Most protein charts are built around chicken breast and whey, which is not how most Indian households eat. This guide lists the protein content of everyday Indian foods per 100 g and per typical serving, explains why raw and cooked numbers differ so much, and shows how to estimate a day of protein without logging every bite.
Dal, rajma, chana and soya chunks absorb water when cooked, so 100 g of dry dal has far more protein than 100 g of cooked dal. Dry toor, moong or masoor dal is about 22 to 25 g per 100 g. Once cooked into a thin dal, 100 g of the finished dish is closer to 5 to 8 g.
When you read a chart, check whether it is raw or cooked. The values below are approximate and rounded, taken from standard food composition tables, and they will vary by brand and recipe.
Paneer: about 18 g. Dry soya chunks: about 50 g. Dry dal such as moong, masoor or toor: about 22 to 25 g. Cooked rajma or chole: about 8 to 9 g. Besan (gram flour): about 22 g. Sattu flour: about 20 g. Peanuts: about 25 g. Tofu: about 8 g. Oats: about 12 to 13 g.
Dairy: curd is about 3 to 4 g per 100 g, hung curd is about 8 to 10 g, and milk is about 3.4 g per 100 ml.
One whole egg has roughly 6 g of protein. Cooked chicken breast is around 30 g per 100 g, and chicken curry made with pieces on the bone is lower per spoon because of the bones and gravy. Most cooked fish such as rohu or pomfret gives about 18 to 22 g per 100 g.
These are the densest sources by weight, but a vegetarian diet can reach the same daily total with larger portions.
A katori of cooked dal is around 7 to 9 g. A 100 g portion of paneer sabzi is 15 to 18 g. Two rotis give about 6 g. A glass of milk gives 6 to 8 g and a bowl of curd about 5 g. Two chillas made from besan can give 12 to 15 g. A scoop of whey protein powder usually lists 20 to 25 g on the label.
Use these as building blocks. A normal Indian thali with dal, paneer, roti and curd already provides 30 to 40 g of protein.
Pick one protein anchor per meal, such as paneer, eggs, dal, soya or curd, and count only that plus a rough 15 g for everything else in the day. Add the anchors and compare with your target.
Use the daily protein target in our TDEE and macro calculators to see your own number, then check your estimate for a week. After that you will rarely need to look anything up.