Mamak & Bread

How Many Calories in Poori (Puri)?

Two puffed, deep-fried wheat breads served with potato masala curry and dhal, a classic mamak breakfast order that hits around 460 calories for the full set.

460kcal / 2 pieces with aloo curry and dhal
The standard poori set at a mamak, 2 pieces with aloo curry and dhal, comes to about 460 calories across 284g of food. The bread alone accounts for 252 of those calories because deep frying absorbs a fair bit of oil into each piece as it puffs up. Add the potato curry at 133 calories and the dhal at 75 calories and you are at a pretty solid breakfast total.

Nutrition facts

Per 2 pieces with aloo curry and dhal (284g)AmountPer 100g
Calories460 kcal162 kcal
Protein14 g5 g
Carbs67 g24 g
Fat15 g5 g

Where the calories come from

Poori bread, 2 pieces deep-fried (84g)84g
252 kcal
Aloo (potato masala) curry (120g)120g
133 kcal
Dhal curry (80g)80g
75 kcal

The real talk

Poori is that round puffed bread you see at Indian and mamak stalls, usually served at breakfast with a scoop of aloo masala (spiced potato curry) and a small bowl of dhal. The full set is about 460 calories, which is a reasonable breakfast on its own. The calorie driver is the deep frying: each piece of dough gets dropped into hot oil and puffs up, absorbing oil in the process. The 84g of bread alone is 252 calories, so the gravy sides are actually the lighter part of the meal. Fair warning though, these numbers are a genuine ballpark estimate because detailed lab data for mamak poori is basically nonexistent. Different stalls fry at different temperatures and oil types, so the real number could swing 50 calories either way.

What changes the maths mostly is how many pieces you eat and which gravy you order. Sticking to dhal only (no aloo) drops you to around 325 calories. Swapping in channa (chickpea) masala instead pushes you closer to 510 calories because channa is denser. The masala poori variant, where spices are mixed into the dough, sits at about 490 calories because spiced dough tends to absorb slightly more oil. If you are watching intake, two pieces with dhal only is actually a fairly reasonable mamak breakfast, bro. Where people get into trouble is ordering a third piece or double-scooping the aloo without thinking about it.

Poori (Puri) variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Poori only (2 pieces, no curry)250 kcalJust the bread, nothing to dip into; uncommon but possible as a snack order
Poori with dhal only325 kcalLighter option without the oilier potato curry
Poori with aloo and dhal (standard)460 kcalTypical mamak full set: 2 pieces puri, aloo masala, dhal on side
Masala poori (spiced dough) with aloo and dhal490 kcalSpiced dough adds marginal extra oil absorption; heavier variant
Poori with channa (chickpea) curry510 kcalChanna masala is denser and higher-calorie than aloo curry

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in Poori (Puri)?
A standard mamak poori set with 2 pieces of bread, aloo masala curry and dhal is around 460 calories in total, across about 284g of food. The bread alone is roughly 252 calories due to deep frying.
What exactly is poori and how is it different from roti canai?
Poori is a small round wheat bread that is deep fried until it puffs up like a balloon. Roti canai is a flat layered bread cooked on a griddle with very little oil. Both are mamak staples but poori is denser in calories per gram because of the frying oil absorbed during cooking.
Is poori a good option if I am trying to lose weight?
It is not the lightest breakfast but it is not a disaster either. At 460 calories for the full set, it is manageable if you eat it once in a while and pair it with dhal over aloo to save about 135 calories. The problem is usually ordering three or four pieces without tracking it. Two pieces with dhal only at around 325 calories is actually a reasonable mamak breakfast.

Related foods

See all Mamak & Bread calories, ranked →

Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical hawker or kopitiam serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

New to all this? Read how I went from 128kg to 86kg without cutting rice →

Want to know how many calories you actually need?
Use The Calculator