A popular dish in the Northern parts of the country and one that has gained a lot of popularity all over is the iconic Punjabi dish known as Dal makhani. A mixture of various lentils, prepared in a tangy and creamy tomato gravy, with clarified butter (ghee), cream, and other delicate spices and herbs, this dish packs in the flavours and the calories. How many calories do we hear you ask? That's exactly what we'll be covering in today's Know-Your-Calories blog.
Ingredients: As always, we analyze the ingredients first, and the primary ingredient here is urad dal. While urad dal and red kidney beans (rajma) in themselves are extremely healthy as it's a good source of fiber, complex carbohydrates, and protein, the way the dish is prepared is what makes it unhealthy. Tomatoes, a mix of spices, and tons of butter, ghee, and cream go into adding to the richness and giving it the creamy and savory flavour.
Carbohydrates: Each serving of Dal Makhani contains 24 grams of carbohydrates or 96 KCAL. The carbohydrates, for a change, are not the unhealthy ones, as they contain a fair serving of dietary fiber and are complex carbohydrates, which won't have that big of an impact on your blood glucose levels.
Fats: A lot of fats in the form of ghee, butter, and cream go into the preparation of this dish. Each serving of Dal Makhani contains 18 grams of fats or 162 KCAL. In fact, some restaurants are known to add vegetable oil to keep costs down. If you also closely observe that close to 56% of the calories come from fats alone.
Protein: Each serving of Dal Makhani contains 8 grams of protein or 32 KCAL, and even though tur dal in itself is an incomplete source of protein when mixed with red kidney beans, it becomes a complete protein. But at just 8 grams of protein for 290 calories, you have other options to choose from.
The alternative: As always, we recommend that you prepare the dish at home itself, as it will give you full control over the way the dish is prepared. You can use a variety of different lentils and beans to increase the nutritional value, and add butter or ghee sparingly, to keep the calories down.
So there you have it, another popular Indian dish covered just for you. Do continue following us for further updates.
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