VoltraGulf food calorie table: 60 dishes per 100 g
Per 100 g, most Gulf rice dishes measured 117 to 173 kcal, stews, harees and jareesh 54 to 107 kcal, breads 197 to 334 kcal, and traditional sweets 126 to 534 kcal. The tables below give calories, protein, fat and carbs for 60 dishes from the Kuwaiti and Bahraini food composition tables and a Saudi study [1][2][3][4], with the source on every row.
Each figure is one recipe, per 100 g as served. The same dish can differ by half from one analysis to another, so treat it as a starting point and weigh your plate when you can.
How to read the tables
- Every number is per 100 g of the dish as served, bones removed. Calories are rounded to whole numbers; protein, fat and carbs are in grams, to one decimal place.
- The number after each dish is its source: [1] Kuwait, KISR (1989); [2] Bahrain, Ministry of Health (2025); [3] Bahrain, Musaiger (2011); [4] Saudi Arabia, Al-Faris (2017).
- † The 2025 Bahraini table marks these rows as taken from Kuwait's food composition table.
- – means the source didn't report the value, or printed one that can't be right.
- In each group, dishes run from fewest to most calories.
Jump to: Rice dishes · Meat, chicken and fish · Stews and porridges · Breads and breakfast · Sweets and desserts · Snacks and drinks
Rice dishes
| Dish, per 100 g | kcal | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mumawwash rubyan مموش ربيان Rice with dried shrimp and mung beans [1] | 117 | 8.3 | 1.2 | 18.0 |
| Mumawwash مموش Rice with mung beans [1] | 120 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 23.5 |
| Masli dajaj مصلي دجاج Chicken cooked under the rice [2] | 131 | 7.9 | 3.1 | 19.0 |
| Machboos samak مجبوس سمك Spiced rice with hamour [2] | 133 | 13.1 | 3.0 | – |
| Kabsa laham كبسة لحم Saudi spiced rice with meat [4] | 137 | 5.5 | 1.9 | 24.5 |
| Mu'addas معدس Rice with lentils [1] | 147 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 26.5 |
| Mutabbaq samak مطبق سمك Fried fish on spiced rice [1] | 147 | 7.0 | 2.5 | 24.1 |
| Machboos dajaj مجبوس دجاج Spiced rice with chicken [1] | 156 | 9.6 | 5.4 | 17.2 |
| Biryani laham برياني لحم Meat biryani with potato [1] | 158 | 6.9 | 4.9 | 21.5 |
| Masli laham مصلي لحم Rice cooked with meat [3] | 171 | 6.6 | 4.2 | 26.8 |
| Machboos laham مجبوس لحم Spiced rice with meat [1] | 173 | 7.0 | 4.8 | 25.5 |
| Mahammar محمر Sweet rice [3] | 244 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 49.0 |
| Qouzi غوزي Roast lamb on spiced rice [2]† | 288 | 10.8 | 15.4 | 24.3 |
Meat, chicken and fish
| Dish, per 100 g | kcal | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamsat rubyan حمصة ربيان Shrimp with tomato and onion [2]† | 103 | 10.7 | 2.8 | 6.9 |
| Samak saneya صينية سمك Fish baked with vegetables [2]† | 105 | 11.8 | 3.7 | 6.0 |
| Dolma دولمة Vine leaves stuffed with rice and minced meat [1] | 116 | 7.3 | 2.3 | 16.5 |
| Rubyan mashwi ربيان مشوي Grilled spiced shrimp [2]† | 116 | 11.6 | 4.7 | 7.1 |
| Dajaj bil-furn دجاج بالفرن Oven-baked chicken with vegetables [2]† | 144 | 12.3 | 6.1 | 12.7 |
| Safi mashwi صافي مشوي Grilled rabbitfish, flesh only [3] | 149 | 27.3 | 4.3 | 0.0 |
| Safi maqli صافي مقلي Fried rabbitfish [2] | 196 | 24.2 | 11.0 | <1 |
| Tikka laham تكة لحم Grilled meat cubes [2] | 221 | 25.5 | 12.2 | 5.0 |
Stews and porridges
| Dish, per 100 g | kcal | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marag samak مرق سمك Fish stew (saloona) [1] | 54 | 5.5 | 2.8 | 1.6 |
| Madrooba dajaj مضروبة دجاج Mashed rice and chicken [2] | 59 | 3.9 | 1.3 | 8.0 |
| Marag adas مرق عدس Lentil stew with potato and tomato [1] | 63 | 5.0 | 0.5 | 9.6 |
