CHENNAI: One way to realise that Chennai is truly cosmopolitan is its food culture. Steamed dim sums, thin rice noodles, melt-in-your-mouth kebabs, multi-ingredient pizzas, flavourful jasmine rice, glazed bagels, fresh hummus, fluffy dhoklas, creamy butter chicken… if you aren’t salivating already, go over to any food aggregator app and you’ll find generous helpings of global grub ready to be delivered at your doorsteps.
With diners still running at half-capacity, a rise in cloud kitchens has only opened up more of these options for the city’s gastronomes to choose from. For instance, when we heard of Thali Box, a cloud kitchen, we painted an image of its possible offerings in our head. ‘A humble spread of north Indian thalis, maybe?’ But, turns out, the venture’s founder Srishti Fomra has been sending out crispy falafels, spicy ninkyu maki (sushi), crunchy tortillas, saucy pasta, delightful biryani and more from her humble home kitchen in Kilpauk, since June. While the word thali (plate) is often considered to be an out-and-out Indian affair, this venture promises to present the world in one. So, we decided to order in.
Mess-free packaging
Thali Box’s steadily growing Instagram page is a showreel of scrumptious diverse cuisines. From their Special Box menu featuring seven cuisines including Lebanese, Japanese, Italian, Burmese, Thai, Mexican and Indian, we picked the Middle-Eastern, South-East Asian and Oriental options. And being a weekend, we decided to loosen our belts and ordered in the big fat Maharaja box as well. Twenty-four hours later, close to lunchtime, we were greeted by a big brown paper bag stacked with boxes of piping hot food, reusable cutlery and tissue paper. Extra points for the mess-free packaging!
Within minutes of unpacking, we wielded a pair of chopsticks and beheld six perfectly rolled spicy tofu makis. We smeared a dollop of spicy wasabi paste and garnished it with rosy, pickled radishes before dunking it into a cup of briny soy sauce. The painstakingly prepped Japanese delicacy crackled some refreshing flavours of the sumeshi (sushi rice), spicy tofu, nori (seaweed), crunchy vegetables and the sauce. Every bite was followed by a stream of joy from our eyes… courtesy, the spice. Up next were the fluffy pita bread pieces waiting to be wrapped around deep-fried chickpea patties (falafels), and dipped into flavourful hummus. As we paired the delightful combination with another classic dressing, baba ganoush, we were reminded of our fairly recent sojourn to an Arabic restaurant. Only, in this case, these restaurant-style doses of deliciousness were being prepared by Srishti, a home chef.
Kitchen tales
“Coming from a joint family, cooking was never a task for her. She loves to dole out recipe after recipe for the entire family. While she is happy and content consuming the humble dal, chawal and sabzi, her knowledge of food is vast,” shared Shagun Fomra, Srishti’s daughter, who has been supporting her mother’s dreams, taking care of the affairs outside the kitchen and in the virtual world. “Mom cooks every meal with assistance from our house help. My dad and I pitch in by cutting vegetables and doing the taste test,” she said.
While home experiments and pleasing the palate of your loved ones need not necessarily be authentic, it becomes a holy grail when it comes to a food business, it seems. And for this, Srishti had to do her homework. “From YouTube channels to MasterChef seasons, she follows them all consistently to update her knowledge about taste, flavour and the variety of dishes in the global market. She even hunted for authentic ingredients and found shops in the lanes of Sowcarpet and Parry’s Corner. Everything is handpicked,” detailed Shagun.
World on a platter
The comfort of stringy, soft noodles soaked in a warm, delicately spiced coconut milk broth brought our focus back to our plate. After all, who can negotiate with patience when we have a perfectly cooked Burmese khow suey topped with fried garlic, fried onion and chopped nuts waiting to be recognised by our tastebuds. But, after this world tour, how can one deny the warmth of home, which has the repertoire of affording parity in the foodscape. So, without further ado, we reached out to the The Tandoori box — consisting of three skewers of paneer tikka prepared with marinated paneer, onion and capsicum; aloo tikka with a coriander-chilli marinade, and mushroom tikka, coated in a spicy masala mix — is not a strong recommendation for a standalone meal. But, pair it with another cuisine or have it as a finger food platter for an intimate evening fiesta over drinks with friends. The baby potatoes are coated evenly with the coriander-chilli paste and are roasted to perfection making them a bomb of smokey and spicy flavours that linger on the tastebuds and your memory even after you’ve finished your meal. Needless to say, the potatoes take the cake!
The Maharaja Box, true to its name, is a royal affair with four methi parathas, delectable paneer tikka masala, rich kaju masala, matar gobi, a starter, creamy dal makhani, jeera rice, papad, pickle, salad and sweet. While the gravies could have offered more distinct tangs, the whole thali shouts ‘eat me!’ and is a house of intense flavours and aromas. The curries pair well with the simple methi paratha and the jeera rice gets its perfect companion in the dal makhani.At the end of the meal, we are left with a satiated stomach and a happy heart. The Thali Box delivers on its promise and if you want to savour a feast from all around the world.
Check out their Instagram page @the.thali.box or call: 93845 55555