FAQ

What can I order?

You can order a Custom box by choosing dishes from our South and North Indian selections. You can choose four, six or eight dishes depending on the size (Mini, Medium, Large and Extra Large). You can also order from a variety of breakfast items, chutneys, pickles, podis, sweets and snacks.

Can I choose a size or quantity for the Custom box?

You can order a Custom box in Mini, Medium, Large or Extra Large sizes.

For Custom Mini, you can choose 4 dishes (12 oz)
For Custom Medium, you can choose 4 dishes (24 oz)
For Custom Large, you can choose 6 dishes (24 oz)
For Custom Extra Large, you can choose 8 dishes (24 oz)

What else can I order?

You can order

Idly Batter	Dosa Batter	Adai Batter	Pesarattu Batter
Malabar Parotta	Kothu Parotta	Bhaji for Pav	Kurma for Parotta
Makhani Gravy	Tomato Onion Gravy	Chapathi	Molagapodi
Bisibele Bath	Biryani	Curd Rice	Potato Kari
Peerkangai Thogayal	Curry Leaf Thogayal	DIY Coconut Chutney	Tomato Chutney
Spiced Buttermilk	Mango Lassi	Rosemilk	Kheer
Gulab Jamun	Gajar Halwa

When is the food prepared?

We cook in small batches throughout the week. Food is cooked 24-36 hours prior to delivery.

Food for Monday delivery is usually made on Saturday and / or early Sunday prior.
Food for Tuesday delivery is usually made on Sunday and / or early Monday.prior.
Food for Wednesday delivery is usually made on Monday and / or early Tuesday.
Food for Thursday delivery is usually made on Tuesday and / or early Wednesday.
Food for Friday delivery is usually made on Wednesday and / or early Thursday.
Food for Saturday delivery is usually made on Thursday and / or early Friday.
Food for Sunday delivery is usually made on Friday and / or early Saturday.
We cook for hundreds of families each day. We need time to cook, chill, pack and label the food. We pack the boxes that are delivered via UPS / FedEx first. We then pack the rest.

Do you offer pickup?

We offer free pickup from our Mylapore Express locations in Folsom & Roseville.

You can also pickup ME food from IE, Milpitas. The timings for the same are below:
From 11am to 2.30pm - keep your order number handy.
Curries: from 8am to 2.30pm & from 5pm to 9.30pm.
Phone: 408 - 649 3590. Website: milpitas.idlyexpress.com

When you check out, you'll see the Pickup option with a choice of Mylapore Folsom, Mylapore Roseville & Idly Express Milpitas, as the pickup locations.

Do you offer door delivery?

A. Next Day Delivery - to Bay Area & Sacramento Area, Sunday through Saturday. Choose menu & place your order by 12 pm on previous day. Delivery Charge: $10

B. One Day Air Delivery - to Southern CA & Outside CA, only for Thursdays. Order must be placed by 11 am PST on Wednesday. Delivery Charge: $69.95

We ordered home delivery. What time do you deliver?

It depends on the day and city where you live. When we deliver using our own drivers (cities in the Bay Area), we deliver between 4:00 am and 1:00 pm. We deliver to other cities using UPS between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm.

The past few weeks I have been receiving my food before 7:00 am but today it hasn’t arrived yet and the time is 9:00 am now?

Each delivery day is unique and different. Your delivery time is influenced by several factors.
Our promise is to deliver before 1:00 pm. If you don’t receive it by then, you should call 916-925-6200. Here are the factors that are unique to each delivery day.
1. No of orders
2. No of drivers
3. Traffic conditions / special events, construction traffic diversion etc.
4. No. of orders per city
5. No. of orders from customers in apartments (the more there are the more the delay)
6. Is it a special day like Mother’s Day?
7. Weather conditions (Rain, cold means more frequent restroom breaks)
There are several other factors in addition to this. Thanks for understanding.

Do we need to be home when you deliver?

You do not have to be home. We leave the package outside your door step.We take care in packaging the product so that it can hold temperatures for an extended period of time. You can add delivery instructions to your account profile or to the order during checkout.

Which cities do you deliver to & how do I order for my home delivery area?

We deliver almost all over the US.

For delivery in Bay Area & Sacramento area, you can order from any of the Monday-Sunday menus. Ground Delivery is available Monday through Sunday, between 4am & 1pm.

For delivery to other cities in California & other states, you can order from the special menu available for delivery on Thursday only. Order must be placed by 11am PST on Wednesday. It will be delivered between 9am & 9pm.

Please use the zip code widget to navigate to the correct menu for your delivery area.

What is the Cancellation Policy?

Until 12 pm of the day prior to delivery - Full Refund.

How much quantity do you provide?

For North Indian, South Indian boxes, you will receive 6 dishes each of which will be in a 24 oz container. For Custom, you will receive 4, 6, 8 dishes for Medium, Large, XL boxes respectively and each dish is 24 oz in quantity. For Custom Mini, you will receive 6 dishes of your choice and each dish is 12 oz in quantity.

