Protein Per Katori: 30 Everyday Indian Foods in One Table
One katori of cooked dal gives roughly 6.5–7.5 g of protein, about a tenth of what a 70 kg adult needs each day to hold muscle after forty. Soya chunks (~15–16 g per katori), tofu, paneer and a besan chilla deliver the most per serving; rice, idli and ragi roti the least. All thirty foods are in one table below, with the serving size and the calculation.
- A katori of cooked dal is about 30 g raw, which works out to roughly 6.5–7.5 g of protein.
- 30 g of dry soya chunks (one katori cooked) gives about 15–16 g, the highest of any staple.
- A besan chilla made with 40 g of besan carries about 8–9 g.
- A katori of rice gives about 3 g, an idli about 2 g, a roti about 3.5 g.
- A 70 kg adult needs about 58 g a day at the RDA and 70–84 g to hold muscle after forty.
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How the table is built
Per-100 g protein values come from the KABO Indian Nutrition Index, compiled from the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables. Each is converted to a realistic serving: a katori of cooked dal or pulses at about 30 g raw, a katori of rice at about 40 g raw, a roti at about 30 g of flour. The formula is per-100 g value × grams ÷ 100.
Individual foods have full pages, for example protein in moong dal, protein in soya chunks and protein in roti.
Protein per serving, ranked
| Food | Typical serving | Protein per serving |
|---|---|---|
| Tofu, firm | 100 g | ~17–20 g |
| Soya chunks | 30 g dry (1 katori cooked) | ~15–16 g |
| Paneer | 50 g | ~9–10 g |
| Buffalo milk | 1 glass (200 ml) | ~8.5 g |
| Besan chilla | 1 chilla (~40 g besan) | ~8–9 g |
| Peanuts | 1 handful (30 g) | ~7.5 g |
| Masoor dal | 1 katori (~30 g raw) | ~7.5 g |
| Moong dal | 1 katori (~30 g raw) | ~7 g |
| Lobia | 1 katori (~30 g raw) | ~7 g |
| Rajma | 1 katori (~30 g raw) | ~6.5–7 g |
| Toor dal | 1 katori (~30 g raw) | ~6.5 g |
| Chana dal | 1 katori (~30 g raw) | ~6–6.5 g |
| Sattu | 2 heaped tablespoons (~30 g) | ~6–6.5 g |
| Roasted chana | 1 handful (30 g) | ~6 g |
| Egg | 1 large | ~6 g |
| Kala chana | 1 katori (~30 g raw) | ~5.5–6 g |
| Moong sprouts | 1 katori (~80 g) | ~5.5–7 g |
| Curd (dahi) | 1 katori (~150 g) | ~4.5–5 g |
| Oats | 1 bowl (40 g dry) | ~5 g |
| Dalia | 1 bowl (40 g dry) | ~4.5 g |
| Pumpkin seeds | 1 heaped tablespoon (15 g) | ~4.5 g |
| Whole wheat roti | 1 roti (~30 g flour) | ~3.5 g |
| Bajra roti | 1 roti (~30 g flour) | ~3–3.3 g |
| Poha | 1 plate (50 g dry) | ~3–3.5 g |
| Plain dosa | 1 dosa | ~3 g |
| Makhana | 1 bowl (30 g) | ~3 g |
| White rice | 1 katori (~40 g raw) | ~3 g |
| Green peas | 50 g | ~2.5 g |
| Ragi roti | 1 roti (~30 g flour) | ~2–2.5 g |
| Idli | 1 idli | ~2 g |
Three things the table makes obvious
- Breakfast is where the gap is. Poha, idli, dosa and toast land at 2–3.5 g a serving. A besan chilla or a bowl of sprouts triples that. High-protein Indian breakfast ideas has recipes.
- Soya chunks are in a league of their own among plant staples, and among the cheapest protein in India per rupee.
- One katori of dal is not a protein meal by itself. At about 7 g, it needs company: a second katori, curd, paneer or sprouts.
How many katoris you need
The ICMR-NIN RDA is 0.83 g of protein per kilogram of body weight a day; from the forties onward, 1.0–1.2 g/kg protects muscle better. For a 70 kg adult that is about 58 g at the minimum and 70–84 g for muscle. The protein by age and weight table gives the figure for your weight.
Per meal, roughly 20 g in younger adults and about 30 g after fifty is the amount that triggers muscle repair. That is three katoris of dal, or one katori of soya chunks plus a roti.
The vegetarian protein gap adds up a typical day using these same numbers.
About this data
Every figure on this page comes from the KABO Indian Nutrition Index (CC BY 4.0), an open dataset compiled from the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables and published with a source link on every value. You are free to reuse these numbers with attribution to kabo.co.in.
The same data is served as an MCP server, so AI assistants can query it directly and cite the source. The endpoint, the raw JSON and the method are on the KABO Indian Nutrition Index page.
Values are approximate and vary by variety, season, milling and preparation, which is why they are given as ranges. This is nutrition information, not medical advice.
Where KABO fits in
The cheapest rows in this table are soya chunks and dal, at roughly 6–8 rupees per 10 g of protein. KABO is not cheap protein: at regular prices a serving costs about ₹158–200, which works out to roughly ₹63–80 per 10 g.
What that buys is convenience and everything else in the glass. One serving gives 25 g of complete plant protein — about three and a half katoris of dal — with 26 vitamins and minerals, 4 g fibre and 8 billion probiotics, made with water in a minute. It makes sense for the meal where cooking three katoris of dal is not going to happen, usually breakfast.
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Frequently asked questions
How much protein is in one katori of dal?
A katori of cooked dal is made from about 30 g of raw dal, and most dals carry 22 to 25 g of protein per 100 g raw. So one katori gives roughly 6.5 to 7.5 g of protein.
Which Indian food has the most protein per serving?
Among vegetarian staples, 30 g of dry soya chunks gives about 15 to 16 g, and 100 g of firm tofu about 17 to 20 g. Paneer (9 to 10 g per 50 g) and a besan chilla (8 to 9 g) are next.
How much protein is in a roti?
A whole wheat roti made with about 30 g of flour has roughly 3.5 g of protein. Bajra rotis are similar at about 3 to 3.3 g, and ragi rotis lower at about 2 to 2.5 g.
How much protein is in a katori of rice?
About 3 g. A katori of cooked white rice is made from roughly 40 g of raw rice, which has about 7 g of protein per 100 g.
Where do these figures come from?
From the KABO Indian Nutrition Index, an open CC BY 4.0 dataset compiled from the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables. Serving values are calculated as per-100 g value times grams eaten divided by 100.
Sources
- ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables (2017). nin.res.in
- ICMR-NIN, Nutrient Requirements for Indians (RDA 2020) and Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024. nin.res.in
- KABO Indian Nutrition Index, open dataset and MCP server, CC BY 4.0. kabo.co.in/pages/mcp