The King's Thali

Namaste People!

I have grown up eating vegetables and fruits more than any meat in my entire life. So much so that I love vegetarian dishes more than non-veg. So for this challenge, I would like to incorporate everything I love about Indian cuisine under one heading by making the colorful and nutritious ‘King's Thali’. As the name suggests Thali was a platter served to Indian Kings in the ancient and medieval times. And still it's a prominent thing in Indian households. A Thali is a complete meal served on a single plate, from starters to desert. It's the product of several age-old aspects related to the Indian Culture. For example, the concept of balanced nutritious meals, an interest in the varieties of flavors, and the need for portion control to avoid overeating.

A traditional Indian Thali consists of 5-30 or more dishes. It is served in small bowls and small quantities in metal cutleries. It mainly comprises of a variety of starter traditional snacks, flatbread/rice, vegetables, lentils, chutney, and dessert, followed by a refreshing drink. It is often served to guests and is a must at Indian weddings.

But, I decided to keep my Thali minimalistic yet royal. All the dishes that I'll make will contain some fruits or vegetables.

Here is the list of dishes I’ll be making:

• Vegetable Diwani Kadhai (Main Course): Dish made of Mixed Vegetables
• Pink Beetroot Puri (Deep-fried dough made of beetroots and wheat): Flatbread
• Mint Coriander Chutney : Dip/ Chutney
• Carrot Halwa (Dessert made of Carrots and Milk): Dessert
• Mango Lassi (Mango and Yoghurt drink): Drink

Hope your taste buds get excited enough to savor the flavors and the wholesomeness :)

UTENSILS REQUIRED FOR THALI PREP

You can match the numbers of the given list with their respective images attached in the picture above for your reference.

1. Wok or Deep Frying Pan or Kadhai
2. Vessel to boil water
3. Ladle or Spatula to stir and mix
4. Slotted Spatula or Slotted Ladle for frying
5. Flat Spatula to mix and stir
6. Grinder/Food Processor/Mixer
7. Grater
8. Knife to cut vegetables and fruits
9. Peeler to peel vegetables and fruits
10. Rolling Board & Pin to roll the dough
11. Spoon
12. Bowl - medium size
13. Bowl - Small Size
14. Plate - Medium Size
15. Plate - Large Size for final plating
16. Glass - to serve the mango lassi
17. A small cylindrical mold or container to shape the carrot halwa while serving.
18. A drinking straw

1. INGREDIENTS FOR VEGETABLE DIWANI KADHAI

For base gravy

Ingredients:

• Oil - 5-6 tbsp

• Onions - 2-3 medium size (sliced)

• Cashew nuts - 7-8 nos.

• Almonds - 7-8 nos.

• Tomatoes - 2-3 medium size (quarters)

• Ginger - 1 inch

• Garlic - 4-5 cloves

• Dry red chillies - 1-3 nos.

• Salt to taste

• Green chillies - 2 nos.

• Water - 250 ml

For half cooked veggies

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower - 1 cup (florets)

• Turmeric - ¼ tsp

• Salt a pinch

• Carrots - ¼ cup

• Green peas - 1 cup

• French beans - ¼ cup

• 2 cups of water

For making the main dish

Ingredients:

• Vegetable/refined Oil - 2 tbsps

• Garlic - 3 tbsp (chopped)

• Green chillies - 2-3 nos. (chopped)

Whole spices:

• Cinnamon Stick -1 inch

• Bay leaves - 2 nos.

• Green Cardamom - 2 nos.

• Cloves - 2-3 nos.

• Black peppercorns - 7-8 nos.

