[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":205},["ShallowReactive",2],{"sanity-4mLSNQk0Fm":3,"sanity-UmZyIntjKN":175},{"body":4,"category":170,"excerpt":171,"image":172,"publishedAt":173,"title":174},[5,16,25,33,41,49,57,65,73,81,89,97,105,113,121,129,137,145,153,162],{"_key":6,"_type":7,"children":8,"markDefs":14,"style":15},"blk-109","block",[9],{"_key":10,"_type":11,"marks":12,"text":13},"blk-110","span",[],"If you visit Sanskrit for lunch at noon and everything arrives fast, warm, and tasting like it was made just for you — that's not luck. It's two hours of prep work that started before the sign flipped to OPEN.",[],"normal",{"_key":17,"_type":7,"children":18,"markDefs":23,"style":24},"blk-111",[19],{"_key":20,"_type":11,"marks":21,"text":22},"blk-112",[],"9:00 — The chef arrives",[],"h2",{"_key":26,"_type":7,"children":27,"markDefs":32,"style":15},"blk-113",[28],{"_key":29,"_type":11,"marks":30,"text":31},"blk-114",[],"Coffee, and a look at the day. The chef checks two things first: what's on the reservation list, and what's left from yesterday's prep. Whatever's low gets a priority sticker.",[],{"_key":34,"_type":7,"children":35,"markDefs":40,"style":15},"blk-115",[36],{"_key":37,"_type":11,"marks":38,"text":39},"blk-116",[],"The daily thali menu is confirmed. Sanskrit's thali changes every day, so by now the chef has already decided the lineup — usually the night before, sometimes that morning based on what's fresh. The list gets written up (you might have seen photos of the handwritten day sheet — that's where it lives).",[],{"_key":42,"_type":7,"children":43,"markDefs":48,"style":24},"blk-117",[44],{"_key":45,"_type":11,"marks":46,"text":47},"blk-118",[],"9:15 — Rice and dals go on",[],{"_key":50,"_type":7,"children":51,"markDefs":56,"style":15},"blk-119",[52],{"_key":53,"_type":11,"marks":54,"text":55},"blk-120",[],"Long-cook items go first because they can't be rushed. Basmati rice for the thali, pulao rice for biryani orders, at least two lentil bases (usually one for dal tadka, one for sambar), and if biryani's on the specials list, that meat starts marinating now if it didn't overnight.",[],{"_key":58,"_type":7,"children":59,"markDefs":64,"style":15},"blk-121",[60],{"_key":61,"_type":11,"marks":62,"text":63},"blk-122",[],"South Indian dishes need their own timeline. Dosa batter that was set to ferment yesterday evening gets a check — a good batter has doubled in volume and smells lightly sour. Coconut is grated fresh for chutney. Curry leaves get plucked from the stems.",[],{"_key":66,"_type":7,"children":67,"markDefs":72,"style":24},"blk-123",[68],{"_key":69,"_type":11,"marks":70,"text":71},"blk-124",[],"9:45 — Curries start their base",[],{"_key":74,"_type":7,"children":75,"markDefs":80,"style":15},"blk-125",[76],{"_key":77,"_type":11,"marks":78,"text":79},"blk-126",[],"This is when the kitchen starts to smell like a restaurant. Onions go into pans in bulk — the North Indian curry base (onion-tomato masala) is made in enough volume for the day's covers, then held. Any curry ordered later gets that base plus the finishing spices and the protein.",[],{"_key":82,"_type":7,"children":83,"markDefs":88,"style":15},"blk-127",[84],{"_key":85,"_type":11,"marks":86,"text":87},"blk-128",[],"Meanwhile the South Indian station tempers mustard seeds and curry leaves for the day's sambar and rasam. Both are cooked in volume and held hot — a thali doesn't work if sambar takes 20 minutes per order.",[],{"_key":90,"_type":7,"children":91,"markDefs":96,"style":24},"blk-129",[92],{"_key":93,"_type":11,"marks":94,"text":95},"blk-130",[],"10:15 — Tandoor gets hot",[],{"_key":98,"_type":7,"children":99,"markDefs":104,"style":15},"blk-131",[100],{"_key":101,"_type":11,"marks":102,"text":103},"blk-132",[],"The tandoor takes about 45 minutes to reach the temperature it needs for good naan — around 900°F at the walls. It also runs on charcoal, so this isn't