Kadhi Calories: Home-Style vs Dhaba-Style Pakora

By NYUS Inc. · Published 30 October 2026

"Kadhi calories", with "kadhi pakora", "1 katori", "per 100g" and "protein", is searched in India, and the answers online differ. No primary table has a kadhi record: IFCT 2017, the Indian Food Composition Tables from ICMR-NIN, prints raw foods (its few cooked rows are boiled and omelette eggs and roasted vermicelli) and no kadhi, kadhi pakora or other cooked curry, and no curd (yogurt), chickpea flour (besan) or cooking oil row in Table 1, and USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy has no kadhi record. So this page does not quote a number. It works one serving out line by line: the spices, ginger, green chilli, curry leaves, coriander leaves and onion from named IFCT 2017 rows and the yogurt, besan and oil from USDA records, with weights that are our assumptions and the oil shown apart so you can see what it adds, once as a home-style kadhi and once as a dhaba-style kadhi pakora. They are estimates, shown so you can change the weights to match your pot. For the fried pakora on its own see our pakora guide, for the besan record our besan and flours guide, for plain yogurt our curd and yogurt guide, and for the spoon values our ghee, oil and sugar guide.

The short answer

By our working, one serving of home-style kadhi (150 g plain yogurt, 20 g besan, turmeric 0.5 g, ginger 3 g, green chilli 2 g, cumin 1 g, mustard 0.5 g, fenugreek 0.3 g, red chilli 1 g, curry leaves 1 g, coriander leaves 3 g and 1 teaspoon of oil for the tadka) is about 222.6 kcal and 10.4 g protein, and one serving of dhaba-style kadhi pakora (200 g plain yogurt, 30 g besan, the same spices, 2 teaspoons of tadka oil and pakoras made from 25 g of besan and 30 g of onion that absorb 12 g of oil in frying) is about 548.9 kcal and 20.4 g protein. Across 100 to 200 g of yogurt the home-style runs 152.3 to 292.9 kcal with 0 to 2 teaspoons of tadka oil, and across 150 to 250 g the dhaba-style 483.0 to 614.7 kcal with 8 to 16 g of absorbed oil, with the besan in every cell. These are estimates from the weights below, not measured values, not from a kadhi record and not a dhaba or restaurant figure. Our reading: the parts of the home-style main case rank the yogurt 91.5 kcal, the besan 77.4 kcal, the oil 39.8 kcal, the tadka spices, ginger, chilli and coriander 13.9 kcal; the parts of the dhaba-style main case rank the besan (kadhi and pakora batter) 212.9 kcal, the yogurt 122.0 kcal, the oil absorbed by the pakoras 106.1 kcal, the tadka oil 79.6 kcal, the onion 14.4 kcal, the tadka spices, ginger, chilli and coriander 13.9 kcal; and the dhaba-style serving is 326.3 kcal above the home-style one.

IFCT 2017 rows used, per 100 g

IFCT 2017 Table 1 prints, per 100 g edible portion, water, protein, ash, total fat, total dietary fibre, insoluble and soluble fibre, carbohydrate and energy in kJ. We read these 10 rows from the PDF text on 30 October 2026, as the mean of the regions shown (PDF pages in the Sources); the kcal is ours (kJ divided by 4.184, to 0.1). IFCT prints no portion weights, and the weight of the cooked kadhi is not printed in any table. The IFCT rows here are the spices, the aromatics and the onion; Table 1 has raw whole and split Bengal gram but no gram flour (besan), no curd and no oil row, so those come from USDA below.

The yogurt, besan and oil: USDA SR Legacy, per 100 g

These come from USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy; they are US records (the yogurt is the plain whole-milk one, the besan the chickpea flour record). Energy is USDA's kcal with the kJ beside it; water, protein, total fat and carbohydrate (by difference) are in g, then fibre (g), total sugars (g) and sodium (mg), all per 100 g.

The data-type label on each USDA field, as the records show it

USDA's record page shows a data-type label beside some fields and none beside others. This table copies what each record shows, read field by field from the nutrient table of the record page; "no label shown" means the record prints no label there, and "not printed" means the record has no row for that field. We do not interpret the labels beyond printing them. IFCT 2017 prints no such labels.

The household portions USDA prints for these records

These are the entries in each record's Measures list, as printed; the other entry is 100 g. The yogurt record prints containers and a cup rather than spoons and the besan record a cup, so this page counts both in grams, and the gram weights used for the kadhi are our assumptions, not USDA's. The kcal in the last column is ours: the printed kcal per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100, shown to 0.1.

