What is a katori? Size, grams, and calories
The small thali bowl, and what it actually weighs. See also: why published Indian nutrition numbers disagree.
A katori is the small round bowl on every Indian thali, and as a portion measure a standard home katori holds about 150 ml. That is the value clinical and nutrition references use as the default serving. The catch, and the reason people search this, is that millilitres are not grams: 150 ml of liquid dal, curd, or sambar weighs close to 150 g, but 150 ml of cooked rice is nearer 120 g because the grains pack with air gaps, and a thick sabzi sits around 150 g. Katori sizes also vary more than the word suggests. A small katori is about 100 ml, a standard home katori 150 to 180 ml, and a restaurant katori can be 250 to 300 ml, nearly double, which is the single most common reason people undercount a meal. When a number matters, weigh your own katori once, then you can eyeball it forever.
A standard katori by food type
| Food | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dal, sambar, curd (liquid) | ~150 g | Weight tracks the volume closely |
| Cooked rice | ~120 g | Grains pack with air gaps |
| Sabzi, thick gravy | ~150 g | Depends on oil and water content |
| Rajma, chole, whole beans | ~150 g | Beans plus gravy |
| Kheer, halwa (dense) | ~160 g | Denser than water |
Katori sizes
| Size | Volume | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Small katori | ~100 ml | Side bowls, chutney, pickle |
| Standard home katori | 150 to 180 ml | The default. What most nutrition data assumes. |
| Restaurant katori | 250 to 300 ml | Nearly double the home size. The main tracking trap. |
Common dishes, per katori
Common questions
How many grams is 1 katori?
A standard home katori holds about 150 ml, which is roughly 150 g for liquids like dal and curd, about 120 g for cooked rice, and around 150 g for a thick sabzi. It depends on what fills the bowl, because millilitres measure volume and grams measure weight.
How many ml is a standard katori?
About 150 ml for a standard home steel katori, with many falling in the 150 to 180 ml range. This is the default portion most Indian nutrition references use. Restaurant katoris are larger, often 250 to 300 ml.
How many calories are in 1 katori of dal?
A katori of everyday dal is roughly 120 to 150 calories. A richer dal makhani, with butter and cream, is about 220 calories a katori. The lentils are a small, fixed cost; the tempering and cream move the number.
Why do calorie apps get katori portions wrong?
Most apps were built around the US measuring cup (240 ml) and ask how many cups you ate. A katori is not a cup, it is roughly 150 ml and varies by household, so the app silently assumes the wrong volume. Measuring by the actual katori, or by grams, fixes it.
Is a bowl the same as a katori?
Not usually. Katori refers to the small round thali bowl, about 150 ml. A generic bowl or a restaurant serving bowl is bigger, often 300 ml or more, so a bowl of dal can be double a katori of dal. The word you use changes the calories.
Katori counts this for you
Snap one photo and get these numbers for your actual katori, not a guess.
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