Indian meals · Practical guide

Roti and Dal Calories: How to Log Your Portions

There is no single calorie count for “two rotis and a bowl of dal”. Start with the flour used, the dal recipe and the portion you ate, then review the estimate before saving.

By the GenieFit team · Product and portion-logging guide · 14 October 2026. Example amounts are not recommended portions.

Roti: start with the flour, then count the extras

If you cook at home, record the flour used for a batch and how many similar-sized rotis it makes. If 240 g of atta makes eight equal rotis, two rotis represent 60 g of that flour. This allocation assumes equal portions; use a different share if their sizes differ.

Do not enter 60 g of cooked roti as though it were 60 g of dry atta. Choose a food entry that matches what you measured. Include oil mixed into the dough and ghee added afterwards if they are not already part of the selected food.

Dal: describe the cooked portion and recipe

Write the type of dal, the cooked amount you ate and any known additions such as tadka, cream or ghee. “150 g cooked moong dal, including the tadka” gives more context than “one bowl”. A watery dal and a thick dal can contain different amounts of lentils in the same bowl.

If you know the batch recipe, record it and your share. For example, a 600 g cooked batch split evenly into four portions gives 150 g per portion. That portion is one quarter of the recipe; it is not 150 g of dry lentils.

When you do not have a kitchen scale

Describe the number and approximate size of rotis and the size of your bowl. Reuse the same bowl for consistency, but keep the estimate labelled as an estimate. A photograph cannot establish the flour amount or hidden cooking fat.

A description to adapt

Lunch: two equal rotis from a batch of eight made with 240 g atta, with no oil in the dough. I added 5 g ghee to my two rotis. Also 150 g cooked moong dal, including its tadka. Please estimate my portion only.

Replace those quantities with your own. In GenieFit, choose Describe, enter the meal and tap Analyze. Check that only two rotis were counted, that the dal is a cooked portion, and that ghee appears once. Adjust servings before using Add items, then check your saved diary entry.

How to use a packet label

Check whether nutrition is stated per serving or per 100 g. Scale it to the ingredient amount you actually used; a packet serving size is not automatically your portion. Keep the unit and raw/cooked state consistent.

Source: the FDA guide to reading nutrition labels explains how nutrition values relate to serving amounts. Use the actual label on your ingredient; the examples here illustrate portion arithmetic, not measured nutrition results.

For a complete plate, use the homemade thali walkthrough. For recipe fats, see how to account for oil and ghee.

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