A home-style veg thali, item by item
There's no single "thali". Every house, canteen and restaurant serves a different plate. So instead of one number, here's a typical home-style plate built from USDA values, with portion weights you can compare with your own.
| Serving | Weight | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 medium rotis | 80 g* | 239 kcal | 6.3 g | 36.9 g | 7.4 g |
| Rice, small bowl | 150 g* | 194 kcal | 4 g | 42 g | 0.4 g |
| Dal, small bowl | 150 g* | 218 kcal | 12.9 g | 28.8 g | 6.5 g |
| Mixed vegetable sabzi, small bowl | 150 g* | 129 kcal | 2.4 g | 13.2 g | 7.9 g |
| Curd, small katori | 100 g* | 78 kcal | 3.8 g | 5.6 g | 4.5 g |
| Total | 630 g | 858 kcal | 29.4 g | 126.5 g | 26.7 g |
* Serving weights chosen by NutriPixel; nutrition calculated from USDA's per-100 g values. The sabzi uses USDA's "Vegetable curry": 60% mixed vegetables (potato, onion, tomato, carrot, cauliflower, beans, peas) in a tomato curry sauce with oil.
Three swaps that change the total
- Parathas instead of rotis: two plain parathas are about 456 kcal against 239 kcal for two medium rotis, so the plate goes up by about 217 kcal.
- A teaspoon of ghee on the dal and one on the rotis: about 82 kcal more. It's the part a photo can't always see.
- A large bowl of rice (250 g) instead of a small one: about 129 kcal more.
Make all three and the same thali comes to about 1,286 kcal, before any pickle, papad or dessert. A restaurant thali with more items, richer curries and a sweet can be well above that.
A South Indian plate
A breakfast plate of idli, vada and sambar is lighter, but the chutney matters. Coconut chutney isn't included below, so add it if you eat it.
| Serving | Weight | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 idlis | 114 g* | 146 kcal | 7.3 g | 28.5 g | 0.4 g |
| 1 medu vada | 30 g | 80 kcal | 3.8 g | 10 g | 2.9 g |
| Sambar, small bowl | 150 g* | 129 kcal | 6.5 g | 17.7 g | 4.1 g |
| Total | 294 g | 355 kcal | 17.6 g | 56.2 g | 7.4 g |
How NutriPixel logs a thali
Photograph the whole plate and NutriPixel lists each item separately: rotis counted one by one, rice, dal and sabzi by the bowl, each with its calories, protein, carbs and fat. If something's off, say three rotis instead of two, or a bigger bowl of rice, change that one item before logging. Ghee that's mixed in can't be seen, so add it as its own item if you know it's there.
More on how this works on the Indian food calorie counter page. For single foods, see calories in everyday Indian food.
Sources
Values from USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023, published October 2024), which is in the public domain. Weights marked * are calculated by NutriPixel from USDA's per-100 g values; the rest are USDA's own portion weights. Numbers are rounded.
- USDA FoodData Central: “Bread, chappatti or roti” (FDC ID 2707713)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Rice, white, cooked, no added fat” (FDC ID 2708408)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Dal” (FDC ID 2707427)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Vegetable curry” (FDC ID 2710067)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Yogurt, whole milk, plain” (FDC ID 2705418)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Bread, paratha” (FDC ID 2707715)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Ghee, clarified butter” (FDC ID 2710168)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Idli” (FDC ID 2708346)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Vada” (FDC ID 2709130)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Sambar, vegetable stew” (FDC ID 2707430)
- USDA ARS: Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS)