Bikanervala Navratri Thali Review – Wholesome Vrat Thali

2. Menu Items

The menu options designed for the Bikanervala Thali Menu (Falahari Deluxe Thali) includes – 

• Salad – Cucumber slices (4 slices)
• Side 1 – Arbi pickle (2 pieces)
• Side 2 – Aloo chips (5 pieces)
• Curd – Boondi raita (Boondi made using vrat-friendly ingredients)
• Main Course 1 – Aloo sabzi
• Main Course 2 – Tomato paneer
• Main Course 3 – Shahi kofta
• Breads – Kuttu pooris (4 pieces)
• Rice – Samak ki khichdi
• Dessert – Makhane ki kheer

Related Reading:

Try different menu options with different varieties of Navratri Special Thali by popular brands such as Sagar Ratna, Haldiram and Bikanervala.

3. Availability

The Bikanervala Navratri thali is available in their dine-in restaurants and for delivery as well. 

If you want to enjoy it in the comfort of your home, the Bikanervala Navratri thali can be ordered via a food delivery application like Zomato and Swiggy. 

4. Order Information

Keeping the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, we did not step out to pick this up ourselves. We ordered the Bikanervala Thali through the food delivery application – Zomato. 

5. Packaging

The Bikanervala Navratri Thali comes in a sealed plastic tray pack. This tray comes packed inside a festive-looking box. 

The tray holds the gravies, salad, pickle, chips and the samak khichdi rather well. There was no spillage during delivery.

The kuttu pooris come packed separately in a paper bag. This helped in retaining the puffed-up shape of the pooris.

The boondi raita and the makhana kheer are packed separately in small plastic containers. 

6. First Impression

The packaging of the Navratri thali is very festive and impressive. The sleek, thin cardboard box held the slidable plastic tray which was sealed from the top twice to avoid leakage.

We liked the vast variety in the Bikanervala Navratri thali and everything looks appetizing. 

We could spot a lot of ghee floating on top of the aloo sabzi. The pooris packed separately are still puffed up and have not lost their shape.

Overall, this is visually neat and hygienic-looking packaging.

7. Quantity

The quantity of the Bikanervala Navratri Deluxe Thali is sufficient for two people, or more than adequate for 1 adult and a child. 

There are three vegetables/gravies along with a lot of sides and four pooris. 

If paired with a small snack like a falahari pakoda or a falahari papdi chaat, this can cater to two adults as well. 

The quantity of vegetables and curries is adequate too. 

8. Thali Variants

For the festival of Navratri, Bikanervala has launched three variations of the thali that includes ample variety.

• Thali Navratra Special
• Falahari Deluxe Thali
• Falahari Tandoori Platter

Other than thalis, there are a lot of other vrat-friendly items on the menu including – 

• Falahari Peanut Cutlet
• Falahari Gulab Jamun 
• Falahari Lachcha Tokri 
• Falahari Paneer Stuffed Chilla
• Falahari Aloo Bonda
• Falahari Sabudana Dry Fruit Cutlet
• Falahari Sabudana Pakoda
• Falahari Aloo Pakodi Chaat With Dahi
• Falahari Papri Chaat
• Falahari Paneer Pakoda
• Falahari Badam Cutlet

9. Difference between the Variants

Bikanervala has introduced three variations in the Navratri Thali range. Let’s dig into a comparison between the price and menu of the different Navratri thalis.

Pricing

• Thali Navratra Special – This thali is priced at Rs 300/-.
• Falahari Deluxe Thali – This thali is priced at Rs 400/-.
• Falahari Tandoori Platter – The MRP of this thali is Rs 340/-. 

Changes in Menu Items

10. Speciality of Bikanervala Fast Thali

As per the outer box of the Bikanervala Navratra Thali – “Bikanervala with its utmost reverence to Goddess Durga and with respect to religious sentiment of the devotees, prepares a special menu for the occasion. The menu is prepared strictly with traditional ingredients that have religious sanction for this special occasion.”

Related Reading:

A detailed review of Sagar Ratna Navratri Vrat Thali

How did each element taste? How well are these vegetables/gravies seasoned? Is the dessert flavorsome? Do all the components taste different or do they all look and taste the same? Let’s dig into the details with our Bikanervala Thali Menu Review.

1. Salad – Cucumber Slices

The salad came in the largest compartment of the thali. 

Type: Salad

Main ingredients

The salad consists of plain cucumber slices.

Taste Test/Review

The cucumbers were cold and fresh. As these were packed with the arbi achar and aloo chips, the red chilli from them stuck to the cucumber slices.

2. Arbi Achaar

The thali consisted of two long, thin pieces of arbi that had a generous coating of the spicy achari masala. 

Type: Pickle/Accompaniment

Main ingredients

The main ingredient for the pickle is arbi which is also known as colocasia.

Taste Test/Review

The arbi pickle is tasty and makes for a nice side. This is not too spicy and has a balanced masala coating.

