The Easiest High-Protein Indian-Inspired Meal I’ve Ever Made (Thanks to Maneet Chauhan)
Say goodbye to Uber Eats for Indian food. An evening with celebrity Chef Maneet Chauhan led me to discover a shelf-stable secret: an unbelievably quick, high-protein, Indian-inspired meal you can make at home in minutes. Image: Liza Graves
Living in Nashville, I sometimes get the opportunity to experience some really fun events. One recent intimate event took place in the space above Chauhan Ale & Masala House with Maneet Chauhan, perhaps my favorite celebrity chef ever.
Bear with me, I’ll get to the EASIEST RECIPE EVER in just a sec, but it’s worth the story that led up to it!
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She hosted this event with an Indian cuisine packaged food company, Tasty Bite. I had seen their product on the shelves of stores before, but I had never tried it. When I want Indian food, I simply order Indian food. You, too, right?
Well, Maneet convinced me that I needed some of these products in my pantry at all times.
When she was in culinary school and missing the tastes of home, she would open a package of Tasty Bite’s Madras Lentils, warm it up in the microwave, add some rice, and it would bring her comfort — in the way that only food can. Maneet is the best kind of ambassador for them — authentic.
Now, I hate to admit it, but I wasn’t convinced. I cook Indian food (rarely) and order Indian food (regularly), but I do not microwave pre-done Indian food from a shelf-stable pouch.
But, not so fast, my like-minded food snobs.
PinHere’s Maneet Chauhan and me at the Tasty Bite event. I’m super tall, wearing heels, and she’s tiny, in sneakers! Image: Liza GravesPinThis meal is truly stellar and ready in about 15 minutes. If you forgo cooking the riced cauliflower in bone broth, it can be ready in about six minutes! Bowl: East Fork Pottery. Image: Liza Graves
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Over the course of the evening, I learned that these are actually made in India, are organic, and really do represent the cuisine there. If it passes Maneet’s palate, perhaps I could open my mind to this?
Three weeks later, I’ve been having more Indian food than I’ve ever had before, and it’s all thanks to Tasty Bite. The Madras Lentils can even be found at Costco, but the quality of the ingredients has earned it a place on the discerning shelves of The Turnip Truck (Nashville’s local organic grocer that is known for its high bar for food quality and natural + organic ingredients).
I’ve played with some recipes to put together one for today that is super fast, high-protein, and high-fiber that you can make on the regular. It’s perfectly suited for our ongoing Lazy Girl High Protein Recipe Series.PinThose lentils up close! I also added a sprinkle of roasted pumpkin seeds across the top for added texture, crunch, and protein. Bowl: East Fork Pottery. Image: Liza Graves
Some quick notes: For this recipe, leave off the chicken, and you’ll STILL have 41 grams of protein! Or don’t take the time to cook the riced cauliflower in bone broth, and you’ll STILL have 43 grams of protein. Or divide this recipe into two, and have two meals at just over 300 calories, 30 grams of protein, and 10 grams of fiber — each!
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!
Tasty Bite's Madras Lentils with Chicken and Yogurt Sauce
Instead of cooking the cauliflower rice in the microwave, take the frozen riced cauliflower and cook it in the one cup of Kettle Fire chicken broth in a small pan until it is all soaked up. Boil on high for about 12-15 minutes. Add the garlic powder and 1/2 tsp of salt. After 10 minutes, continue to stir occasionally and make sure it's not sticking to the bottom of your saucepan. By the time this is finished, your whole meal will be ready!
Chop up about 2.5 ounces of rotisserie chicken. If you have raw chicken, you can chop it up and cook it as well, but rotisserie works well here.
When the cauliflower rice is almost done, open a pouch of Tasty Bite Madras Lentils and pour them into a glass container to cook in the microwave until warm, about one minute.
See yogurt sauce below, but you'll want to layer the cauliflower rice on the bottom of a pasta bowl, then the lentils go on top, and then the yogurt sauce, and finally the fresh herbs! It's a LOT of food, and can be made into two smaller portions, easily. Yet, it's only 615 calories with a whopping 61 grams of protein and 19 grams of fiber!
Yogurt Sauce
Mix yogurt, lime juice, cumin, salt, cucumber, and about 1/3 of the fresh chopped cilantro and mint. Set aside to place on top of the meal right before serving.
I typically make twice this amount and then save it to add to something the next day. If you buy individual servings of yogurt, it's typically a 2/3 cup serving, so this is easier to do. But, by all means, make just the single serving if you'd rather!
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Super tasty!