Cabbage sabzi and beans sabzi are the underrated heroes of Indian home cooking. At 100-120 calories per bowl with 4-5g protein and 5g fibre, they are lighter than most sabzis, higher in fibre, and cheap enough to eat daily. South Indian poriyal and thoran preparations are particularly light because they use coconut and minimal oil. … Read more

Tinda (round gourd), tori (ridge gourd), and karela (bitter gourd) are the three vegetables Indian kids grow up hating. They are also three of the lowest-calorie sabzis you can cook. Tinda: 90 cal per bowl. Tori: 80 cal. Karela: 100 cal. Combined, they are the weight loss trio that nobody wants to eat but everybody … Read more

Lauki is the most hated vegetable in Indian households and possibly the best one for weight loss. At 90 calories per bowl, it is the lightest sabzi you can cook. Lighter than bhindi (150 cal), lighter than aloo gobi (180 cal), lighter than everything. Your mother was right about lauki. She just never told you … Read more

Mix veg is the catch-all Indian sabzi. Whatever is in the fridge goes in the pot. At 160 calories per bowl, it is moderate. But the calorie count depends entirely on which vegetables dominate. A mix heavy on beans, carrots, and capsicum: 130 cal. A mix heavy on potato and paneer cubes: 220 cal. Same … Read more

Palak sabzi is one of the lightest curries in Indian cooking. At 120 calories per bowl with 5g protein and 4g fibre, it is what weight loss looks like in an Indian kitchen. Compare that to palak paneer at 240 calories. Same spinach base, double the calories because of paneer and cream. The palak was … Read more

Baingan (brinjal/eggplant) is 25 calories per 100g raw. One of the lowest-calorie vegetables in existence. But baingan bharta with generous oil: 200 cal per bowl. Baingan fry: 250 cal. Begun pora (Bengali roasted): 100 cal. The same vegetable, four different calorie outcomes. The preparation method matters more than the vegetable itself. Baingan (Brinjal) is genuinely … Read more

Bhindi is one of the lightest Indian sabzis at 150 calories per bowl. The vegetable itself is just 33 calories per 100g with excellent fibre. The problem: bhindi absorbs oil like a sponge. The same 200g bowl goes from 100 cal (air-fried) to 250 cal (deep-fried kurkuri bhindi). The vegetable is innocent. The cooking method … Read more

Aloo gobi is the default Indian sabzi. The one that shows up when nobody planned dinner. At 180 calories per bowl, it is moderate. Not light, not heavy. But the calorie count swings wildly based on how much oil goes in. Home aloo gobi with 1 tbsp oil: 150 cal. Dhaba-style swimming in oil: 280 … Read more