Cooking for a crowdપ્રસંગની ગણતરી
For a function, a satsang or a party at home, the hardest question is how much to buy. Set the number of guests and tick what you are serving.
Worth knowing
- These are quantities for a normal Gujarati thali. Add 10% if most guests are young adults.
- People eat less per head at large events, so quantities above 100 guests are scaled down automatically.
- Sweets and farsan vary by occasion: more at a wedding, less at a simple lunch.
- For deep frying, buy about 1.5 times the oil shown. Not all of it is consumed, but you need it in the pan.
- If this is your first big function, add 5%. Running short is worse than having extra.
Per-person quantities — the full table
The calculator above uses exactly these figures. People often want the whole table at once: when briefing a cook, writing a grocery list, or estimating a budget. So here it is in the open.
| Item | 1 person | 50 | 100 | 200 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotli (wheat flour) | 90 g | 4.5 kg | 9.0 kg | 18.0 kg | 3 rotli per person |
| Rice (uncooked) | 70 g | 3.5 kg | 7.0 kg | 14.0 kg | — |
| Dal (tuvar, uncooked) | 30 g | 1.5 kg | 3.0 kg | 6.0 kg | — |
| Kadhi (curd) | 60 g | 3.0 kg | 6.0 kg | 12.0 kg | gram flour counted separately |
| Vegetables (sabzi) | 150 g | 7.5 kg | 15.0 kg | 30.0 kg | halve each if serving two |
| Puri (wheat flour) | 70 g | 3.5 kg | 7.0 kg | 14.0 kg | 4-5 puri |
| Khaman (gram flour) | 45 g | 2.2 kg | 4.5 kg | 9.0 kg | — |
| Handvo (batter flour) | 60 g | 3.0 kg | 6.0 kg | 12.0 kg | — |
| Undhiyu (vegetables) | 200 g | 10.0 kg | 20.0 kg | 40.0 kg | muthiya counted separately |
| Sweet | 60 g | 3.0 kg | 6.0 kg | 12.0 kg | ladu, mohanthal or sheero |
| Farsan | 50 g | 2.5 kg | 5.0 kg | 10.0 kg | ganthiya, bhajiya or samosa |
| Curd / buttermilk | 100 g | 5.0 kg | 10.0 kg | 20.0 kg | — |
| Salad / kachumber | 60 g | 3.0 kg | 6.0 kg | 12.0 kg | — |
| Papad | 1.2 | 60 | 120 | 240 | — |
| Oil | 25 g | 1.2 kg | 2.5 kg | 5.0 kg | more if deep frying |
| Ghee | 12 g | 600 g | 1.2 kg | 2.4 kg | — |
| Sugar / jaggery | 25 g | 1.2 kg | 2.5 kg | 5.0 kg | — |
| Tea (milk) | 80 g | 4.0 kg | 8.0 kg | 16.0 kg | — |
What these figures are based on
They reflect ordinary consumption at a Gujarati thali meal: rotli, rice, dal, a vegetable, salad and a little farsan. These are practical catering estimates, not laboratory measurements. If your cook's experience differs, follow your cook — they know your guests.
When to raise or lower them
- A young crowd — add 10-15%, especially rotli, rice and farsan.
- Mostly elders — reduce by about 10%, but keep dal, rice and buttermilk generous.
- Buffet rather than served — people take more and waste more. Add 10%.
- More than 100 guests — per-head consumption falls on its own. The calculator already reduces by 5% over 100 and 10% over 300.
- Summer — appetites shrink, but increase buttermilk and salad by half.
What to cook when
- The day before — sweets, pickles, chhundo, papad and dry farsan.
- Early morning — chop the vegetables, soak the pulses, set the curd, knead the dough.
- Two to three hours before — vegetables, dal, kadhi and rice. Covered, these hold their heat.
- At the last minute — rotli, puri, bhajiya and salad.
Count more than the food
- Drinking water — at least a litre per person, half as much again in summer.
- Gas — cooking for 100 usually takes a full cylinder. Keep a second ready.
- Pots — rice for 100 needs at least a 20-litre vessel.
- Servers — roughly one for every 25 people when the meal is served to seated rows.
- Plates and glasses — about 10% more than the headcount, because people swap midway.
Mistakes people make
- Underestimating oil — 25 g a head does not cover deep frying. Count what the pan itself needs separately.
- Relying on one burner — you need at least two so rotli and frying can run together.
- No plan for leftovers — aim for about 10% spare and decide in advance where it goes.
- Shopping on the morning — have the groceries in the night before, or the morning falls apart.