Calories in Matar Paratha

The figure comes from a standard recipe that uses 80 g of atta, 125 g of fresh green peas, 25 g of onion and 2 tablespoons of oil for 3 parathas. In each paratha that is 27 g of flour around 42 g of peas, so the filling weighs more than the dough. The paratha is still on the small side, because the amount of flour is modest. One rolled from a bigger ball of dough, or the buttered kind sold at highway dhabas in winter, will be well beyond 207 kcal.

Carbohydrate supplies 46% of the energy, fat 42% and protein 12%. Peas are a pulse eaten green, so they bring starch, protein and fibre together: this paratha has 6.1 g of protein and 6.1 g of fibre, where a plain paratha from the same flour and oil has 2.8 g of protein. They also add calories. At 207 kcal the matar paratha sits next to the dal paratha, at 206 kcal, and above the aloo paratha at 191 kcal. The 2 teaspoons of oil still account for most of the fat.

One matar paratha is about 10% of a sedentary man's daily energy requirement and 12% of a woman's. Two provide 414 kcal and 12.2 g of protein, and three provide 621 kcal and 18.3 g. Of the vegetable-filled parathas in this comparison it gives the most protein, behind only the paneer paratha at 6.8 g and the keema paratha at 9.4 g. Paired with a bowl of curd, two matar parathas make a breakfast that covers protein and fibre better than most paratha meals do.

Because peas sound like a vegetable, a matar paratha is easy to underestimate. It is one of the heavier breads in the comparison, twelfth of 15, and peas contribute starch as well as protein. The peas are salted as they are mashed, and pickle on the side brings more. People counting carbohydrate for diabetes, or on a potassium or protein restriction for kidney disease, should ask their doctor or dietitian how a pea-filled paratha fits their plan.