Cooking

At Harappa Cafe, staff members look at the ingredients available in the kitchen and cook freely.
The dishes you prepare are served directly on the buffet table.

However, if there are reservations or specific dietary requirements, we may ask you to prepare dishes that meet those requests.

Examples of Requests

• Dishes without onions or garlic
• Gluten-free dishes
• Dishes that young children can enjoy

Quantity and Number of Dishes

• Target: At least 3 dishes (to provide more options and make it easier to accommodate dietary restrictions)
• Amount: Approximately 4 servings per dish

Important

Preparing too much can lead to food waste, which is difficult to manage. Please take responsibility for the food you cook.
We encourage you to:

• Reuse and creatively repurpose leftovers into new meals whenever possible
• Think ahead about how dishes can be refreshed or served again

Customer Numbers

The number of guests are very irregular (ranging from 5 to 20 people).

Keeping Food Warm

• Soups/Stews: We use IH heaters for serving. Please use IH-compatible pots (flat-bottomed, made of iron or stainless steel).
• Other Dishes: We do not have warming trays, so food may cool down quickly. Because of this, there is no need to be overly concerned about serving everything piping hot right at opening time.

---

Kitchen Equipment

Here is some of the equipment we have:

Examples of Equipment (Click to expand)

• Heat Sources & Large Appliances
  • 8 Stovetops / 1 Gas Oven (fits two loaves of bread) / Toaster Oven / Microwave
• Pots & Pans
  • Various frying pans and pots / Steamer / Pressure cooker
• Electric Appliances
  • Food processor / Electric mill / Hand mixer / High-power blender / Electric whisk / Bread kneader / Juicer
• Specialty Cookware
  • Takoyaki maker / Hot plate / Waffle maker / Hot sandwich press / Taiyaki maker / Food dehydrator (for dried fruit)
• Molds & Others
  • Tart tins / Chiffon cake molds / Cupcake tins / Cookie cutters

If you need a tool that isn’t listed, just ask! We probably have it tucked away somewhere, or can figure out a creative alternative.

---

Handling Sharp Objects

danger

To prevent injuries, do not leave knives in the sink. Please wash them immediately after use and return them to their original storage place.

---

Accommodating Dietary Restrictions

We frequently welcome guests with dietary restrictions, such as vegans and vegetarians.

• Labeling: Please label your dishes so guests know what ingredients are used (labels are provided in the kitchen).
• Policy: Accommodating dietary restrictions is optional unless a specific request has been made, but it is very much appreciated

Common Dietary Definitions

Type	What they can eat	What to avoid (cannot eat)
Vegan	Vegetables, grains, beans, fruits	Meat, seafood, eggs, dairy, honey, animal gelatin, bonito flakes (katsuobushi), etc.
Vegetarian	Veggies, grains, beans, fruits, eggs, dairy, honey	Meat, seafood, animal gelatin, etc.
Taiwanese Vegan	Veggies, grains, beans, fruits, eggs, dairy, honey	Meat, seafood, animal gelatin, Alliums (onion, garlic, chives, leeks, shallots)
Gluten-Free	Foods that do not contain wheat flour	Bread, pasta, regular soy sauce/miso, curry roux, ham/sausage, etc.

Notes on Taiwanese Vegan & Gluten-Free

• Taiwanese Vegan:
  Large groups may arrive without a reservation, so it is ideal to have something ready for them at all times.
  Despite the name, the foods they can eat are similar to vegetarians.
  They consume dairy products and eggs.
  The difference is: in addition to vegetarian restrictions, they also avoid alliums (such as onions, garlic, chives, scallions, and Chinese leeks, known as the “five pungent spices”).
  They do eat ginger and celery.
• Gluten-Free: Be careful as standard soy sauce and miso contain wheat. We stock Gluten-Free (GF) soy sauce and miso.

---

Cooking Examples

Click to expand

✅ indicates compatible, ❌ indicates incompatible.

Dish Name	Vegan	Veggie	Taiwanese	GF	Notes
Mizuna & Lettuce Salad	✅	✅	✅	✅	Without dressing
Yuzu Dressing	✅	✅	✅	✅	If no onions are used
Tomato & Tofu "Mozzarella"	✅	✅	✅	✅
Rice Flour Veggie Tempura	✅	✅	✅	✅	Watch out for shared frying oil
French Fries	✅	✅	✅	✅	Watch out for shared frying oil
Kinpira (Burdock root)	✅	✅	✅	✅	When using GF soy sauce
Tamagoyaki (Omelet)	❌	✅	✅	✅	When using GF soy sauce
Handmade Cream Pasta	❌	✅	❌	❌	Contains eggs, dairy, alliums, wheat
Chunky Vegetable Curry	✅	✅	❌	❌	Contains alliums and wheat (roux)
Indian Spiced Dal Curry	✅	✅	❌	✅	Contains alliums
Miso Soup	✅	✅	✅	✅	Depends on dashi and miso type
Simmered Vegetables	✅	✅	✅	✅	Depends on dashi and soy sauce type
Mapo Tofu	❌	❌	❌	✅	Contains meat and alliums
Rice Flour Karaage	❌	❌	❌	✅	Contains meat and alliums
Rice Flour Banana Cake	❌	✅	✅	✅	If no butter/eggs are used
Warabi Mochi	✅	✅	✅	✅
Coffee Jelly	❌	❌	❌	✅	Uses gelatin (pork-derived)