From Movement guides
Bean counter
A practical guide to Indian pulses — how much protein and energy each one really delivers, and how to prep and pair them so that protein actually counts.
Published
by Adarsh Gopal
Pulses are a staple — dal, chole, cutlets, idlis, vadas, dosas, Mexican dishes, hummus, falafel. But contrary to popular perception, a pulse is primarily a carbohydrate and only secondly a protein. A little prep and careful pairing go a long way toward making the protein in them actually count.
Getting the most out of them
Cut back on oil, ghee and butter in the prep. It lowers the protein you get per calorie of the dish.
Soak them well. It removes compounds that make pulses harder to digest.
Favour slow, complete cooking. It makes the protein easier to digest and cuts down on bloating and flatulence.
Pulses and grains are more alike than you think. If you eat more pulses, eat less grain.
Pair them with better-quality, more complete protein sources to improve the amino acid profile and how much protein you actually absorb from a meal.
Pulses can make a meal feel more filling than grains. But they won’t keep you full for long — you’ll probably eat just as much at the next meal.
Calories and protein, per 100 g uncooked
| Pulse | Used in | Calories (100 g) | Protein (100 g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chickpea | Chole, hummus, salads | 378 | 19 g |
| Kidney beans | Mexican dishes, rajma | 337 | 22 g |
| Pigeon peas (toor) | Sambar, dal | 343 | 21 g |
| Mung beans (moong) | Moong dal, snacks | 347 | 23 g |
| Mungo beans (urad) | Idli, dosa, dal | 341 | 24 g |
| Green peas | Sides, protein isolates | 81 | 5 g |
Protein in a typical serving
| Pulse | Protein in a serving | Another common serving |
|---|---|---|
| Chickpea | 14–20 g in 240 g hummus | 9–12 g in a cup of chole |
| Kidney beans | 12–14 g in a cup of rajma | 14 g in a cup of refried beans |
| Pigeon peas | 4–7 g in a cup of sambar | — |
| Mung beans | 9–11 g in a cup of dal | 21 g in a 100 g serving of Haldiram’s moong dal |
| Mungo beans | 10–12 g in dal | 1–2 g in an idli or dosa |
| Green peas | 8–10 g in a cup of paneer mattar (from the peas) | 20–25 g from a scoop of isolate |
Stacking ideas
A few ways to combine pulses with more complete proteins across a day:
| Meal | Combo 1 | Combo 2 | Combo 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal 1 | Hummus | Mash potato | Dairy or chicken |
| Meal 2 | Refried beans | Eggs | Cheese |
| Meal 3 | Chole / rajma / dal | Greek yoghurt / skyr | Paneer |
| Meal 4 | Peas | Paneer | Rotis fortified with gluten / protein |
| Meal 5 | Chole / rajma / dal | Mushroom tikka | Potato tikka |
Each pulse carries a slightly different protein content and yields slightly different energy. None of them is a standalone protein source — treat them as a base, and build a more complete meal around them.