3. Aloo Chips

These are thick chips made using potato and coated with a variety of masalas. Yes, the thick ones we get from a local farsaan shop. We received 5 pieces of spicy aloo chips in the Bikanervala Navratri Thali.

Type: Side

Main ingredients

The main identifiable ingredients for these chips are potatoes, red chilies, and salt.

Taste Test/Review

These aloo chips are fairly tasty and crunchy. Because these were packed along with the arbi achaar and cucumber slices, we feel that they were wet from a few places which do dampen the overall experience. Other than this, we have no complaints about these addictive aloo chips.

4. Boondi Raita 

The boondi raita, packaged in a separate plastic container, reached us mildly cold. We could see a lot of boondi pieces. 

Type: Accompaniment 

Main ingredients

The main ingredients include curd and boondi. 

Taste Test/Review

The boondi was dark brown in color and not too crunchy like our regular boondi. Though there is nothing mentioned on the pack or the delivery application, the brown color of the boondi indicated that maybe they are made using kuttu ka atta. Sadly, the curd was very sour to taste.

5. Aloo Ki Sabzi

We could spot a lot of desi ghee on top of the aloo sabzi. The gravy is red in color and the potatoes are cut into thick chunks. 

Type: Main Course (Veg 1)

Main ingredients

The main ingredients include – potatoes, desi ghee and tomatoes

Taste Test/Review

The aloo ki sabzi was made using boiled potatoes, which are not cooked well till the centre. The gravy was flavourful and was well seasoned. The spice levels were not too high, which we liked. The taste and aroma of desi ghee is undeniable. 

6. Paneer Ki Sabzi

The orange-red gravy of the paneer looks very appetising. There are about two medium-thick pieces of paneer in this gravy.

Type: Main Course (Veg 2)

Main ingredients:

The main ingredients for the paneer ki sabzi are cottage cheese and tomatoes.

Taste Test/Review

The butter-tomato gravy was delicious. The paneer pieces were soft, fresh, and not chewy at all. We really liked the flavors this dish packed in. Unlike some thali variants, the paneer gravy was not all-sweet. It had a mix of sweet-savoriness.

7. Shahi Kofta

There are two small kofta balls in this light brown colored gravy. The gravy looks very creamy. 

Type: Main Course (Veg 3)

Main ingredients:

The main ingredients include lauki (bottle gourd) and kuttu.

Taste Test/Review

You often read ‘lauki‘ and move on thinking it’s a missable component. But you might want to try out these koftas in the thali! 

The lauki ke kofte were tasty and the gravy is very thick and creamy, unlike the lauki kofte we get at home. The gravy has a slight nutty flavor which is close to the taste of cashews. The grated lauki is encased using kuttu ka atta.

8. Kuttu Pooris

We received 4 kuttu pooris in a paper bag. They were still puffed up when we unpacked these pooris. 

Type: Breads

Main ingredients

While the delivery application mentions that these pooris are made using kuttu, the semi-light color of the pooris indicates that another flour is mixed in these pooris. 

Taste Test/Review

Even though the pooris were cold by the time they reached us, they were soft and tasty. They did not harden upon getting cold. They are mildly seasoned, which makes it a wonderful accompaniment to the three gravies.

9. Samak Ki Khichdi

The samak ki khichdi has a pale yellow-orange color, and we could spot a lot of plumped-up raisins in this. This khichdi does not look appetizing. 

Type: Rice

Main ingredients

Main ingredients include samak ke chawal, raisins and cumin.

Taste Test/Review

Even though samak rice is bland by itself, a light tadka or some masala can liven it up instantly. The samak chawal khichdi was gooey and soft. It had a lot of plumped-up raisins which we enjoyed eating. This wasn’t really our favorite, but there’s nothing wrong with the dish. It tastes better than it looks. People who are fond of samak ke chawal might like it.

10. Makhane Ki Kheer

We received a portion of makhane ki kheer as dessert in our Bikanervala thali. This came packed separately in a plastic container. It was lukewarm.

Type: Dessert

Main ingredients

Main ingredients include makhana, sugar, milk, pistachios, green cardamom and saffron.

Taste Test/Review

Delicious! The makhane ki kheer was semi-thick.  The sweetness was just perfect, not too muted nor too overpowering. The pistachios added in the kheer were crunchy, and we could spot some saffron strands as well. We could also detect a mild green cardamom flavor.

Related Reading:

Detail Analysis 0f Chaayos Navratri Fast Thali

Here are some interesting FAQs on Bikanervala Navratri Thali

Attention to detail is always appreciated at Mishry. We liked how a nice milk-based dessert was given as a dessert instead of a ready-made mithai. The entire thali was very wholesome, and we liked each component.

Nothing tastes bad or stale. Everything in the thali made sense. Nothing was added to ‘crowd’ the platter or to make it look more filled up. The quantity of the food is enough for two people, so 400 rupees for a fast friendly meal-for-two seems value for money.

Do try this thali if you’re in a mood for a feast during your fast! Have you tried it yet?

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