The portion sums: 171410 1 tsp (4.5 g): 884 × 4.5 / 100 = 39.78, so 39.8 kcal; 171410 1 cup (216 g): 884 × 216 / 100 = 1909.44, so 1909.4 kcal; 171410 1 tbsp (13.5 g): 884 × 13.5 / 100 = 119.34, so 119.3 kcal; 171284 1 container (8 oz) (227 g): 61 × 227 / 100 = 138.47, so 138.5 kcal; 171284 1 container (6 oz) (170 g): 61 × 170 / 100 = 103.70, so 103.7 kcal; 171284 0.5 container (4 oz) (113 g): 61 × 113 / 100 = 68.93, so 68.9 kcal; 171284 1 cup (8 fl oz) (245 g): 61 × 245 / 100 = 149.45, so 149.5 kcal; 174288 1 cup (92 g): 387 × 92 / 100 = 356.04, so 356.0 kcal. By the same arithmetic 1 teaspoon of oil (4.5 g) is 39.8 kcal and 2 teaspoons 79.6 kcal, 12 g of oil is 106.1 kcal, 100 g of yogurt is 61.0 kcal and 20 g of besan 77.4 kcal.

Worked example 1: home-style kadhi

Every weight here is our assumption for one serving, counted raw: plain yogurt whisked with besan and water, simmered with turmeric, ginger and green chilli, and finished with a tadka of oil, cumin, mustard, fenugreek, red chilli and curry leaves, with coriander leaves on top. Each IFCT line is the kJ divided by 4.184, times the grams, divided by 100, to 0.1 kcal; each USDA line is the printed kcal per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100; protein is the table's protein per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100. The water, salt, asafoetida and any sugar are not counted.

The grid varies the yogurt (100, 150, 200 g) and the tadka oil (0, 1 or 2 teaspoons); the besan, spices, ginger, chilli and coriander stay as above.

Worked example 2: dhaba-style kadhi pakora

Same method and the same spices; more yogurt (200 g), more besan (30 g in the kadhi), 2 teaspoons of tadka oil, and besan pakoras made from 25 g of besan and 30 g of onion, deep-fried and dropped into the kadhi. No table prints how much oil the pakoras absorb, so the 8, 12 and 16 g are our assumptions and the least certain numbers on this page. This is our assumed recipe for a dhaba-style serving, not a measured dhaba dish.

The grid varies the yogurt (150, 200, 250 g) and the oil absorbed by the pakoras (8, 12 or 16 g); the besan, pakora onion, tadka oil, spices, ginger, chilli and coriander stay as above.

The two main cases side by side

These are the single examples used in the short answer; each follows from the tables above and from the weights in the cell.

What stands out in the numbers

• Home-style, part by part: the yogurt 91.5 kcal, the besan 77.4 kcal, the oil 39.8 kcal, the tadka spices, ginger, chilli and coriander 13.9 kcal. Plain whole-milk yogurt is 61.0 kcal per 100 g (USDA 171284) and besan 387.0 kcal (174288).
• Dhaba-style, part by part: the besan (kadhi and pakora batter) 212.9 kcal, the yogurt 122.0 kcal, the oil absorbed by the pakoras 106.1 kcal, the tadka oil 79.6 kcal, the onion 14.4 kcal, the tadka spices, ginger, chilli and coriander 13.9 kcal; against the home-style serving the extra yogurt adds 30.5 kcal, the extra besan 135.5 kcal, the onion 14.4 kcal, the extra teaspoon of tadka oil 39.8 kcal and the oil absorbed by the pakoras 106.1 kcal.
• Yogurt weight against oil: in the home-style version the tadka oil (0 to 2 teaspoons) moves it more than the yogurt weight (100 to 200 g): 79.6 kcal against 61.0 kcal; in the dhaba-style version the absorbed oil (8 to 16 g) moves it more than the yogurt weight (150 to 250 g): 70.7 kcal against 61.0 kcal. Each teaspoon of oil is 39.8 kcal.
• Protein: about 10.4 g in the home-style main case and 20.4 g in the dhaba-style one; the yogurt and the besan supply most of it.
• These are estimates: no kadhi record exists, the weights are ours, and more besan, ghee, a thicker pakora or a bigger serving will change them.

Why these are estimates, not your kadhi

• No record exists for the dish. IFCT 2017 prints raw foods and no cooked curry, and USDA SR Legacy has no kadhi record.
• The weights are assumptions. No table prints how much yogurt, besan or oil one serving takes; ours are stated so you can replace them.
• The absorbed oil has no table behind it. The 8 to 16 g in the dhaba-style grid is our assumption and is the least certain input on this page.
• Water is the cook's. The water added to the yogurt and besan adds no energy and no table prints the cooked weight, so the page counts the ingredients and cannot give a per 100 g, katori or bowl figure.
• US records for the main ingredients. The yogurt, besan and oil are US records; IFCT Table 1 has none of them, and an Indian curd or besan may differ.
• No dhaba figure. The dhaba-style version is a recipe we assumed, not a measured dhaba dish; no table prints a dhaba weight or fat use.
• Labels are printed, not judged. Calculated, Analytical and the other labels are USDA's words on the records; we print them and draw no conclusion from them.

How to log it so the numbers hold

• Log it by parts. Weigh the yogurt and the besan before they go in the pot, weigh the onion for the pakoras, and log the oil by what you pour and what is left in the pan (weight × figure ÷ 100); our ghee, oil and sugar guide has the spoon values.
• Say how much oil. It is an input this page cannot know; a teaspoon is 39.8 kcal and 4 g of absorbed oil 35.4 kcal.
• Say what else went in. Ghee in the tadka, sugar, buttermilk and any extra pakoras are not counted.
• Log the rice or roti separately. They are not in these figures.

