How to cook thali meal easily

Know your Thali

The word thali simply translates to “a plate”. However, it implies so much more in the Indian context. A thali should have sweet, sour, spicy, salty and bitter. In addition to the mix of flavours, the food also needs to be complete in terms of nutrients. So, there are proteins, carbs and good fats along with vitamins and minerals. It also has greens, vegetables, lentils, pickles and chutneys for a balanced meal. If you go to different parts of India, you will find a regional touch to the thali as well. For example, a Rajasthan thali is completely different from a Kerala or Andhra Pradesh thali. However, when you cook it at home, it becomes your own and has your own signature style. So, to make a thali, the first step is to be knowledgeable about what it takes to make a thali at home and not to get overwhelmed with the details.

Planning for a hassle-free thali

Planning is the key to making an easy thali meal at home. One must decide on a menu which is well-planned and balanced. So, when picking out thali recipes for the menu, make sure that they take the least time to cook and are the simplest and easiest to make. One should start with deciding which will be the main base of the thali and it could be roti or rice or paratha. If it is roti or paratha, then one must remember to knead the dough and let it rest for at least half an hour. Along with roti or rice, one must add dal or sambar in the thali meal as well. When it comes to vegetables and sabszi, choose the one which are easy to cook or you can cook a dry sabzi like a stir-fry. This takes lesser time. If you want to add a curry in your thali meal, then a simple one-pot curry like vegetable korma is your best bet. After this comes curd or raita for a cooling agent in your thali. To top it off, one can choose to add a pickle or a simple and quick dessert. Remember, the more ingredients you add to the list, the more complex the thali gets. So stick to 3-4 essential items. Also, remember to pre-plan your shopping list so that you have all the ingredients at home.

Preparation of ingredients and cooking utensils

The next step is to get your ingredients and cooking utensils ready before you actually start cooking. Gather all the ingredients, wash and chop the vegetables, keep the spices measured in small bowls and if possible, soak the lentils in water. Keep all the small bowls with chopped onions, tomatoes, green chilies, ginger and garlic handy. Also, stack all the utensils you may need for cooking – pressure cooker, frying pan, kadhai and serving bowls. This way, when you are cooking, you do not have to run here and there to find things and will not take much time either.

Picking the right dishes

Choose dishes which have varied flavours and textures. You want one dish to be creamy, one dry, one crunchy and something cooling. Also, pick a few dishes that are completely different in terms of flavour and taste. For example, do not make two spicy gravies or two sweet dishes. Plan the thali in such a way that there is a good combination of rice or roti as the base and then the curries and sides for a pop of colour and flavour.

The Shortcut to Cooking a Thali

Cooking a thali does not need to be time-consuming. With the right shortcuts, you can have the thali ready within an hour. First, use a pressure cooker or Instant Pot to cook the lentils and rice together. You can even make the sambar in the Instant Pot. Use store bought spice powders like garam masala powder, sambar powder or rasam powder to speed things up. There are ready-to-use chopped vegetables, frozen peas and canned tomatoes available. You can also make certain bases in advance like onion tomato masala or boiled potatoes and then use them to make multiple dishes. A good idea to save time is to batch cook certain elements that are similar. So, a single saute of onion, garlic and tomato can be used for making both dal and sabzi.

Sequence of Cooking a Thali

Choose the right sequence of cooking to cook a thali. First, make the things which take time, like dal and rice. While these are cooking, one can start with frying the vegetables for a sabzi or making a dough for the chapatis. As soon as the dal is ready, temper it. While the dal is being tempered, chop the salad. Once the chapatis are ready, it is best to make the raita and papad last since both these thali items do not require much time.

