Khichdi with kadhi and papad

One serving of Khichdi with kadhi and papad — 1.5 katori khichdi + 1 katori kadhi + papad — comes to 516 kcal, 23.4 g protein, 62.3 g carbs and 19.2 g fat. Scaled to 100 g it works out to 129 kcal and 5.9 g protein, which makes it not a meaningful protein source on its own for a restaurant plate item. That single serving is about 34.4% of a 1,500 kcal day and 25.8% of a 2,000 kcal day, so it can carry real weight in a protein-focused plan without much extra planning.

Walking off Khichdi with kadhi and papad takes roughly 12,900 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 ₹30 a serving it costs about ₹25.6 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 a vegetarian or eggetarian or non-vegetarian diet. It works at lunch and dinner.

If you want variety without changing the macros much, the closest swaps in the restaurant plate category are Butter naan, Chole chawal (plate), Dal chawal (plate), Office tiffin: 3 roti + dal + sabzi — each keeps a similar role on the plate while shifting the exact protein-to-carb balance a little.