Super thalis that bring the best of India together on a platter

We eat them all the time, whether we want a quick, no-fuss meal or a leisurely trawl through an entire cuisine. Yes, we’re talking about the uniquely Indian thali which comes in a multitude of regional versions, packing small portions of a range of dishes on to a single plate. We scour the country to some super thalis:

The Punjabi thali

Punjabi food travels well and its classics are known everywhere. Typical Punjabi thali components include parathas rich with ghee or kulcha, paneer palak, aloo gobhi, dal – either the heart-stoppingly rich dal makhni or the simpler dal tadka – kadhi, rajma or chhole and rice, and a mound of sliced onions and a wedge of lime to perk things up.

The Gujarati thali

The Gujarati thali has become such a hit, it’s spawned restaurants that specialise in it. You start with farsaan such as dhokla or khandvi, followed by piping hot rotlas or bajra rotis accompanied by undhiyo, other vegetable dishes and slightly sweet dal. You round it all off with some soothing khichdi or pulao with kadhi. If it’s mango season, then aamras puri will be part of this feast as well.

The Maharashtrian thali

With its simple, soulful cooking style, the Maharashtrian thali serves up sabudana vada, then perhaps missal-pav, vegetables such as bottlegourd cooked with chana dal, brinjal and potato curry, served with rotis such as thalipith, to be followed by simple varan bhath. And then, if you’re in the mood to indulge, maybe a puranpoli.

The Rajasthani thali

The Rajasthani thali reflects all the intense flavours, colours and textures of this unique cuisine. The dal baati churma, doused in ghee, sets the mood for the meal. It’s followed by rotis made of jowar or bajra served with gate ki sabzi, dals such as panchmael and, perhaps, a dish of potatoes and wadis, which Rajasthani cuisine is famous for. Pyaaz kachori and sweets such as imarti are luxurious add-ons.

The Andhra thali

Spicy and spiked with an array of chutneys and podis, the Andhra thali hits the spot for those who like it hot. Start with rice, dal powder and ghee. Then greens cooked with dal, sambar and rasam, with tart Andhra pickles adding zest along the way.

The Tamilian thali

More likely to be served on a banana leaf than on a stainless steel plate, the Tamil Nadu thali revolves around rice served with sambar, rasam and curds. Accompaniments include vegetables tossed with coconut, more kozhambu made with butter milk and papads. You can finish on a sweet note with payasam.

The Kerala thali

This, again, is a banana leaf meal and it doesn’t get better than the sadya. Little mounds of crisp banana chips set the tone, followed by rice, dal and ghee. The traditional dishes include kalan, olan, thoran, more kachiyathu, pachadis, papads. And the festive feast must end with ada pradhaman and a banana.

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