High-Protein Indian Vegetarian Lunch and Dinner: Protein per Plate (IFCT 2017)
Dal, rajma, chana and paneer carry most of the protein in an Indian vegetarian lunch or dinner, and rice and roti add a smaller share. This guide takes protein and calories per 100 g from the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), then adds up seven example plates with weights we chose, so you can see where the grams come from. It is the lunch and dinner companion to our high-protein vegetarian breakfast guide.
The short answer
By our arithmetic from IFCT 2017, the plates below range from 17.6 g of protein (kala chana curry with roti) to 25.2 g (paneer sabzi with roti). Dry dals have 21.70 to 24.35 g of protein per 100 g in the rows used here, rice has 7.94 g and atta 10.57 g. Our reading: swapping which pulse you cook changes the protein of a plate less than whether the plate has a pulse or paneer at all.
Protein per 100 g of common lunch and dinner foods
Each row is one IFCT 2017 Table 1 row, per 100 g as listed in the book; energy in kJ is converted at 4.184 kJ per kcal. Everything is dry or raw (uncooked). The table is sorted by protein per 100 g.
| Food (IFCT 2017 row) | Protein per 100 g | Calories per 100 g | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lentil dal (masoor dal), dry (B013) | 24.35 g | 322 kcal | 7.6 g |
| Green gram dal (moong dal), dry (B010) | 23.88 g | 326 kcal | 7.3 g |
| Black gram dal (urad dal), dry (B003) | 23.06 g | 324 kcal | 7.1 g |
| Red gram dal (toor dal), dry (B021) | 21.70 g | 331 kcal | 6.6 g |
| Cowpea, brown (lobia), dry (B005) | 20.36 g | 320 kcal | 6.4 g |
| Rajmah, brown, dry (B019) | 19.50 g | 298 kcal | 6.6 g |
| Paneer (L003) | 18.86 g | 305 kcal | 6.2 g |
| Bengal gram, whole (kala chana), dry (B002) | 18.77 g | 287 kcal | 6.5 g |
| Wheat flour, atta, dry (A019) | 10.57 g | 320 kcal | 3.3 g |
| Rice, raw, milled, dry (A015) | 7.94 g | 356 kcal | 2.2 g |
IFCT 2017 has no row for curd (dahi), cooked dal or rice, soya chunks, tofu or packaged foods, so we give no numbers for them here; use the pack label. Vegetables are not in the plates because we did not add them up.
Seven example lunch and dinner plates
These weights are ours, not a recommendation. Each plate is the sum of its IFCT rows at the weight shown, dry or raw, before water and cooking fat.
| Plate (weights are ours) | What is counted | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toor dal with rice | 60 g dry toor dal + 80 g dry rice | 19.4 g | about 480 kcal |
| Masoor dal with roti | 60 g dry masoor dal + 60 g atta | 21.0 g | about 390 kcal |
| Rajma with rice | 60 g dry rajma + 80 g dry rice | 18.1 g | about 460 kcal |
| Kala chana curry with roti | 60 g dry kala chana + 60 g atta | 17.6 g | about 360 kcal |
| Lobia curry with rice | 60 g dry lobia + 80 g dry rice | 18.6 g | about 480 kcal |
| Paneer sabzi with roti | 100 g paneer + 60 g atta | 25.2 g | about 500 kcal |
| Moong dal and paneer with roti | 40 g dry moong dal + 50 g paneer + 40 g atta | 23.2 g | about 410 kcal |
Not counted: cooking oil or ghee, tadka, vegetables, curd, salad and dessert. A teaspoon of ghee or oil adds calories that these plates do not include; see our ghee guide for the arithmetic. We weigh pulses, rice and atta dry because cooking adds water.
One example day, added up
Using the moong dal chilla with paneer plate from the breakfast guide (20.0 g protein, about 290 kcal), masoor dal with roti for lunch (21.0 g, about 390 kcal) and moong dal and paneer with roti for dinner (23.2 g, about 410 kcal), the day comes to about 64.2 g of protein and about 1,080 kcal. That excludes oil, curd, vegetables and snacks. It is an illustration of the arithmetic, not a target.
What the numbers say
- Pulses lead on protein. Dry masoor dal has 24.35 g of protein per 100 g and dry toor dal 21.70 g; dry rajma has 19.50 g and dry kala chana 18.77 g.
- Rice and atta add a smaller share. 80 g of dry rice gives 6.4 g of protein; 60 g of atta gives 6.3 g.
- Paneer adds protein and fat together. IFCT lists 18.86 g of protein and 24.78 g of fat per 100 g, so its protein per 100 kcal is 6.2 g against 7.6 g for dry masoor dal.
For protein per 100 g across more foods, see our high-protein Indian foods guide. For how dal and rice fit a weight-loss plan, see dal chawal for weight loss.
What this page leaves out
- A protein target: we have not looked up one for any body weight, so we give none.
- Cooked values and foods with no IFCT row (curd, soya chunks, tofu, packaged foods).
- Anything about muscle gain, weight loss or health outcomes: the page adds up food data and makes no claim about what a plate does to your body.
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How much protein is in a plate of dal and rice?
Our arithmetic from IFCT 2017: 60 g of dry toor dal (red gram dal, B021) holds 13.0 g of protein and 80 g of dry raw rice (A015) holds 6.4 g, so the plate in this guide comes to 19.4 g of protein and about 480 kcal, before water and cooking oil. The weights are ours; a katori or a plate in your kitchen will differ.
Which has more protein, rajma or chana?
IFCT 2017 lists brown rajma (B019) at 19.50 g of protein per 100 g dry and kala chana, the whole Bengal gram (B002), at 18.77 g. Both are dry values, so a cooked katori holds less per 100 g. For the plates in this guide, 60 g of dry rajma with 80 g of rice gives 18.1 g and 60 g of dry kala chana with 60 g of atta gives 17.6 g.
Is paneer or dal higher in protein for the calories?
In IFCT 2017, dry masoor dal gives 7.6 g of protein per 100 kcal and dry moong dal 7.3 g, against 6.2 g for paneer, whose fat is 24.78 g per 100 g. Per 100 g paneer has less protein than any of the dals on this page, but it needs no soaking or cooking. Our reading: they do different jobs, and the plates in this guide use both.
Can a vegetarian lunch and dinner add up to a high-protein day?
By our arithmetic from IFCT 2017 rows, one example day in this guide (a moong dal chilla with paneer for breakfast, masoor dal with roti for lunch, and moong dal and paneer with roti for dinner) comes to 64.2 g of protein and about 1,080 kcal, before cooking oil, curd and snacks. We have not looked up a protein target for any body weight, so ask a doctor or registered dietitian what is right for you.
Sources
- ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017). Table 1, per 100 g edible portion, read from the PDF 23 Oct 2026: cereals A015 and A019 (PDF pages 41 to 42), pulses B002, B003, B005, B010, B013, B019, B021 (pages 42 to 43), paneer L003 (page 57). Energy converted from kJ at 4.184 kJ per kcal.
The plate weights, the sums, the example day, the protein-per-100-kcal figures and every sentence starting "Our reading" are NYUS's own arithmetic or opinion, not from a study. Names in brackets (toor dal, masoor dal, moong dal, urad dal, lobia, kala chana) are our matching to the IFCT row names. The breakfast plate in the example day is from the linked breakfast guide.