that you will not be careful about you being on a low carb diet.
Can I really get into a low carb diet using butter and yogurt? Why not? I mean you have all the kinds of low carb diets like ketogenic diet which have high amount of fats, protein but low amount of carbs i.e. just 5% of total nutrients. In the same way yogurt, butter and all other ingredients contain fats not carbohydrates and the fats are also not highly saturated. So, it is okay to say that the diet is low carb diet even though such fatty ingredients are present in your food to some extent. However, at times, you must also be self-conscious, avoid taking large amount of fat containing food in order to be on the safe side.