Where NYUS fits (our app)

We make NYUS, so read this as ours. NYUS is an AI fitness and nutrition coach in early access on Android, with no ads and no data selling. You log foods yourself by searching 8,900+ Indian and global foods or by barcode, and a weekly check-in adjusts your calories, macros and step goal once enough is logged. Barcode coverage of Indian packaged foods is not complete, so search by name when a scan finds nothing.

What this page leaves out

• A measured calorie figure for kadhi as a dish: no primary record prints one, so every figure here is an estimate from stated weights.
• A calorie target, and any claim about what yogurt, besan or oil do to your body: we have not looked up any for any person, so we give none. If you have a medical condition or are pregnant, ask your doctor or dietitian.
• Ghee in the tadka, sugar, salt, asafoetida, buttermilk, vegetables such as spinach or okra in the kadhi, and other versions such as Gujarati, Sindhi or Rajasthani kadhi, or a kadhi made with coconut: not covered here; log them from their own rows (our pakora guide compares fried pakoras per piece).
• Dhaba, restaurant and packaged kadhi: no table prints a dhaba weight or fat use, so we give no such figure; read the pack for packaged ones.
• Per 100 g, katori and bowl figures: no table prints a cooked weight, so none is given here.
• Nutrients beyond energy, water, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fibre, total sugars and sodium: not covered here.

Sources

• ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), Table 1, per 100 g edible portion, mean of the regions shown (read from the PDF text 30 October 2026): G033 Turmeric powder (6 regions, 1174 kJ, PDF p. 55); G014 Ginger, fresh (6 regions, 230 kJ, PDF p. 54); G008 Chillies, green - all varieties (6 regions, 177 kJ, PDF p. 53); G025 Cumin seeds (6 regions, 1274 kJ, PDF p. 54); H013 Mustard seeds (6 regions, 2132 kJ, PDF p. 55); G026 Fenugreek seeds (6 regions, 983 kJ, PDF p. 54); G022 Chillies, red (6 regions, 990 kJ, PDF p. 54); G010 Curry leaves (6 regions, 266 kJ, PDF p. 54); G009 Coriander leaves (6 regions, 130 kJ, PDF p. 53); G017 Onion, big (6 regions, 201 kJ, PDF p. 54). IFCT 2017 prints raw foods (its few cooked rows are boiled and omelette eggs and roasted vermicelli) and no kadhi, kadhi pakora or other cooked curry, and no curd (yogurt), chickpea flour (besan) or cooking oil row in Table 1 (PDF text searched for kadhi, karhi, pakora, besan, gram flour, curd, yogurt and oil; Table 1 prints raw whole and split Bengal gram (B002, B001) but no gram flour, so the spice and onion rows are the only IFCT rows used).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 171410 (Oil, peanut, salad or cooking): Energy 884 kcal (3700 kJ), protein 0 g, total fat 100 g, carbohydrate by difference 0 g, fibre 0 g, total sugars 0 g, sodium 0 mg per 100 g; labels as printed: kcal Calculated, carbohydrate by difference no label shown, total sugars Assumed zero (Insignificant amount or not naturally occurring in a food, such as fiber in meat); portions used: 1 tsp (4.5 g); 1 cup (216 g); 1 tbsp (13.5 g) (read 30 October 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 171284 (Yogurt, plain, whole milk): Energy 61 kcal (257 kJ), protein 3.47 g, total fat 3.25 g, carbohydrate by difference 4.66 g, fibre 0 g, total sugars 4.66 g, sodium 46 mg per 100 g; labels as printed: kcal Calculated, carbohydrate by difference Calculated, total sugars Nutrient that is based on other nutrient/s; value used directly, ex. Nut.#204 from Nut.#298, kJ Calculated; portions used: 1 container (8 oz) (227 g); 1 container (6 oz) (170 g); 0.5 container (4 oz) (113 g); 1 cup (8 fl oz) (245 g) (read 30 October 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 174288 (Chickpea flour (besan)): Energy 387 kcal (1620 kJ), protein 22.4 g, total fat 6.69 g, carbohydrate by difference 57.8 g, fibre 10.8 g, total sugars 10.8 g, sodium 64 mg per 100 g; labels as printed: kcal Calculated, carbohydrate by difference Calculated, total sugars Based on another form of the food or similar food; Concentration adjustment; Solids; Retention factors not used, fibre Analytical, kJ Calculated, water Analytical, protein Analytical, fat Analytical, sodium Analytical; portions used: 1 cup (92 g) (read 30 October 2026).
• nyus.in, the NYUS landing page, read on 30 October 2026 for the app statements in the NYUS section and the CTA.

The ingredient weights, the kJ to kcal conversions, the line values, the sums, the grids, the portion kcal, the rounding, the comparisons and every sentence starting "Our reading" are NYUS's own assumptions, arithmetic or opinion, not from USDA or IFCT. The IFCT values are the means printed in IFCT 2017 Table 1; the USDA values, data-type labels and Measures-list portions are exactly as shown on the USDA record pages. The names in the first column are the tables' own names.

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