Diet by Priyanka
Dry paneer chilli
Paneer stir-fried dry with capsicum, onion and green chillies in a teaspoon of oil. One plate is 386 kcal, 21.4 g protein and 14.8 g net carbohydrate, with no corn flour anywhere in it.
Why this dish works
Restaurant chilli paneer is built on corn flour twice over: once to coat the paneer and once to thicken the sauce. That is where the carbohydrate comes from, and it is why the dish is usually off the plan.
Cooked dry, in a hot pan, the paneer browns on its own and the capsicum and onion release enough moisture to glaze it. What you lose is the gloss, which was never the point.
Keep the heat high and the pan moving. This is a two-minute dish once the vegetables are in, and paneer left in a warm pan turns to rubber.
What you need
Makes one plate:
- 120 g paneer, cut into thick fingers
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 green capsicum, cut into squares
- ½ onion, cut into thick petals
- 2 to 3 green chillies, slit
- 1 tsp ginger and garlic, chopped fine
- ½ tsp black pepper, coarse
- 1 tsp light soy sauce, optional
- Salt, to taste
- Spring onion greens, to finish
How to make it
Heat the oil in a wok or kadhai until it is almost smoking. Add the paneer fingers in one layer and let them brown on two sides, about a minute each. Lift them out.
Add the chopped ginger and garlic and the slit chillies to the same pan and cook them for thirty seconds.
Add the onion petals and the capsicum. Keep the heat high and toss for a minute and a half. They should char at the edges and stay crisp.
Return the paneer, add the pepper, salt and the soy sauce if you are using it, and toss for thirty seconds only. Finish with spring onion greens and serve straight away.
Nutrition per plate
| Calories | 386 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 21.4 g |
| Fat | 26.2 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 14.8 g |
| Fibre | 2.2 g |
Figures are for one plate built on 120 g of paneer with capsicum, onion, green chillies and 1 tsp of oil. The onion and capsicum account for the carbohydrate. A corn flour coating would add 10 g or more.
Who this suits
It answers a specific craving, which is worth something on a weight loss plan. A dish you can eat instead of ordering in is more useful than a dish you admire.
Twenty one grams of vegetarian protein also puts it on the vegetarian protein list, though the fat figure means it is a meal and not a starter.
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:
- Paneer bhurji plate with raita and chutney
- Dry paneer sabzi with capsicum and tomato
- Low-carb paneer and vegetable jalfrezi
- Paneer tikka with cucumber, onion and pomegranate
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.