India Travel Tidbits - Thaali Meals
simple, elegant, with variety in abundance
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Perhaps you already know from my X/Twitter activity, I am currently traveling in India. This post is a continuation of my travel tidbits - sweet things & savory things. Today I share some of my Thaali meals I happily consumed.
What is a Thaali? While the official definition is a “plate” or “tray” or “a round platter” for serving food in South Asia, to me a thaali is much much more. It is the coming together of many diverse ingredients, in complementary ways, to deliver the ultimate eating experience. My travels this time have taught me that India & Indians showcase their love, culture, simplicity, and excellence with each thaali.
A thaali is the perfect opportunity to try many dishes in one meal since the quantity of each dish is usually small. At home the number of dishes may range from 3-10ish but in restaurants they can go up to 30 dishes or more!
My home cooked thaalis typically had:
Soup & Stew-like dishes such as daal (lentils), chana masala (chickpeas), matar paneer (peas & cheese), kadhi pakoda (chickpea yogurt fritter), rajma (kidney beans)
Spicy Vegetable Stir Fries such as bhindi (okra), lauki (bottle gourd), parval (pointed gourd), gobi aloo (cauliflower potato), shimla aloo (bell pepper potato), saag (leafy greens), mixed bhaji (vegetables)
Homemade dahi (plain yogurt) or raita (savory yogurt) that provides cool relief from the spicy bites throughout the meal
Salad items like onion, tomato, cucumber, or a chopped version with lemon & salt
Steamed basmati rice and/or a fresh-off-the-pan whole wheat flat bread (roti) to scoop up the delicious stews and vegetables
Spicy Indian pickles like mango, lemon, chili to provide more kick
Love, in large quantities, that my family poured into cooking each and every dish
A thaali is often offered at many Indian restaurants and sometimes they even have regional specialities, for example Gujarati thaali or Rajasthani thaali, or Bengali thaali or Punjabi thaali or Goan thaali or South Indian thaali, representing food from the respective states and regions in India.
If you see a thaali offered on an Indian restaurant’s menu, I urge you to give it a try. You will not be disappointed as you make your way through each of the dishes and delight in wonderfully diverse flavors in a single meal.
Which thaali do you want to eat?