I've committed myself to the healthy cause this new year, and so my mind, as I was walking home from the station this evening, was whirring with potential high-protein, low-carb dinner options. I realised that it isn't easy to make a low-carb Indian meal because your staple accompaniment - rice or roti - will always let you down. And so I decided to work backward, starting with a low-carb accompaniment, and then working out what high-protein main would taste nice with it. And that's when I decided I was going to experiment with a yogurt marinated paneer tikka recipe, served on a bed of bulgar wheat with wilted spinach and onions mixed through. I was very pleased with the result. Here's my recipe for a healthy hariyali (green) paneer tikka dinner.  

Serves 2

Prep Time - 30 min

Cook Time - 30 min

Total Time - 1 hr

Ingredients

1. Paneer - 250 g

2. Coriander - large handful/small bunch

3. Yogurt - 4 heaped tbsp

4. Garlic - 4 cloves

5. Ginger - 1 and a half inch

6. Green chillies - 1

7. Turmeric - 1 tsp

8. Cumin powder - 3 level tsp

9. Bulgar wheat - 1 cup

10. Onion - 1 small

11. Spinach - 100g

12. Water - 5 and a half cups

13. Olive oil - 2 tsp

14. Salt

15. Pepper

Instructions

1. Grind the peeled ginger and garlic in a blender, along with the coriander and chilli

2. Dice the paneer into chunky cubes

3. Place the paneer cubes in a large bowl, and add the blended ginger-garlic-coriander-chilli

4. Sprinkle the cumin powder and turmeric and mix though

5. Add the yogurt and mix through, ensuring all the paneer pieces are well coated

6. Sprinkle salt and pepper to your taste, and mix through. I used about a tsp of ground black pepper

7. This should be a fairly wet marinade. Add a little more yogurt if needed

8. Place in the fridge, while you work on the bulgar wheat

9. Finely chop the onion and coarsely chop the spinach

10. Place the bulgar wheat in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil

11. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed

12. In the meantime, add a tsp of olive oil to a pan

13. When hot, add the onions and sauté till translucent

14. Then add the spinach and continue to sauté, till the spinach has wilted and all the water has evaporated

15. Turn off the heat, cover and place aside

16. Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees

17. Line a baking tray with tin foil and grease with a little olive oil

18. Line the marinated paneer cubes on it. Spoon any leftover marinade on top of the cubes

19. Place the tray in the middle of the oven for 10 - 15 minutes

20. Your bulgar wheat should have absorbed all the water by now. Take off from the heat, and place aside for 10 minutes, covered

21. When the paneer cubes start turning brown, they're ready to be pulled out

22. Fluff the wheat with a fork, sprinkle salt, and mix the onions and spinach through it gently

23. Serve the bulgar wheat up, with the paneer cubes on top

24. If it's all a bit dry for you, add a dollop of yogurt on top