Nutrition Science

CALORIES IN INDIAN FOOD

September 2026 · CurryFit Nutrition Team · 9 min read · 60+ dishes

The short answer: a 400g restaurant plate of chicken biryani runs about 745 calories. Butter chicken is 400 to 500 before any rice or naan. A chapati is around 120. A plain naan is closer to 280.

Most people eating desi food are not eating badly. They are eating portions nobody ever weighed.

Read this first. The numbers below are typical restaurant and home-style portions, taken from published nutrition data. They are not CurryFit meals. Our bowls are 400g and our mains are 400 kcal, or 600 kcal on the Muscle Gain plan. There is one section near the end where we compare the two, and it is clearly marked.

Jump to a section

Rice and biryani
Breads
Chicken and meat
Paneer and vegetarian mains
South Indian
Snacks and street food
Sweets and drinks
The five swaps that change everything
The same meal, same weight, cooked our way
Frequently asked questions

How to use this page

Find your dish. Check the portion size in grams, because that is where every calorie guide online falls apart. "One serving of dal" means nothing. 150g of dal tadka means something.

If you are counting, weigh your food for one week. Just one. After that you can eyeball it for life.

Rice and biryani

Typical restaurant and home-style portions. These are not CurryFit meals. Our bowls are 400g and our mains are 400 kcal, or 600 kcal on Muscle Gain.

Dish	Portion	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Plain basmati rice, cooked	150g	200	4g	44g	0.5g
Jeera rice	150g	250	4g	45g	6g
Chicken biryani	350g plate	650	30g	75g	25g
Mutton biryani	350g plate	750	28g	75g	35g
Veg biryani	350g plate	550	10g	85g	18g
Fried rice	250g	450	10g	65g	15g
Curd rice	250g	300	8g	45g	9g

What matters here: Biryani is not the villain people think. A 350g plate at 650 calories is a normal lunch. The problem is the 600g plate nobody measures, plus raita, plus a soft drink. That is 1,200 calories before you notice.

Breads

Typical restaurant and home-style portions. These are not CurryFit meals. Our bowls are 400g and our mains are 400 kcal, or 600 kcal on Muscle Gain.

Dish	Portion	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Chapati, no ghee	40g	120	3g	24g	1g
Chapati with ghee	45g	165	3g	24g	6g
Phulka	30g	90	2.5g	18g	0.5g
Tandoori roti	60g	180	5g	36g	2g
Plain naan	90g	280	8g	50g	5g
Butter naan	95g	340	8g	50g	12g
Plain paratha	70g	260	5g	35g	11g
Aloo paratha	120g	330	7g	45g	13g
Puri, 2 pieces	60g	280	4g	30g	16g
Bhatura	100g	380	8g	50g	16g

What matters here: The jump from chapati to naan is the biggest swing in a desi meal. Two chapatis are 240 calories. Two butter naans are 680. Same curry, 440 calorie difference from the bread alone. Full roti and naan breakdown here.

Chicken and meat

Typical restaurant and home-style portions. These are not CurryFit meals. Our bowls are 400g and our mains are 400 kcal, or 600 kcal on Muscle Gain.

Dish	Portion	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Butter chicken	200g	450	25g	12g	33g
Chicken tikka, dry	150g	250	32g	3g	12g
Tandoori chicken	150g	220	30g	2g	10g
Chicken curry, home style	200g	280	24g	8g	17g
Chicken korma	200g	400	22g	10g	30g
Chicken 65	150g	330	24g	15g	20g
Mutton rogan josh	200g	420	25g	8g	32g
Keema	150g	350	22g	6g	26g

What matters here: Dry tandoori items are the cheat code. Chicken tikka gives 32g of protein for 250 calories. Better than most gym food.

Paneer and vegetarian mains

Typical restaurant and home-style portions. These are not CurryFit meals. Our bowls are 400g and our mains are 400 kcal, or 600 kcal on Muscle Gain.