Cooking a Quick Dal for the Thali

Dal is an integral part of any thali. One quick dal recipe that can be made in a jiffy is a simple dal fry or dal tadka. Choose a dal which cooks quickly such as moong dal or masoor dal. The lentil needs to be washed and then cooked with salt, turmeric and asafoetida in a pressure cooker. Once cooked, the dal needs to be tempered with mustard seeds, cumin, garlic and dried red chilies in ghee or oil. Finally, chopped tomatoes or coriander leaves can be added for freshness. This dal can be served with both rice and roti and does not require much effort either.

Efficiently Cooking Vegetable Curries for the Thali

Every thali needs a sabzi or vegetable curry. Choose quick-cooking vegetables like okra, cabbage, carrots or capsicum. For dry curries like poriyal, bhaji or sabzi, saute cumin seeds in oil and then add onions and onions. Once the onions are cooked, add the chopped vegetables, salt and spice powders. Cook the sabzi uncovered for a crisp texture or covered for a softer and tender texture. To make a gravy based curry, one can use ready tomato-onion paste or canned coconut milk for the base. Paneer, peas and potatoes are the vegetables which can be used to make quick and easy curries in minutes. The idea is to keep it simple and quick yet delicious.

Thali Accompaniments: Rice, Roti and Sides

Rice or roti is an essential part of any thali meal. To save time, one can make steamed rice or jeera rice in a pressure cooker along with the dal. For rotis, the dough can be prepared before and then rolled out as and when required. Parathas can be made in advance and then heated with a little ghee at the time of serving. Sides like pickle, papad and salad do not need to be cooked either, just serve them alongside to make the thali feel complete. To add a cooling element to the thali, one can quickly whip up a raita. Raita is made by mixing curd, grated cucumber, salt and roasted cumin. Mix everything well and serve chilled. Raita takes just two minutes to make. 

Dessert for Thali

A thali is not a thali without dessert. Desserts like gulab jamuns and payasams take time to prepare and make so it is best to not make them on a weekday. But there are some simple and easy desserts which one can make in less than 15 minutes such as semiya (vermicelli) payasam, suji halwa, rava kesari or jaggery-sweetened coconut laddus. A simple dessert option is to serve a banana with a drizzle of honey. You can even prepare kheer or any other curd based dessert ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. They taste great when served chilled as well. Dessert need not take more than 10 minutes and is an important part of the thali so it is a good idea to add a little something sweet.

Presenting the Thali Meal

Presentation is the key to serving a great thali meal. Traditionally, a thali is served on a big steel or banana leaf plate and the different small katoris or bowls for each dish are placed symmetrically on the plate. The central portion is usually reserved for the rice or roti and one side has dal and the sabzi curry. Accompaniments like pickle, salad and dessert are placed on the other side of the plate. Papad or fryums are served separately as they need to be crisp. Colourful dishes with a variety of textures make the thali look appetizing. One does not need to go all out with the serving dishes and even when using regular plates and bowls, taking time to present the food nicely makes it feel like a treat.

Making Thali a Regular Meal

Once you get into the groove of things, it is easy to make thalis on a regular basis. You can start small with a mini thali once a week and as you get better at it, you can make elaborate thalis over the weekends as well. You can also vary the thali by making a Gujarati thali one week and then a South Indian thali the next. Experimenting with different types of thalis and expanding your repertoire is easy when you make thalis regularly. Cooking thalis at home also makes one mindful about eating healthy, appreciating variety and tradition and most of all not wasting food.

Conclusion

Cooking a thali meal need not be a tough task. With little bit of planning, multitasking and the right shortcuts, it is possible to cook a complete thali meal in under an hour. Each and every dish in the thali should be carefully chosen to make the process as seamless as possible. Choosing thali recipes that are simple and quick is the first step to an easy thali. Even while making it easier to cook, the elements of a thali must not be forgotten. A dal, sabzi curry, rice or roti and curd are essentials for every thali and then one can choose their favourite accompaniments to it. The key is to choose dishes which take the least time to cook and are the easiest to make. With a little practice, thalis can be made a regular feature at home and the dining table would never look the same again.