Broccoli is a famously healthy vegetable. Packed with vitamins and minerals, this superfood fights inflammation, boosts immunity, supports heart health, and can even do wonders for your skin.
The only downside? Some people aren’t crazy about the taste.
This Indian keto broccoli recipe is here to help! By adding Indian spice medleys, you can ditch the bitter vegetable flavor and tantalize your taste buds.
And if you haven’t got much on your spice rack, not to worry.
This recipe offers 4 possible spice combinations, so there’s something for everyone, whether you’re a complete beginner or a more adventurous cook looking for new flavor combinations.
So tie on an apron and let’s get cooking!
From start to finish, this recipe only takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Basics
- 3 cups chopped broccoli
- 1 cup diced tomato
- ½ cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 inch fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt, to taste
- Water
Indian spice mix: choose one
- Option A: 1 tbsp curry powder
- Option B: ½ tsp black pepper + 1 tsp ground cumin
- Option C: 1 tsp ground cumin + 1 tsp ground coriander + ½ tsp turmeric + ¼ tsp chili powder
- Option D: 1 tbsp store-bought curry paste of your choosing (check for carbs)
Garnish (optional)
- Lemon
- Fresh chopped cilantro
Makes 2 servings.
Serving suggestions
This Indian keto broccoli recipe can comfortably feed 2 people.
Or, eat half today and stick the leftovers in the fridge for a pre-prepped meal later in the week. It also freezes well if you want to make a double batch and stock up your freezer..
If you make the recipe with more sauce (by adding more water), it goes well served:
- Over cauliflower or cabbage rice
- With low-carb naan bread
- With a small amount of cooked quinoa (⅓ cup quinoa is okay for keto)
If your version has less liquid, you can use the broccoli with Indian spices to:
- Spice up a frittata, egg muffin, or quiche
- Serve as a side dish for steak, pork, chicken, or fish
Nutritional information
This is a super healthy Indian keto broccoli recipe made with whole ingredients.
Serving size: ½ recipe
- Calories: 218 kcal
- Fat: 14.6 g
- Net carbs (total carbs - fiber): 14.5 g
- Total carbs: 18.1 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 4.9 g
Here’s the breakdown for 1 serving (½ recipe), by ingredient.
Learn more about including broccoli in your ketogenic plan.
Recipe steps
Prepare the ingredients
- If you’re starting with a full head of broccoli, you’ll only need half of it for this Indian keto broccoli recipe. So, cut the broccoli in half and put one half in the fridge for another time.
- Wash the broccoli half you’re going to use and peel the stem with a vegetable peeler or knife.
- Chop the broccoli florets and peeled stem into bite-sized pieces, and measure out 3 cups. Set aside.
- You’ll need 1 to 3 red tomatoes to make 1 cup diced, depending on their size. Wash and dice the tomatoes, measure out 1 cup, and set aside.
- To make ½ cup diced onion you’ll need about 1 small onion or ½ medium onion. Peel onion and dice it (chop into small pieces). Set aside.
- Peel and mince 2 garlic cloves, set aside.
- Use the edge of a spoon to remove the skin on the ginger root. Cut off 1 inch and grate or mince into small pieces (should make about 1 tablespoon). Set aside.
- Measure out the spices you’re going to use.
Start cooking!
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Add onion, sprinkle a bit of salt on top, and sauté until translucent and soft. The salt will help to bring out the moisture and make the onion cook faster.
- Add fresh garlic and ginger, sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- If the oil has dried up, add a bit more. Turn heat down to medium-low.
- Add dry spices (or curry paste), stir to mix with the onion, garlic, and ginger.
- Heat briefly, continuing to stir, for up to 30 seconds to bloom the spices and allow them to release their aroma, without letting them burn. If you feel they may start to burn, add 1-3 tablespoons of water.
- Add chopped tomatoes and stir to mix everything together.
- Slowly add 1/2 cup water, stir. You can choose to add more or less water, depending on if you want your Indian keto broccoli dish to be more saucy or more dry. Add any extra water slowly while stirring.
- Cook until tomatoes are soft, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, the spice flavors are developing and deepening.
- How long you spend on Step 9 is up to you. Just 5 minutes is enough, or you can cover and simmer on low heat for 10-25 minutes to allow the flavors to develop further. If you’d like to reduce the sauce, leave the lid off and stir so the excess liquid can evaporate. Don’t move on to the next step until the sauce is ready.
- Add chopped broccoli, stir. Cover the pan and let cook for 1-2 minutes, until the broccoli is tender but not too soft.
- Serve, and top with freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh chopped cilantro if desired.
Tips and variations
Tips
- If you find the spices overpowering, you can balance them out and cool down your palate with a side of Greek yogurt for dipping.
- Be extra careful not to cook the broccoli for too long. Nobody likes it soft and mushy! Plus, raw broccoli has more nutrients than cooked, so that’s an extra reason to keep it on the crunchy side.
- If you don’t have fresh vegetables on hand, you can use frozen broccoli and canned diced tomatoes.
Variations
Adding different flavors will provide you with a wider variety of nutrients and keep you from getting tired of eating the same thing over and over. (Yes, you will want to repeat this tasty dish!)
Try experimenting by adding these variations to your low-carb Indian broccoli recipe:
Vegetables
- Asparagus
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Eggplant
- Red bell pepper
Proteins
- Chicken breast
- Shrimp
- Tofu
- Paneer
Flavors
- Crushed red pepper flakes for more heat
- Cumin seeds instead of ground cumin for more intensity. (Add the seeds to the hot oil before the onion. Let them sizzle, then continue with the rest of the recipe.)
- Chicken broth (instead of water) for richer flavor
- Heavy cream or coconut milk (replace part or all of the water) for extra creaminess
