Diet by Priyanka
Paneer cubes with cherry tomatoes and chilli flakes
Soft paneer cut into cubes, tossed with halved cherry tomatoes and dry spices. No pan, no gravy, five minutes. The plate is 456 kcal, 27.3 g protein and 5.4 g net carbohydrate.
Why this dish works
This is what to eat when there is no time and no appetite for cooking. Twenty seven grams of protein for 5.4 g of carbohydrate, and the only skill involved is cutting.
It only works with genuinely soft, fresh paneer. Firm supermarket blocks eaten raw are chalky, and no amount of chaat masala fixes that. If the paneer is not soft enough to eat on its own, sear it instead.
The tomatoes go in halved rather than chopped. Halved, they hold their juice until you bite them. Chopped, they leak and the plate goes watery.
What you need
Makes one plate:
- 150 g soft paneer, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 8 to 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ tsp red chilli flakes
- ½ tsp chaat masala
- ¼ tsp roasted cumin powder
- ¼ tsp coarse black pepper
- Salt, to taste
- A squeeze of lemon and a few coriander leaves
How to make it
Cut the paneer into cubes of about two centimetres. Larger than that and the spices only reach the outside.
Halve the cherry tomatoes and add them to the same bowl.
Scatter over the chilli flakes, chaat masala, roasted cumin, pepper and salt, and turn everything two or three times with a spoon. Paneer breaks if you stir it more than that.
Finish with lemon and coriander, and eat it straight away, while the paneer is still cold and the tomatoes are still whole.
Nutrition per plate
| Calories | 456 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 27.3 g |
| Fat | 34.2 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 5.4 g |
| Fibre | 1.2 g |
Figures are for one plate from 150 g of full-fat soft paneer with cherry tomatoes and dry spices. Priyanka corrected the calorie and fat figures on this row in September 2026 to match real full-fat paneer. A lower-fat paneer would bring the calories down and the protein with it.
Who this suits
Twenty seven grams of vegetarian protein with no cooking makes this one of the most useful entries on the vegetarian protein list.
The fat is high because full-fat paneer is high in fat. On a fatty liver plan the portion is the thing to discuss, not the ingredient.
Have a question about this recipe?
Priyanka answers WhatsApp herself. Ask about ingredient swaps, portion size, or whether this dish suits what you are working on:
There is no charge for a question, and you will be talking to Priyanka, not an assistant.
More from Priyanka’s kitchen
Every published recipe is listed on the low-carb recipes page, with macronutrients listed for each.
If this one worked for you, these are close cousins from the same plans:
- Air fried zucchini chips
- Broccoli and paneer tikki
- Low carb paneer kheer
- Mint lemon electrolyte water
Recipes work best inside a plan built around your history and your routine. To start there, book a Discovery Call with Priyanka.
These meals come from the same plans Priyanka builds for PCOS, thyroid, prediabetes and fatty liver support.
Written by Priyanka Chanana, nutritionist, practising since 2021. Nutrition support runs alongside medical care rather than replacing it.