| Marag bamya مرق بامية Okra stew with meat [1] | 64 | 6.3 | 2.2 | 4.6 |
| Jareesh جريش Cracked wheat with meat [1] | 80 | 4.4 | 3.1 | 8.7 |
| Harees هريس Wheat and meat porridge [1] | 81 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 11.1 |
| Marag laham مرق لحم Meat stew (saloona) [1] | 81 | 6.4 | 3.7 | 5.4 |
| Qorsan قرصان Saudi whole-wheat bread in meat and vegetable stew [4] | 83 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 14.2 |
| Marag dajaj مرق دجاج Chicken stew (saloona) [1] | 92 | 8.7 | 3.6 | 6.1 |
| Margoog مرقوق Meat and vegetable stew with thin dough [1] | 101 | 5.1 | 2.8 | 13.9 |
| Marag shabzi مرق شبزي Meat stew with green herbs [2]† | 107 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 7.1 |
| Thareed ثريد Bread in meat and vegetable stew [3] | 107 | 6.8 | 3.5 | 12.1 |
Breads and breakfast
| Dish, per 100 g | kcal | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marasee' مراصيع Saudi whole-wheat dough with egg and milk [4] | 197 | 8.8 | 3.0 | 33.7 |
| Balaleet بلاليط Sweet saffron vermicelli with egg [2]† | 212 | 6.6 | 4.7 | 35.6 |
| Khubz mahyawa خبز مهياوة Flatbread with mahyawa fish sauce [2] | 243 | 7.9 | 2.0 | 50.0 |
| Khubz tanoor خبز تنور Tannour-baked bread [2] | 299 | 10.2 | – | 62.0 |
| Khubz regag خبز رقاق Thin crisp flatbread [2]† | 334 | 12.7 | 1.0 | 70.3 |
Sweets and desserts
| Dish, per 100 g | kcal | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sago ساقو Saffron sago pudding [3] | 126 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 25.5 |
| Aseeda عصيدة Sweet flour pudding [3] | 243 | 4.3 | 11.9 | 29.6 |
| Luqaimat لقيمات Fried dough balls with date syrup [2]† | 301 | 5.3 | 7.9 | 52.3 |
| Khabeesa خبيصة Toasted-flour sweet [3] | 305 | 3.5 | 6.3 | 58.6 |
| Khanfaroosh خنفروش Fried saffron cakes [3] | 316 | 6.3 | 10.1 | 50.1 |
| Halwa Bahraini حلوى بحرينية Starch, sugar and cashew halwa [2] | 351 | 2.2 | 10.1 | 62.0 |
| Bethith بثيث Dates with toasted flour [3] | 352 | 2.6 | 6.4 | 71.0 |
| Gers ogaili قرص عقيلي Saffron and cardamom cake [3] | 352 | 10.1 | 9.4 | 56.7 |
| Tamriya تمرية Dates cooked with flour and butter [2]† | 358 | 3.1 | 6.9 | 73.9 |
| Rangina رنقينة Dates with toasted flour and butter [2]† | 372 | 4.8 | 8.5 | 63.3 |
| Kleija كليجا Saudi spiced whole-wheat cookie [4] | 430 | 6.8 | 17.5 | 61.3 |
| Nashab نشاب Flour, molasses and spice sweet [2] | 493 | 7.7 | 22.0 | 64.0 |
| Zalabia زلابية Fried batter in syrup [2] | 497 | 3.4 | 27.2 | 60.0 |
| Ghraiba غريبة Butter shortbread with pistachio [2] | 522 | 7.3 | 27.8 | 61.7 |
| Rahash رهش Tahini, sugar and nut halva [2] | 534 | 14.3 | 29.3 | 53.3 |
Snacks and drinks
| Dish, per 100 g | kcal | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gahwa قهوة عربية Arabic coffee, nothing added [3] | 4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Chai karak شاي كرك Tea with evaporated milk, sugar and cardamom [2] | 51 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 9.0 |
| Nikhi نخي Boiled chickpeas [3] | 98 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 15.0 |
| Baajela باجلا Boiled broad beans [3] | 99 | 6.2 | 1.0 | 16.3 |
| Mutabbaq مطبق Saudi pastry stuffed with meat and egg [4] | 177 | 8.4 | 5.5 | 23.6 |
| Sambousa jibn سمبوسة جبن Cheese sambousa [2]† | 391 | 9.1 | 20.6 | 42.3 |
| Mithai متاي Crunchy mix of flour, chickpeas, mung beans and peanuts [2] | 512 | 17.6 | 31.2 | 38.0 |
Karak and Arabic coffee are per 100 g, about 100 ml. For the fish machboos, the source prints a carbohydrate figure that can't be right (114 g per 100 g), so we leave it out; for fried safi it prints less than 1 g. The source gives no fat figure for khubz tanoor, whose recipe has no added fat.
