What goes into a balanced dabba
Two sabzis, one dal, a grain and something raw. The simple rule our kitchen follows for every meal.
The day starts at the mandi. Our buyer picks vegetables at six, and what looks best decides small details of the menu: which greens go into the dal, whether the bhindi is good enough to fry.
By seven the dals are on. Masalas are ground the same morning, in small quantities. Nothing is cooked the night before.
Phulkas are the last thing made, from ten onwards, so they reach you soft. Packing happens by zone, which is why your slot matters: the Kothrud run leaves before the Hinjawadi run.
By eleven thirty the riders are out, and the kitchen is washed down and reset for dinner.