Dish	Portion	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Paneer butter masala	200g	490	18g	15g	39g
Palak paneer	200g	350	16g	10g	27g
Kadai paneer	200g	380	17g	14g	28g
Paneer tikka, dry	150g	300	20g	6g	21g
Chana masala	150g	200	9g	28g	6g
Rajma	150g	190	9g	27g	5g
Dal tadka	150g	180	9g	22g	7g
Dal makhani	150g	280	9g	24g	17g
Bhindi masala	150g	160	3g	12g	11g
Aloo gobi	150g	180	4g	20g	10g

What matters here: Dal tadka and dal makhani look like the same food and sit 100 calories apart. Over a month of daily lunches that one swap is 3,000 calories.

South Indian

Typical restaurant and home-style portions. These are not CurryFit meals. Our bowls are 400g and our mains are 400 kcal, or 600 kcal on Muscle Gain.

Dish	Portion	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Idli, 2 pieces	100g	120	4g	25g	0.5g
Plain dosa	90g	170	4g	28g	5g
Masala dosa	200g	380	7g	55g	15g
Uttapam	150g	250	6g	40g	7g
Medu vada, 2	80g	300	6g	30g	18g
Upma	200g	280	6g	45g	8g
Sambar	150g	120	5g	16g	4g
Coconut chutney	30g	90	1g	3g	8g

What matters here: Idli is the lightest filling food in the desi kitchen. Four idlis with sambar is 360 calories and holds you for hours.

Snacks and street food

Typical restaurant and home-style portions. These are not CurryFit meals. Our bowls are 400g and our mains are 400 kcal, or 600 kcal on Muscle Gain.

Dish	Portion	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Samosa, 1	60g	260	4g	28g	15g
Pakora	100g	320	7g	25g	21g
Bhel puri	150g	250	6g	40g	8g
Pani puri, 6	120g	220	4g	38g	6g
Aloo tikki, 2	120g	280	4g	35g	14g
Dhokla	100g	160	6g	25g	4g
Chicken shawarma	200g	450	28g	40g	19g

Sweets and drinks

Typical restaurant and home-style portions. These are not CurryFit meals. Our bowls are 400g and our mains are 400 kcal, or 600 kcal on Muscle Gain.

Dish	Portion	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Gulab jamun, 2	80g	300	3g	45g	12g
Rasmalai, 2	120g	280	8g	35g	12g
Gajar halwa	100g	290	4g	35g	15g
Jalebi	50g	220	1g	40g	7g
Mango lassi	250ml	250	7g	42g	6g
Sweet lassi	250ml	200	7g	32g	5g
Masala chai with sugar	150ml	90	3g	12g	3g

What matters here: Three sweet chais a day is 270 calories. Nobody counts chai.

The five swaps that change everything

Naan to chapati. Saves 160 calories per piece, every meal.
Dal makhani to dal tadka. Saves 100 per serving.
Gravy paneer to tikka paneer. Saves 190 and adds protein.
Measure your rice once. Most people serve 250g thinking it is 150g. That is 130 hidden calories a meal.
Count the chai. Three a day with sugar is nearly 2,000 calories a week.

None of that asks you to stop eating desi food. That is the whole point.

The same meal, same weight, cooked our way

This is the only section on this page with CurryFit numbers in it.

Every CurryFit rice bowl is a 400g serving. So this compares 400g of our food against 400g of the same meal ordered out. Same plate size, same hunger, different numbers.

400g serving	At a normal restaurant	At CurryFit
Butter chicken with rice	200g gravy + 200g rice 715 kcal · 34g fat	Clean Butter Chicken Bowl 485 kcal · 17g fat · 38g protein
Chicken biryani	400g plate 745 kcal · 29g fat	Chicken Tikka Biryani 482 kcal · 14g fat · 43g protein
Kadai paneer with rice	200g paneer + 200g rice 645 kcal · 29g fat	Kadai Paneer Brown Rice Bowl 418 kcal · 23g fat · 22g protein
Rajma chawal	200g rajma + 200g jeera rice 585 kcal · 15g fat	Rajma Chawal Bowl 347 kcal · 10g fat · 10g protein
Chana masala with rice	200g chana + 200g rice 535 kcal · 9g fat	Chana Masala Rice Bowl 324 kcal · 10g fat · 12g protein
Chicken fried rice	400g plate 720 kcal · 24g fat	Chicken Schezuan Fried Rice Bowl 483 kcal · 14g fat · 40g protein
Chicken hakka noodles	400g plate 700 kcal · 30g fat	Chicken Hakka Noodles 432 kcal · 18g fat · 29g protein

How to read this. Both columns are a 400g serving. The restaurant column is built from the component tables above, scaled to 400g. The CurryFit column is the actual bowl from our menu, rice included.

