Click here to view. Methi Malai Paneer Subzi recipes. The appetizing bitterness of methi, the royal creaminess of malai and the succulence of paneer come together to make an awesome subzi that tops the chart of favourites in most Indian restaurants. A paste of cashew nut, tomatoes, onions and spices adds to the luscious mouth-feel of the Methi Malai Paneer Subzi, while also adding some spicy notes to it. Throw in a few more commonly-available spice powders, and you achieve a perfect balance of creaminess and spice, the two essential dimensions of a rich subzi. Enjoy this restaurant-style subzi with your favourite roti or pulao.

Is Methi Malai Paneer Subzi healthy?

Yes, this is healthy. But restrictions apply to some.

Let's understand the Ingredients.

What's good.

1. Methi leaves (fenugreek leaves) : Methi leaves are low in calorie, powerful antioxidant and cures mouth ulcers. Fenugreek leaves help in improving glucose and insulin responses, hence good for diabetics. The levels of cholesterol also reduced with intakes of fenugreek leaves. Rich in Vitamin K which is good for bone metabolism. They are good source of iron which is important for Iron rich foods for pregnant women as well as other individuals. Iron is a part of hemoglobin in the blood. A deficiency of iron may cause anaemia and that may decrease your work ability and make you fatigue easily. See all benefits of methi leaves here. 

2. Paneer : Paneer contains high quality protein and calcium which aids in weight loss. Since paneer is low in carbs and high in protein it gets digested slowly and hence good for diabetes. Potassium in paneer helps to reduce the effect of high sodium, by lowering blood pressure and contraction of blood vessels, resulting in improved heart health and reduced risk of heart attack. Great for weight loss and read the interesting article on is paneer good for you?

3. Milk and Low Fat Milk : 1 cup of milk provides 70% of the Recommended Daily Allowance of Calcium. Milk promotes strong bones. The Calcium in Milk helps to protect your teeth against gum disease and keeps your jaw bone strong and healthy. Milk is low in carbs and therefore does not raise blood glucose levels. However diabetics must consider including low fat milk as advised by their dietitian only so as to avoid any fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Protein is another key nutrient which milk is rich in - 8.6 g from a cup. So all those looking to build protein stores can add milk and its products like curd and paneer to their diet. One cup of Milk gives 10 grams of carbs.  Low fat milk has lower fat and the same benefits of milk. 

4. Fresh Cream : 1 tbsp of fresh cream (15 gm) provides around 18 calories, out of which 16 calories result from saturated fat. Till late, saturated fat was always looked upon as that evil fat which would lead to high cholesterol levels and strokes. Offhand, studies have revealed no such association. So, the next question that arises is “Are saturated fats healthy then?” What’s more important is to look at your diet in totality. Fats, in reality, will keep you full for long time and avoid bingeing and weight gain. And yes, the body for absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A, D, E and K, needs some amounts of fat. 

5. Onions (pyaz, kanda) :  Raw onions are a very valuable source of vitamin C – the immune building vitamin. Along with other phytonutrients from onions, it helps to build WBC (white blood cells) which serves as a line of defence against illness. Yes, it’s a source of many antioxidants, the most important one amongst them being Quercetin. The quercetin in Onions promotes production of HDL (good cholesterol) and lowers total cholesterol in the body. The sulphur in onions act as a blood thinner and prevents blood clotting too. This in turn would lower blood pressure and good for heart,  diabetics. Read the benefits of onions. 

6. Garlic : Garlic has been proven to lower cholesterol. The active ingredient allicin present in garlic aids in lowering blood pressure. Garlic is also alleged to help regulate blood glucose levels for diabetics. Garlic is great for the heart and circulatory system. Garlic has an antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal function and can help in relieving common cold and other infections. The thiosulphate compound, Allicin found in garlic acts as a strong antioxidant and protects our body from damage of free radicals.  Read here for complete benefits of garlic. 

7. Green Chillies : Antioxidant vitamin C in green chillies protects the body from effects of harmful free radicals and prevents stress. It is probably the high fiber which helps in controlling blood sugar levels. This it is a welcome addition to a diabetic diet. Suffering from anaemia? Add green chillies to your list of iron rich foods too. For complete details see benefits of green chilli. 

8. Tomatoes : Tomatoes are extremely rich source of Lycopene. Tomatoes are a powerful antioxidant, super rich in Vitamin C, good for heart. Tomatoes are a Pregnant women's friend and are rich in Folate or Folic Acid which helps your body to produce and maintain new cells, especially red blood cells. Read about 13 amazing benefits of tomatoes. 

9. Cashew Nuts (kaju) : In general, walnuts, cashew nuts, peanuts, almonds, pistachios and pinenuts are a healthy snack to carry keep with you as they are rich in monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats and good for heart. They are a healthy snack for Diabetics. Dietary intakes of cashew and other foods rich in magnesium helps to regulate blood pressure. See 9 amazing benefits of cashew nuts for complete details. 

What's the problem?

1. Vegetable Oils : To some vegetable oil is only soyabean oil, while some promote it as a mix of oils like soyabean, canola, sunflower, corn and other omega-6 rich oils. These are often cheaper options than many oils, but they are highly processed oils. They are undoubtedly not to be reached out for, whether you are looking for salad dressings, sautéing or cooking.  The 5 best oils used in cooking are olive oil (low temperature short time cooking), avocado oil, canola oil, coconut oil and peanut oil. You must read the super article to find the facts of  which oil is the healthiest avoid vegetable oil. 

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have Methi Malai Paneer Subzi?

No, this recipe is not good for diabetics, heart and weight loss. Lots of cream and oil used in the recipe. So better to avoid it. 

Can healthy individuals have Methi Malai Paneer Subzi?

Yes, but cut the oil used a bit. Healthy individuals can have full fat paneer as that is healthy fat. 

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet.

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.           

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym. No activity reduces muscle tissue which will lead to muscke loss and all kinds of problems with that. 

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover and makes you look much younger. Also getting good sleep prevent muscle loss. 

Methi Malai Paneer Subzi is high in

1. Vitamin C :  Vitamin C is a great defence against coughs and colds.

2. Calcium : Calcium  is a mineral that makes bones stay strong. Required from kids to adults.

Note : a recipe is deemed high in a Vitamin or mineral if it meets 20% and above the recommended daily allowance based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

How to burn 366 calories that come from Methi Malai Paneer Subzi?

Walking (6 kmph) = 1hr 50 mins

Running (11 kmph) = 37 mins

Cycling (30 kmph) = 49 mins       

Swimming (2 kmph) = 1hr 3 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.