Same dish, different analysis
When more than one source analysed a dish, the tables above show one of them, never an average: Kuwait's first, then Bahrain's Ministry of Health, then the others, skipping any row with a printed value that can't be right. This is how far apart they can be:
| Dish | kcal per 100 g |
|---|---|
| Fish stew (marag samak) | 54 in Kuwait [1]; 82 and 83 in Bahrain [3][2] |
| Okra stew (marag bamya) | 64 in Kuwait [1]; 28 in Saudi Arabia [4] |
| Aseeda | 243 in Bahrain [3]; 125 in Saudi Arabia, made with millet flour [4] |
| Meat machboos | 173 in Kuwait [1]; 139 in Bahrain [2] |
| Meat biryani | 158 in Kuwait [1]; 192 in Bahrain [3] |
| Tikka | 221 in Bahrain [2]; 181 home-made and 266 bought ready-made, also in Bahrain [3] |
| Mumawwash rubyan | 117 in Kuwait [1]; 142 in Bahrain [3] |
| Chicken machboos | 156 in Kuwait [1]; 168 and 175 in Bahrain [2][3] |
| Jareesh | 80 in Kuwait [1]; 76 in Saudi Arabia [4] |
| Luqaimat | 301 in Bahrain, 2025 [2]; 275 in Bahrain, 2011 [3] |
| Rahash | 534 in Bahrain, 2025 [2]; 531 in Bahrain, 2011 [3] |
Some agree within a few percent. Others differ by half or more; a shared name doesn't mean a shared recipe. The Saudi aseeda, for example, is made with millet flour.
Why the numbers differ
- The recipe. Each figure is one recipe. Kuwait's 1989 dishes were household recipes, collected from 15 housewives for each dish and cooked in a hospital kitchen; harees and jareesh were bought from a local market [1]. Bahrain's 2025 dishes follow standard household recipes printed in the book [2]. The Saudi samples were made at home or bought in Riyadh [4]. How much ghee or oil goes in moves the calories most.
- Age. The Kuwaiti analysis is from 1989, and some of its dishes were cooked with hydrogenated vegetable oil [1].
- What "carbs" means. The Kuwaiti table and the 2011 Bahraini table count carbohydrate without fibre [1][3]; the 2025 Bahraini table gives total carbohydrate, fibre included [2]; the Saudi study includes crude fibre [4]. So carbs in rows from [2] can read 1 to 6 g higher than the same food would elsewhere.
- Borrowed rows. Rows marked † come from Kuwait's food composition table, reprinted in Bahrain's 2025 book [2]. Five more rows in that book repeat the 1989 Kuwaiti values exactly, so we show the Kuwaiti original.
What isn't in the tables
- Mandi, madfoon and madghout: none of the four sources analysed them.
- Chicken kabsa: none of these four sources analysed it. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority's lab analyses of chicken, lamb and camel kabsa are in calories in kabsa.
- Shawarma and dates have their own guides: shawarma and dates.
- Rows with a printed value that can't be right: chicken biryani, qurs ogaili, simsimia and egg with tomato in the 2025 Bahraini table, and henany and two breads (samouli and mafroud) in the Saudi study. The Bahraini qurs ogaili, for example, lists too little fat for its calories, and the Saudi breads too little protein for wheat bread.
- Dishes from outside the Gulf, such as hummus, even where these sources analysed them.
From 100 g to your plate
None of these sources gives a standard plate or piece weight. Weigh your food or estimate it, then multiply: calories per 100 g × grams ÷ 100.
For example, a 300 g bowl of harees at 81 kcal per 100 g is about 240 kcal, and 400 g of chicken machboos at 156 kcal per 100 g is about 620 kcal (both calculated).
Logging it in Voltra
- On the Eat tab, tap Search and type the dish in English or Arabic, or tap Scan a meal and photograph your plate.
- Enter the grams if you weighed it, or check the serving the app suggests.
- Tap Log.
Frequently asked
Which Gulf dishes have the fewest calories?
Per 100 g, the stews: fish, lentil and okra marag measured 54 to 64 kcal, and harees and jareesh about 80. Most rice dishes came in at 117 to 173 kcal, and most sweets above 300.
How many calories are in harees?
About 81 kcal per 100 g in Kuwait's analysis, and 94 in a Saudi one. A 300 g bowl comes to roughly 240 to 280 kcal (calculated).
How many calories are in luqaimat?
About 301 kcal per 100 g in Bahrain's 2025 table, whose recipe includes the date syrup, and 275 in Bahrain's 2011 table. Neither gives a weight per piece.
Are these numbers per plate?
No. Every number is per 100 g of the dish as served. None of the sources gives a standard plate, so weigh yours or estimate the grams.
Sources
- Eid N, Al-Awadi F, et al. (1989). National Food Composition Table, I: Kuwaiti Composite Dishes (report 3267). Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. Table 3, p. 10: 16 Kuwaiti dishes.
- Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Bahrain (2025). Bahrain Food Composition Tables, 1st edition. Macronutrient tables, pp. 24–31, with each dish's recipe in the annex.
- Musaiger AO (2011). Food Composition Tables for Kingdom of Bahrain. Arab Center for Nutrition. Composite dishes, pp. 71–73; Arabic coffee, p. 58; grilled safi, p. 119.
- Al-Faris NA (2017). Nutritional evaluation of selected traditional foods commonly consumed in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Food and Nutrition Research 5(3):168–175. Tables 2 and 3: foods made at home or bought in Riyadh.
Sources checked on 29 September 2026.
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