D16 · Dinner · West Bengal
Soyabean Bori Dalna
A Bengali home curry of soy chunks and potato in a mustard-oil, cumin-ginger gravy finished with garam masala — a weeknight staple in Kolkata kitchens.
- Region
- West Bengal
- Diet
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Time, as written
- Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min · Total 35 min
- Serves
- 3
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Status
- Traditional
- Good for
- Weeknight dinner, tiffin
Nutrition
High protein| Per serving | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Sugars | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalna only (about 250 g) | 195 | 15 g | 19 g | 5 g | 1 g | 6 g | 5 g | 8.0 g |
| Dinner plate: dalna, 2 whole-wheat rotis | 420 | 23 g | 64 g | 6 g | 1 g | 14 g | 7 g | 5.5 g |
Headline figures are for the full plate as served, with its stated roti, rice or bhakri; the dish alone is shown in the table.
Tier: High protein. Soy chunks use a typical label — verify against the brand used. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Values are estimates calculated from the listed ingredients and quantities (IFCT 2017 and product labels), not laboratory measurements. How the numbers were calculated.
Ingredients
Plate
Method
Boil soy chunks in 1 litre water for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and squeeze dry.
Rub chunks with a pinch of turmeric and salt. Heat mustard oil until it just smokes, lower the heat, and fry chunks 3 minutes until lightly browned. Remove; fry potatoes 5 minutes.
Add bay leaf, cumin seeds and red chillies, then onion purée; cook 5 minutes.
Add ginger and cumin pastes, tomato purée, turmeric and chilli powder; cook 4 minutes until oil separates.
Lower the heat and stir in whisked curd. Add chunks, potato, sugar, salt and 300 ml water.
Cover and simmer 10 minutes until the potato is tender. Finish with garam masala. Serve with rotis.
Protein optimisation
- Where the protein comes from
- Soy chunks supply 13 g per serving; potato, curd and vegetables 2 g; rotis 8 g on the plate.
- Boost
- Add 80 g green peas with the potatoes (+2 g protein, +25 kcal per serving).
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional
- Soyabean kosha — cooked down until dry and dark, with more onion.
- Substitution
- 150 g paneer for the soy chunks (soy-free; about 4 g less protein and 10 g more fat per serving).
- Storage
- 3 days refrigerated.
- Food safety
- Reheat until steaming throughout.
- Meal prep
- Excellent.
Allergens
Soy, milk (curd); gluten (rotis)
Labels: High protein · Quick · Lower-fat · Whey-free · Meal-prep friendly