Chana masala: build it once, log it every week.
Chana masala is a recipe where the spices weigh almost nothing and the chickpeas carry the macros. The builder lets you enter both without rounding anything away.
- 4 servings, weighed at 1,050 g when finished
- 309 kcal a serving, with 12 g protein, 44 g carbs and 11 g fat
- 10 ingredients, every one a USDA FoodData Central entry in the library
The sample data
These are the amounts used on the screens below, with each figure taken from the library entry for that ingredient. They are sample figures for a pot or tray of this size, not a measurement of anyone's kitchen.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chickpeas, canned, drained | 506 g | 703 | 36 | 114 | 14 |
| Tomatoes, crushed, canned | 400 g | 128 | 7 | 29 | 1 |
| Onions, raw | 200 g | 80 | 2 | 19 | 0 |
| Garlic | 15 g | 22 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Ginger root | 14 g | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Canola oil | 28 g | 248 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| Cumin seed | 3 g | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Coriander seed | 6 g | 18 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Turmeric, ground | 3 g | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Red or cayenne pepper | 2 g | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Whole recipe | 1,177 g | 1,236 | 48 | 176 | 45 |
| Per serving (4) | 263 g | 309 | 12 | 44 | 11 |
Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Ingredient values are from USDA FoodData Central, which is in the public domain.
Why this recipe
The tadka oil and the onions change from cook to cook, and a restaurant plate of chana masala can be double a home bowl. Entering your own oil and chickpeas gives you your own serving, not an average.
What to weigh
The ingredients weigh 1,177 g and the sample pot weighs 1,050 g after the sauce reduces. Each serving is then 262.5 g, and the calories are the same either way.
The full workflow, in four steps.
1. Open Create a recipe and search the library
Create a recipe and search "chickpeas". Choose the canned, drained entry, since that is how the can is weighed.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Enter 506 g, two cans drained. The amount sheet shows 703 kcal for the chickpeas, with 36 g of protein and 114 g of carbs.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the tomatoes, onions, aromatics, oil and each spice. A teaspoon of a spice can be entered in grams, or with the portion the library lists for it.
4. Save it and log a serving
Set 4 servings and 1,050 g, then save. A serving works out to 309 kcal with 12 g of protein.
Tips while you build it
- Spices are small numbers, but the oil is not. Measure the oil you actually used, not the oil the recipe suggests.
- Cook a double batch and weigh the whole pot once. Then portion it into containers by grams.
- Add rice or naan as their own entries when you log the meal, so the saved recipe stays the curry only.
Make it your own
- Use the dry chickpeas entry for chickpeas you soak and boil yourself, and enter the cooked weight with the cooked entry instead.
- Replace the canola oil with ghee or butter oil and save it as a new recipe to compare.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Chana masala questions.
How many calories are in a serving of chana masala?
The sample four-serving pot comes to 309 kcal a serving, with 12 g protein, 44 g carbs and 11 g fat. It will move with the oil and onions you use.
Does the recipe builder know Indian spices?
It searches the same food library as the rest of the app. Common spices such as cumin, coriander seed, turmeric and cayenne are in it, and so are the dishes on the Indian food page.
Can I type spices as teaspoons?
Where the library lists a teaspoon portion for the spice, yes. Otherwise switch the portion to grams and enter what you measured.
More example recipes.
- Dal tadka265 kcal a serving, 4 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Butter chicken498 kcal a serving, 4 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Hummus bi tahini211 kcal a serving, 8 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Mujadara337 kcal a serving, 6 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Chicken shawarma (oven tray)444 kcal a serving, 4 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Spaghetti bolognese499 kcal a serving, 6 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Chicken cacciatore639 kcal a serving, 4 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Turkey chili326 kcal a serving, 6 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Homemade cheeseburgers456 kcal a serving, 4 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
Keep going.
- Recipe builderWhat the builder does, and every example recipe in one place.
- Indian food caloriesPer 100 g tables for the dishes the food library finds.
- Nutrition and macro trackingBarcodes, label reading, targets that follow your weigh-ins.
- Help: scan, create and recipesThe same steps in the Help Center.
Cook it once. Log it for good.
Build your own indian favourite in Nutrition.