Devouring this simple, plant-powered thali. A “Thali” is a platter that is made up of several dishes to create a perfectly balanced meal, like a sampler meal, usually with rice, flatbread, dal, curries, yogurt, & dessert.
I don’t think that there is any right or wrong when it comes to what to serve in a thali, as long as it is balanced in terms of taste & nutrition. Here’s a mini everyday-thali, sans dessert – nothing fancy – just rice, dal, aloo gobi (stir-fried potato & cauliflower), eggplant-almond curry, paratha (whole wheat flat bread), salad & poppadoms
Servings:
Ingredients
Eggplant-almond curry
- 1 large eggplant washed & cut into cubes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 medium size tomatoes diced or 1 small can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne or as needed
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup unsalted almonds toasted (sliced or slivered)
- Salt to taste
Potato-cauliflower stir fry
- 1 large russet potato washed, peeled & cubed
- 1 small cauliflower washed & cut into florets
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp cayenne or as needed
- cilantro freshly chopped, as needed
Dal
- 1/2 cup split yellow dal mung dal
- 1/2 cup split red lentils masoor dal
- 1/4 cup split pigeon peas toor dal
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp oil any variety
- 2 small cinnamon sticks
- 2 cardamom pods
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1 serrano chili or any variety, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
- cayenne a pinch
Tempering (dal)
- 1 Tbsp unsalted vegan butter
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2-4 dried red chilies
- Pinch asafetida available at South Asian stores
Instructions
Eggplant-almond curry
- In a large skillet, add olive oil. Add in the eggplant & salt, sauté on medium heat for 15 minutes or until they wilt & shrink in size, stirring occasionally
- Add the diced tomatoes, turmeric, cayenne, cumin, coriander, 1/2 cup water and let it simmer covered for 10 minutes on med-high heat.
- Check for seasoning and doneness. You may add some hot water to adjust consistency
- Turn off heat
- Stir in the toasted almonds & cilantro
Potato-cauliflower stir fry
- Heat a non-stick skillet & add cumin seeds & toast them for about a minute.
- Add garlic & stir to combine
- Add potato and cauliflower
- Sprinkle some water & season with salt.
- Add ground turmeric, ground cayenne, stir to combine
- Cover & cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Check if the potatoes & cauliflower are cooked through (make sure the cauliflower stems are tender & cooked too). If not, sprinkle some more water, cover & continue to cook for few more minutes
Dal
- Combine the lentils in a large saucepan, rinse them & set aside
- Add ground turmeric & about 5 cups water to the lentils & bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat & simmer, partly covered, until the lentils are soft & tender, about 45 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a traditional pressure cooker or an electric one, like the Instant Pot, to cook them faster. Once cooked, beat the lentils with a whisk for a minute
- The consistency should not be too thin or thick. If too thick, add more water. If too thin, continue to simmer a little longer.
- Season lentils with salt
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add cinnamon & cardamom, & sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add garlic & sauté until light brown, followed by onions & cook for 5-7 minutes
- Add the chili peppers & tomatoes & cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 4-5 minutes
- Add the onion-tomato mixture to the lentils & stir well to combine. Cover & reduce heat to the lowest setting, while you prepare the tempering
Tempering (tadka) (just before serving)
- Heat a small pan & melt vegan butter, add cumin seeds & dried chilies, fry for 20 seconds, turn off heat, add the asafetida, & pour this mixture over the lentils
- Garnish with cilantro leaves & ground cayenne
- Turn off heat & serve hot
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