Chai with milk and sugar

One serving of Chai with milk and sugar — 1 cup (150 ml, 2 tsp sugar) — comes to 78 kcal, 2 g protein, 13 g carbs and 2 g fat. Scaled to 100 g it works out to 52 kcal and 1.3 g protein, which makes it not a meaningful protein source on its own for a beverage item. That single serving is about 5.2% of a 1,500 kcal day and 3.9% of a 2,000 kcal day, so it's more of a filler than a target-hitter on protein without much extra planning.

Walking off Chai with milk and sugar takes roughly 1,950 steps, using the rough approximation of 0.04 kcal burned per step (a population-average estimate for a moderate walking pace, not a personalised number). At ₹5 a serving it costs about ₹50 for every 20 g of protein it delivers, which is a mid-to-high price for protein compared with dal, eggs or soya chunks. It fits nearly every Indian diet type, including vegetarian, Jain, eggetarian. It works at breakfast and the evening snack slot. It's a daily staple in most Indian kitchens and commonly eaten on fasting days (Navratri/Ekadashi-style).

If you want variety without changing the macros much, the closest swaps in the beverage category are Banana milkshake (no added sugar), Black coffee (no sugar), Chai with milk, no sugar, Tender coconut water — each keeps a similar role on the plate while shifting the exact protein-to-carb balance a little.