6 Delectable Thalis of India

There’ll be hardly anyone visitor to India who returns without having at least some kind of a thali meal!! While a thali literally translates into a plate or platter, it has come to represent a complete meal, usually a flat bread or rice with an assortment of vegetarian dishes along with a dessert. But this simplistic description does no justice to the huge variety of thalis available across India!

A thali is a great representation of the oft repeated phrase ‘unity in diversity’. While a basic thali follows the description above, each part of India has its own unique combination of flavours, and these are beautifully represented in the thali of each region. Here is a look at 7 of the most popular and delectable thalis across India.

  

Source

6 Delectable Thalis of India

 1. Gujarati Thali

Source

Thalis from Gujarat are quite popular, being really lavish spreads with a large number of dishes! A huge part of the Gujarati population are vegetarian and popular thali dishes are Khichdi, Kadhi, undhiyo, buttermilk, assorted pickles and a variety of flatbreads made from millets, sorghum, corn flour, along with regular whole wheat flour. A special feature of Gujarati cuisine is that even savoury dishes have a certain sweetness and the overall flavours are quite delicate. Shrikhand and laddoos are popular desserts served with the thali.

2. Punjabi Thali

Source

When people think of Punjabi food, they often think of loads of butter, but butter isn’t the end-all of a Punjabi thali! Punjabis are generally people with a certain joie de vivre, and this enthusiasm is reflected in their thalis as well! A Punjabi thali features predominantly whole wheat breads like parathas, which may be plain or stuffed with potato or paneer. Other dishes comprising a grand Punjabi thali are Chana masala, dal makhani, baingan bharta, aloo gobhi along with non vegetarian delicacies like butter chicken, chicken tikka, tandoori chicken and the like. And of course, no thali is complete without a lassi on the side!

3. Maharashtrian Thali 

Source

Maharashtra has a mix of vegetarian and non vegetarian population, the latter owing mainly to a lovely long coastline. Maharashtra is a place where wheat and rice are equally popular in a thali, with both often served together. Breads made from millet and gram flour are popular, and are often served alongside onions, lime and green chillies. Another unique Maharashtrian feature is the addition of peanuts to many of the vegetarian dishes on the thali like paatal bhaji, sukhi bhaji, paale bhaji and salads like koshimbir. Non vegetarian thalis often feature fried fish, usually coated with semolina for a crispy layer. Puran polis are a popular sweet dish in Maharashtra and feature on thalis occasionally.

4. Kannada Thali 

Source

A Kannada Thali is also called a Kannadiga Oota, sometimes referred to as a Mysore Thali. Karnataka’s Udupi cuisine is extremely popular and nearly every district in India will have its own version of an Udupi restaurant! Like thalis from other South Indian states, a Kannada thali has a banana leaf cut into a circle and placed inside the plate. Flavored rice like bisi bele bath is popular, although plain chapathis or puris may feature on the side. Predominantly vegetarian, common thali dishes are chitranna, kosambari, palya and sambar. Unlike the papads from the north, south Indian pappadums are generally plain and non-spicy. The sweet dish is usually semolina kesari or mysore pak.

5. Bengali Thali 

Source

Like South Indians, Bengalis prefer rice over wheat; maybe the fish just goes better with rice! A good number or Bengalis are non vegetarian, and fish forms an important part of Bengali cuisine. A bitter dish is often part of the thali, and other dishes include masoor or cholar dal, aloo posto, chanar dalna, begun baja, lao ghonto and melt in the mouth fish delicacies like doi maach or sosrshe ilish. Desserts generally include the famous Rasgulla, Sandesh and Misti Doi.

6. Kerala Sadya 

Source

With Onam just behind us, we can’t not feature the Kerala Sadya! While this isn’t a thali in the traditional sense, being served on a banana leaf, it still features here on account of its deliciousness! Kerala has an abundance of banana trees and coconut palms which explains the banana leaves and the generous use of coconut in all the dishes. Kerala sadyas stick to rice alone, and a variety of vegetarian dishes like inji puli, avial, kootu curry, pachadi and thoran. Sambar and dal is served with the rice, and dried banana or jackfruit chips are common. There are usually more than one kind of payasams to end the meal along with small bananas which cannot be left out!

While these are immensely delicious thalis, they don’t even begin to cover the large variety of thalis in India!! We’ve still got Rajasthani thalis, Assamese Thalis and many more; describing them all would fill a book!! Tell us, which one is your favourite Indian thali?