Sambar vs Toor Dal (Arhar) Tadka

Both sides computed from the same table, at the serving each is actually eaten in.

Sambar

kcal per 1 katori sambar (150 g) · 62 kcal/100 g

Toor Dal (Arhar) Tadka

137

kcal per 1 katori cooked dal (150 g) · 91 kcal/100 g

More energy-dense

The short answer

Which one is heavier

Per 100 g, toor dal (arhar) tadka is heavier — 91 kcal against 62 kcal for sambar, about 47% more. Per real serving the picture changes: 1 katori sambar of sambar is 93 kcal, while 1 katori cooked dal of toor dal (arhar) tadka is 137 kcal, because the portions are not the same size. On protein, toor dal (arhar) tadka wins with 3.8 g per 100 g.

ਸਰੋਤ·ICMR–NIN dietary guidance for Indians + weighed portions·1 katori sambar entered at 150 g·ਸਮੀਖਿਆ ਜੁਲਾਈ 2026

ਨਾਲ-ਨਾਲ

	Sambar	Toor Dal (Arhar) Tadka
Serving assumed	1 katori sambar · 150 g	1 ਕਟੋਰੀ ਪੱਕੀ ਦਾਲ · 150 ਗ੍ਰਾਮ
Calories per serving	93	137
Calories per 100 g	62	91
Protein per 100 g	2.3 g	3.8 g
Carbs per 100 g	8.2 g	10.2 g
Fat per 100 g	2.2 g	3.6 g
Fibre per 100 g	3.2 g	1.9 g
Walking to burn one serving	22 ਮਿੰਟ	32 ਮਿੰਟ

ਸਰੋਤ·IFCT 2017 + published recipe weights·ਸਮੀਖਿਆ ਜੁਲਾਈ 2026

How two dishes are made comparable

Both columns start from the same source — the per-100 g rows for sambar and toor dal (arhar) tadka in the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. Neither side is taken from a different database to win an argument.
Each dish keeps its own serving weight: 1 katori sambar at 150 g, 1 katori cooked dal at 150 g. Forcing both onto a shared 100 g is what makes most food comparisons useless.
Both rows are then scaled the same way and printed side by side, so the per-gram ranking and the per-plate ranking can visibly disagree — which, on Indian food, they routinely do.

Sambar              62 kcal/100 g × 150 g ÷ 100 = 93 kcal
Toor Dal (Arhar)    91 kcal/100 g × 150 g ÷ 100 = 137 kcal

The full method, and where it is weakest →

How to read this

Per-100 g comparisons flatter whatever is eaten in small portions. Toor Dal (Arhar) Tadka is denser per gram, but people do not eat by the gram — sambar arrives as 1 katori sambar and toor dal (arhar) tadka as 1 katori cooked dal, and that is where the real difference shows up.

Toor Dal (Arhar) Tadka carries more protein, which matters more than the calorie gap if you are trying to stay full. Both figures assume home cooking with a measured amount of oil; a restaurant plate of either can run 30 to 60% higher.

ਸਵਾਲ

Which has more calories, sambar or toor dal (arhar) tadka?

Which has more protein, sambar or toor dal (arhar) tadka?

Toor Dal (Arhar) Tadka — 3.8 g per 100 g against 2.3 g. Per real serving that becomes 5.7 g in 1 katori cooked dal against 3.4 g in 1 katori sambar.

Why do the two comparisons disagree?

Because a per-100 g comparison flatters whatever is eaten in small portions. 1 katori sambar of sambar weighs 150 g and 1 katori cooked dal of toor dal (arhar) tadka weighs 150 g, so the per-gram ranking and the per-plate ranking are answering different questions. The serving row is the one that decides what you ate.

Nutrient values are averages for the stated preparation, based on the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR–NIN) and standard recipe analysis. Energy is reconciled against the macronutrients with Atwater factors on every build. General information only — not medical or nutrition advice. Home-cooked Indian food varies enormously with oil, ghee and portion size; every value here is an average for a stated serving, with the assumption shown.

ਸਰੋਤ·IFCT 2017 + published recipe weights·ਸਮੀਖਿਆ ਜੁਲਾਈ 2026

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