Dals and legume curries
Calories in Lobia Curry
One bowl of lobia curry has about 179 kcal, with 7.3 g of protein, 21.4 g of carbohydrate and 6.7 g of fat. The Indian Nutrient Databank recipe cooks 30 g of raw lobia (cowpea, or black-eyed beans) with tomato, onion and one and a half teaspoons of oil. A bigger ladle or more oil in the masala raises it.
Nutrition in 1 bowl of lobia curry
| Nutrient | 1 bowl of lobia curry | 2 bowls of lobia curry |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 179 kcal | 358 kcal |
| Protein | 7.3 g | 14.6 g |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 21.4 g | 42.8 g |
| Total fat | 6.7 g | 13.4 g |
| Dietary fibre | 5.5 g | 11 g |
| Sugars | 3 g | 6 g |
Of this energy, about 49% comes from carbohydrate, 34% from fat and 17% from protein.
1 bowl of lobia curry is about 8% of the daily energy requirement of a sedentary adult man and 11% of a sedentary adult woman's (ICMR-NIN, 2020).
These figures are from the Indian Nutrient Databank (INDB), which calculates each dish from a standard recipe using Indian food composition data. They describe that recipe and that serving: a larger portion, or more oil, ghee or sugar, gives more. Source: Vijayakumar A, Dubasi HB, Awasthi A, Jaacks LM. Development of an Indian Food Composition Database. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2024;8(7):103790 (Indian Nutrient Databank, INDB).
What this figure covers
Lobia, also sold as chawli or rongi, is the cream-coloured bean with a black eye. The recipe that produced this figure makes a single bowl from 30 g of the raw beans, 50 g of tomato, 25 g of onion and one and a half teaspoons of oil. It is a home-style curry and a home-size helping: about a katori, the amount served beside roti and a sabzi. Eaten over rice as the main dish, most people would take more. It is fifth from the lightest of the 20 dals and pulse curries in this comparison.
Almost half the energy, 49%, comes from carbohydrate, with fat at 34% and protein at 17%. Lobia is a starchy, very low-fat bean, so the 6.7 g of fat is essentially the cooking oil. The beans supply the 7.3 g of protein and most of the 5.5 g of fibre, and the tomato and onion add gravy without adding much energy. Of the bean curries made to this same pattern, lobia sits between rajma at 172 kcal and chole at 196 kcal.
What goes into one serving
The recipe INDB analysed makes 1 bowl. These are its main ingredients; spices, salt and water are left out.
| Ingredient | In the recipe | In 1 bowl of lobia curry |
|---|---|---|
| Cowpea (lobia) | 30 g | 30 g |
| Tomato | 50 g | 50 g |
| Onion | 25 g | 25 g |
| Oil | 1 1/2 tsp | 1 1/2 tsp |
What changes the number
- 01
The oil in the gravy
One and a half teaspoons of oil are counted for each bowl, and a teaspoon is about 44 kcal. A thin, home-style gravy needs no more. A teaspoon of ghee stirred in before serving takes the bowl to about 224 kcal.
- 02
Beans in the bowl
The figure assumes 30 g of dry lobia. A bowl ladled thick with beans has more, and one that is mostly gravy has less. Two bowls of the reference size come to 358 kcal and half a bowl to about 90 kcal.
- 03
Coconut and regional styles
In Maharashtra, Goa and the south, chawli is often cooked with grated coconut or coconut milk. Coconut adds fat, so those versions run higher than this onion and tomato recipe.
- 04
Fresh pods or dried beans
Green lobia pods cooked as a sabzi are a vegetable, mostly water and fibre. This page is about the dried bean, which is a pulse and far more concentrated.
