“Pure veg” means different things to different families. For some it is simply no meat. For others it excludes onion and garlic, or root vegetables entirely, or requires a kitchen that has never cooked non-veg. Getting this right is mostly a kitchen-process question, not a menu question.
The four levels, and what each one requires
- Vegetarian — no meat, egg or fish. Standard veg kitchen practice.
- Satvik / puja food — no onion, no garlic. Common for gruhapravesam, homam, vratam and temple functions. See satvik and puja catering.
- Jain — no onion, garlic, potato, carrot, radish, beetroot, ginger or any root vegetable; no honey; food prepared before sunset for strict observance. Requires separate vessels and separate prep space.
- Dedicated pure-veg kitchen — a facility that never handles non-veg at all. Some families require this specifically. Ask directly rather than assuming.
Sample pure-veg wedding menu (₹450-600 band)
Welcome drink, three starters (one paneer, one veg kebab, one chaat-style), live chaat counter, paneer main, one seasonal vegetable, dal, veg biryani or pulao, jeera rice, three breads, raita, two salads, two sweets and ice cream. Roughly 18-20 items, which is comfortably enough — see menu ideas for why more is not better.
Sample Jain menu (₹500-650 band)
Jain menus need substitution, not subtraction. Raw banana and paneer replace potato. Asafoetida replaces onion and garlic for depth. Cabbage, capsicum, peas, gourds, tomato and corn do the heavy lifting.
Welcome drink, paneer tikka (Jain marinade), raw banana cutlet, corn chaat, paneer butter masala without onion-garlic base, Jain dal, cabbage-capsicum sabzi, Jain pulao, phulka and puri, boondi raita, salad, and two sweets. See Jain catering.
Satvik menu for puja and gruhapravesam
Traditionally served on a banana leaf: pappu, one dry curry, one gravy without onion-garlic, pulusu, sambar, rasam, curd, pickle, appadam, payasam, plain rice and one variety rice. Often prepared and served before noon. Rates commonly run ₹250-380. See gruhapravesam catering.
Costs compared
- Pure veg wedding menu — ₹280-650 depending on counters and item count
- Jain menu — typically ₹50-100 per plate more than the equivalent veg menu, because of separate prep, separate vessels and ingredient substitution
- Satvik meal — ₹250-380
- Mixed function with a Jain sub-count — ask for Jain plates to be priced separately rather than raising the rate for everyone
The five process questions that actually matter
- Are Jain and satvik items cooked in separate vessels, and are those vessels used for anything else?
- Is there a separate prep area, or at minimum separate timing before non-veg prep begins?
- Are the serving counters physically separate, with their own serving spoons?
- Are Jain plates labelled at the counter so guests can identify them?
- Who on the service team knows the restriction and can answer a guest’s question correctly?
Point 3 is where most functions fail. The kitchen does everything right and then one shared serving spoon at the buffet undoes it. Ask how the counters are laid out, and walk the layout before guests arrive.
If you have a mixed guest list
Put the veg counter first in the flow and the non-veg counter separately, not adjacent. Announce it clearly on signage. Do not rely on guests reading a small card — use a visible board at each counter.
Vinora Events cooks pure-veg, satvik and Jain menus in separate vessels with separate counters, and you taste the menu before booking. Call +91 97036 16476 or see veg catering services in Hyderabad.