What is actually in the 400g

A 400g restaurant bowl and a 400g CurryFit bowl are not the same food, even at the same weight. The difference is what fills it.

Order a biryani out and most of that plate is rice. The meat is often 60 to 80g, sometimes less, and the weight is made up with oil, rice and fried onion.

Every CurryFit bowl carries 100 to 120g of cooked protein. Chicken, paneer, fish or pulses. That is a fixed rule, not a serving that changes with whoever is on the line that day.

Same plate size. More of it is the part that keeps you full.

500

Calories saved a day, eating the same weight of food

Eat the same weight of food and you save 200 to 260 calories per meal, with roughly half the fat and more protein. Twice a day, that is around 500 calories a day, without eating less food and without eating different food.

Two lighter items, compared item to item rather than by weight:

Item	Ordered out	At CurryFit
Butter chicken wrap	Kathi roll, about 600 kcal · 36g fat	Butter Chicken Wrap 490 kcal · 21g fat · 36g protein
Bhel puri	Street bhel, 150g, 250 kcal · 8g fat	Healthy Bhel Puri 150 kcal · 1g fat

See the full restaurant menu →

Frequently asked questions

How many calories should I eat a day?

Most adults land between 1,600 and 2,400, depending on weight, height, age and activity. Our calorie calculator gives you your number in about thirty seconds.

Can you lose weight eating Indian food?

Yes. Weight loss comes from eating fewer calories than you burn. Nothing about desi food prevents that. Portion size and cooking oil decide it, not the cuisine.

Which Indian food has the most protein?

Chicken tikka, tandoori chicken, paneer tikka, and pulses like rajma and chana. Chicken tikka is the standout at roughly 32g of protein per 150g serving.

Is biryani unhealthy?

No. A 400g restaurant plate is about 745 calories with roughly 34g of protein. That fits most daily targets. A 600g plate with sides does not.

How many calories are in a chapati?

About 120 for a standard 40g chapati with no ghee. With ghee it is closer to 165.

How much chicken is in a restaurant biryani?

Usually 60 to 80g in a 400g plate. The rest is rice, oil and fried onion. Every CurryFit bowl has 100 to 120g of cooked protein in the same 400g.

Are these CurryFit's calorie counts?

No. Everything on this page except the comparison section is a typical restaurant or home portion. CurryFit bowls are 400g, mains are 400 kcal, or 600 kcal on Muscle Gain, and every meal shows its own numbers.

Why are restaurant calories higher than home cooking?

Oil, cream and butter. A restaurant kitchen cooks for taste, and fat is the cheapest way to get it. The same dish can be 40 percent higher.

Where these numbers come from. The figures in the main tables are typical values for restaurant and home-cooked portions, drawn from published nutrition data including USDA FoodData Central and the Indian Food Composition Tables. Real dishes vary. Restaurant versions usually run higher because of oil, cream and butter. Home versions vary the most of all. Treat this as a solid reference for planning, not a lab result for the exact plate in front of you. CurryFit meals are separate: they are portioned and counted in our own kitchen, and the numbers for every dish are published on our restaurant menu and shown on every meal in the app.

EAT DESI FOOD WITHOUT DOING ANY OF THIS MATHS

Every CurryFit meal is calorie counted and macro tracked for you. 400g bowls, 100 to 120g of protein in every one, cooked fresh daily in Sharjah and delivered free across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman.

See the plans → View this week's menu →

More from The Fix: Calories in roti and naan · Hot rice vs chilled rice · Brown rice vs white rice · The fat first protocol

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