a button you press; someone tends it. Once it's hot, marinated tandoori items (chicken, paneer, sometimes fish for specials) get skewered so they're ready to lower in the moment an order fires.",[],{"_key":106,"_type":7,"children":107,"markDefs":112,"style":15},"blk-133",[108],{"_key":109,"_type":11,"marks":110,"text":111},"blk-134",[],"Bread dough is portioned. Naan, roti, and chapati each have their own rest times — the naan dough was made earlier and has been proofing.",[],{"_key":114,"_type":7,"children":115,"markDefs":120,"style":24},"blk-135",[116],{"_key":117,"_type":11,"marks":118,"text":119},"blk-136",[],"10:45 — Sauces plated, garnishes cut",[],{"_key":122,"_type":7,"children":123,"markDefs":128,"style":15},"blk-137",[124],{"_key":125,"_type":11,"marks":126,"text":127},"blk-138",[],"Small bowls (katoris) for the thali get pre-portioned. Pickles, papad, chutneys, raita, dessert — anything that goes on the platter cold — is ready in bulk. The chef tastes the sambar and rasam one more time and adjusts salt.",[],{"_key":130,"_type":7,"children":131,"markDefs":136,"style":15},"blk-139",[132],{"_key":133,"_type":11,"marks":134,"text":135},"blk-140",[],"This is also when the front of house shows up, sets tables, and gets the first walk-in ready.",[],{"_key":138,"_type":7,"children":139,"markDefs":144,"style":24},"blk-141",[140],{"_key":141,"_type":11,"marks":142,"text":143},"blk-142",[],"11:00 — Doors open",[],{"_key":146,"_type":7,"children":147,"markDefs":152,"style":15},"blk-143",[148],{"_key":149,"_type":11,"marks":150,"text":151},"blk-144",[],"First order fires. Everything the guest ordered was probably in some form of preparation for the last two hours. What arrives at the table in 8 minutes has actually been on its way since 9 AM.",[],{"_key":154,"_type":7,"children":155,"markDefs":160,"style":161},"blk-145",[156],{"_key":157,"_type":11,"marks":158,"text":159},"blk-146",[],"The measure of a kitchen isn't what happens when it's full. It's what happens two hours before it opens.",[],"blockquote",{"_key":163,"_type":7,"children":164,"markDefs":169,"style":15},"blk-147",[165],{"_key":166,"_type":11,"marks":167,"text":168},"blk-148",[],"If you've ever wondered why the lunch service feels different than dinner — this is why. Lunch is what all the prep is aimed at. Come try the thali between 11 and 2:30 to see it land on the plate.",[],"Behind the Scenes","The doors open at 11. The chef starts at 9. Two hours between \"empty room\" and \"lunch service\" is where most of the actual cooking happens — here's what we're doing while you're still at your desk.",null,"2026-08-12T09:00:00Z","9 AM in the Sanskrit Kitchen: What Happens Before You Sit Down",{"address":176,"email":177,"hours":178,"name":193,"phone":194,"socialLinks":195,"tagline":199,"thaliServiceWindow":200,"whatsappGroup":201},"2776 East Bidwell St., Suite 300, Folsom, CA 95630","contact@sanskritindian.com",[179,186,188,191],{"breakEnd":180,"breakStart":181,"close":182,"closed":183,"days":184,"open":185},"4:30pm","2:30pm","9:30pm",false,"Monday – Wednesday","11am",{"breakEnd":180,"breakStart":181,"close":182,"closed":183,"days":187,"open":185},"Thursday",{"breakEnd":172,"breakStart":172,"close":189,"closed":183,"days":190,"open":185},"10:00pm","Friday – Saturday",{"breakEnd":172,"breakStart":172,"close":182,"closed":183,"days":192,"open":185},"Sunday","Sanskrit New Age Indian","916-817-4356",{"facebook":196,"instagram":197,"whatsapp":198},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.facebook.com\u002Fsanskritindianfolsom","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.instagram.com\u002Fsanskrit_indian","https:\u002F\u002Fchat.whatsapp.com\u002Fsanskrit","","11 am – 2:30 pm",{"cadence":202,"description":172,"headline":172,"inviteUrl":203,"isActive":204,"qrImage":172},"daily","https:\u002F\u002Fchat.whatsapp.com\u002FDXLbTjXliTWIyE0u9tr9Tj?s=cl&p=i&mlu=0&amv=2",true,1786758824458]