Can I double up a certain dish in my order? For example can I request for two Paneer dishes instead of one?

No. We have stopped accepting doubling up the items.

How many people does it serve?

The Large box with 6 dishes will serve 2 adults for 3-4 meals. Make rice at home.

Are the containers microwave safe?

Yes, the containers are microwave safe.

Do you pack hot food in plastic containers?

No we do not. We blast chill the food first and then pack in plastic containers.

Can we return the packing material and ice packs to the driver?

Due to COVID 19 and other issues related to hygiene, we do not take back the packing material.

How spicy is the food ?

Most dishes are mild to medium. On a scale of 1 to 10 we are a 6.5-7.
Certain dishes that have to be made spicy will be spicy e.g Milagu Kuzambu (Pepper stew).
Unfortunately we cannot customize as we cook large quantities of food daily.

What do the dates on the food containers mean?

We recommend that you consume the food by that date. Nothing will happen for a couple of extra days but if you do not plan on consuming it within five days of delivery you should freeze the food.

We have food allergies. How can you help?

We have labeled our dishes as V for Vegan & NF for Nut Free. Please message 916-925-6200 to discuss your allergies and ask for replacement dishes.

How do I know the delivery date for my order?

You will receive a confirmation email with the delivery date for your order. If you are ordering from a menu based on the day of the week (say Tuesday), the delivery date will be the next Tuesday.

I am trying to check out but unable to. Why is this?

1. Try emptying your cart and adding your selections again. You might have something in your cart from a previous session.
2. You may be ordering from a menu that is not available for delivery to your zip code. Please use the zip code widget on the home page to navigate to the correct menu.
3. You might not have met the minimum purchase requirement of $45 for Bay Area orders (where we provide Ground delivery) and $105 for other areas (where we provide 1-Day Air delivery)
4. Try clearing the cache or switching browsers. If it still does not work call 925-238-3736.

What is the telephone number of the driver?

We do not provide that information for safety reasons. We don’t want our delivery drivers to take calls in the middle of deliveries.

I ordered for home delivery. How can I track my order?

When we create the shipping label an email is sent to you with the tracking number. Most of the times this email ends up in your spam folder. Please check your spam and if you still don’t find it please send an email to orders@mylaporeexpress.com and someone will get back to you.

How do I stay in touch?

A. Please like our Facebook page to keep yourself up to date. You can call 925-238-3736 if you have any questions.
B. To get email notifications, please subscribe for the same on our website.
C. To get WA notifications, please send a message from your WA number to 916 925 6200.

How to heat BBB (Bisibelabath)?

Heat it in a pan. It is a personal preference to add ghee or not. You can even add some Sambar or Rasam if you have, to loosen it up, instead of adding water.

What is the Paneer dish of the day?

Please check in the Custom Box menus to know this.

How do we know in which all dishes you use Garlic & Onion?

A. Every single North Indian dish WILL have onion & garlic.
B. We don’t add garlic in South Indian dishes. Tomato Onion gravy has garlic.
C. We add onion in some South Indian dishes as follows: - Vengaya Sambar - Kurma - Biryani - Vathal Kuzambu - Kara Kuzambu

Can we get IE items at Mylapore Folsom?

We are now Operating as two outlets as below:

8:00 am to 2:00 pm - we will be IDLY EXPRESS
4:00 pm to 10:00 pm - we will be MYLAPORE

Monday : Holiday

BOTH BUSINESSES are available on Doordash / UBER EATS and you should be able to place orders for home delivery.

Heard that Vatha Kuzhambu does not expire fast like other dishes. Is this true?

Yes. Vatha Kuzhambu does not have an expiry date like other dishes. It is one dish that lasts a long time, for almost 3 weeks.

Can we use ME Gift Vouchers at IE?

No.

Are your Batters Gluten Free?

None of the batters are Gluten Free.

1. Adai & Pesarattu have Hing. They do not contain coconut or peanuts.
2. Idli has Semolina.
3. Dosa has a bit of Maida.

Dosa & Idli batters have Baking Soda. So, they are not Gluten Free.

May I know about Gluten in your dishes?

All South Indian dishes are NOT Gluten Free as there is Hing in them. All North Indian dishes ARE Gluten Free.

Do you use any preservatives or colors in your dishes?

We are extremely cautious about our customers' health, hence, we don't use any preservatives or colors in our dishes.

How do I make Malabar Paratha?

Watch this video to know what to do when you receive Malabar Parotta in your shipment from us:

Malabar Parotta making Facebook video

Watch this next video from 1:51

Malabar Parotta making Youtube video

Do you also deliver beverages from your menu to all States?

No, we don't deliver Buttermilk, Mango Lassi & Rose Milk to SoCal or other states.

Do you do Jain dishes?

We have very limited items from the Jain Menu. Please find them below:

1. Vathal Kuzambu - V NF
2. Cabbage Moong - V NF
3. Pavakkai (Karela) Fry - V NF
4. Pongal (Breakfast)