How lobia curry compares
Other dishes of the same kind, one serving each, lightest first. Serving sizes differ, so read the serving before the number.
| Dish | One serving | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasam | 1 bowl of rasam | 104 | 4.4 |
| Moong Dal | 1 bowl of moong dal | 139 | 7.4 |
| Kala Chana Curry | 1 bowl of kala chana curry | 169 | 6.8 |
| Rajma | 1 bowl of rajma | 172 | 7.1 |
| Lobia Curry | 1 bowl of lobia curry | 179 | 7.3 |
| Urad Dal | 1 bowl of urad dal | 182 | 7.4 |
| Mixed Dal | 1 bowl of mixed dal | 184 | 7.5 |
| Sabut Moong Dal | 1 bowl of sabut moong dal | 184 | 7.7 |
| Sabut Masoor Dal | 1 bowl of sabut masoor dal | 185 | 7.8 |
| Chole | 1 bowl of chole | 196 | 7.3 |
| Soyabean Curry | 1 bowl of soyabean curry | 196 | 12.5 |
| Kulthi Dal | 1 bowl of kulthi dal | 201 | 10.5 |
| Lauki Chana Dal | 1 bowl of lauki chana dal | 204 | 7.8 |
| Dal Palak | 1 bowl of dal palak | 213 | 8.3 |
| Dal Dhokli | 1 bowl of dal dhokli | 231 | 10 |
| Sambar | 1 bowl of sambar | 249 | 8.6 |
| Dal Makhani | 1 bowl of dal makhani | 262 | 11.7 |
| Chana Dal | 1 bowl of chana dal | 291 | 12.1 |
| Dalma | 1 bowl of dalma | 314 | 12.9 |
| Panchmel Dal | 1 bowl of panchmel dal | 335 | 13.9 |
In a meal and in a day
One bowl of lobia curry is about 8% of a sedentary man's daily energy requirement and 11% of a woman's. Two bowls give 358 kcal and 14.6 g of protein; three give 537 kcal and 21.9 g. Lobia cooks faster than rajma or chole and needs little or no soaking, which makes it a practical weekday pulse. Served with rice or roti, the cereal and the bean make the protein of the meal more complete. A bowl of curd or a salad finishes the plate.
Ways to keep it lighter
- Make the masala with one teaspoon of oil; lobia's gravy thickens by itself as the beans soften.
- Choose the onion and tomato base over a coconut one for everyday cooking.
- Have a second bowl of lobia in place of extra rice when the meal needs more protein and fibre.
- Toss leftover boiled lobia with onion, tomato and lemon for a snack with no cooking fat.
Before you rely on the number
Like most beans, lobia can cause gas; rinsing the beans, cooking them fully and adding ginger or hing helps. People with gout, raised uric acid or kidney disease are sometimes advised to limit pulses, and they should rely on their own doctor or dietitian for how much lobia curry to eat, not on a general page.
Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.
Lobia Curry: common questions
How much protein is in one bowl of lobia curry?
About 7.3 g from 30 g of raw beans, and 14.6 g in two bowls. Protein supplies 17% of the bowl's energy. That matches chole at 7.3 g and edges past rajma at 7.1 g in the same data.
How many calories are in 2 bowls of lobia curry?
About 358 kcal, with 14.6 g of protein, 42.8 g of carbohydrate and 13.4 g of fat, when each bowl matches the reference recipe. Three bowls of lobia curry come to 537 kcal.
Is lobia curry good for weight loss?
It is a light, filling option: 179 kcal a bowl, with 5.5 g of fibre and only 6.7 g of fat. Keeping the oil low and the rice measured matters more than the beans. No food brings weight down alone; the balance of the whole day does.
Is lobia lighter than rajma?
They are close. A bowl of lobia curry is 179 kcal and a bowl of rajma is 172 kcal in this data, with 7.3 g and 7.1 g of protein. Choose by taste and by how much time there is to cook, since lobia softens much sooner.
The recipe, the ingredients and related reading
Cowpea (lobia): nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Tomato: nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Onion: nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Which Dal Has the Most Protein? Raw, Cooked and per Katori
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Vegetarian Protein Sources in India: Full Food List
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Low-Calorie Indian Foods That Actually Keep You Full
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Indian food calorie counter
Add up a whole plate in rotis, katoris and cups.
Calories in every dish
All the cooked dishes, with calories per serving.
Learn to read a plate
Certification in Nutrition
Estimating what is on a plate and turning it into a meal plan is taught in this NNWA course.