Powdered spices:

• Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp

• Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

• Cumin powder -1 tsp

• Blended base gravy

• Hot water as required

• Half cooked veggies

• Fresh cream - ⅓ cup

• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

• Dry fenugreek leaves - 1 tsp

• Fresh coriander leaves (chopped)

• Peas - 1 cup

2. INGREDIENTS FOR CORIANDER-MINT CHUTNEY

• Fresh Mint leaves - 1 fist washed and chopped

• Fresh Coriander leaves - 1 fist chopped washed and chopped

• 2 green chillies

• Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

• Salt as per taste

• Curd/Yoghurt - ½ cup or 100 ml

3. INGREDIENTS FOR CARROT HALWA

• Carrots - 4 medium carrots/ 250 g

• Milk - 2 cups

• Clarified Butter/Ghee - 3 tbsp

• Sugar - ¾ cup

• Cardamom Powder/Whole green Cardamoms - 3 nos

• Almonds - 9-10 nos

• Cranberries - 1 tbsp

• Black Currants - 1tbsp

4. INGREDIENTS FOR MANGO LASSI

• Ripe Alphonso Mango - 150 g/ 1 fruit

• Sugar - 2 tbsp

• Curd/Yoghurt - 1 cup

• Mixed Tutti Frutti for garnish - 2 tbsp

5. INGREDIENTS FOR BEETROOT PURI

• Beetroot - 100 g / 1 fruit

• Salt - 1 tsp

• Carom Seeds - 1 tsp

• Wheat Flour - 2 cups

• Water - 1 glass

Cooking Time: 30-45 Min

Serves: 3-4 people

A. For Base Gravy

A1). Thinly slice the onions as shown in the picture.

A2). Take a wok/deep-frying pan/kadhai, add 3-4 tbsps. of oil, and put the stove on medium flame.

A3). When the oil is hot, add the sliced onions to the wok.

A4). Fry the onions till they turn crispy and golden brown in color, but do not burn them (Refer to the picture shown).

A5). Remove the fried onions in a plate and let them cool to room temperature.

A6). Now remove 70% oil from the wok to a small bowl, add cashew nuts and almonds to the remaining oil in the wok, and fry them on medium flame until golden brown in color. Remove and keep aside (Refer to the picture shown).

A7). In the same wok, add tomatoes, garlic, ginger, dry red chilies, salt as per taste, and green chilies. Cook on medium flame for 2-3 minutes, add water and stir well.

A8). When the tomato mixture is half-cooked remove it from the flame and keep it aside to cool.

A9). Transfer this mixture to a grinding jar, along with the fried onions and cashew nuts and almonds. Grind them to a fine paste to make the base gravy. And that's your base gravy!

B. For Half Cooked Vegetables

B1). In a vessel, take 2 cups of water and boil it.

B2). Add salt as per taste, a pinch of turmeric powder, chopped cauliflower florets, chopped carrots, and chopped French beans to the boiling water.

B3). Blanch them briefly for 1-2 minutes and keep them aside. This step is usually done to remove impurities from the vegetables.

B4). Now, take the same wok and add the oil from the small bowl that we used for frying onions earlier. 

B5). Sauté the blanched cauliflower, carrots, and French beans on high flame until crunchy. Remove them to a medium bowl and keep them aside to be used later. 

C. For the Final Gravy

C1). In the same wok, add 2 tbsp. oil, garlic, green chillies & whole spices, cook on medium-low flame until the garlic turns slightly golden brown.

C2). Next, turn down the heat to low and add the powdered spices. Add 1-3 tbsps. of water to prevent the spices from burning. Then turn up the flame to medium heat and cook the spices (cook until the oil starts separating).

C3). Now add the previously made base gravy to the wok. You can add some hot water to the grinding jar, close it, give it a good shake and add it to the wok to avoid the gravy wastage. Add water according to the desired consistency of the gravy.

C4). Stir well and cook for 10-15 minutes on medium flame, stir at regular intervals.

C5). Now add the half-cooked veggies and mix well. Taste the gravy and adjust the salt as per taste, stir well and cook for 7-8 minutes on high flame.

C6). Now, lower the flame and add fresh cream, garam masala and crushed dried fenugreek leaves, stir well and cook for a minute on low flame.

C7). Now add some freshly chopped coriander. Stir it. And then add peas. (I have added the frozen peas at the end to keep them fresh because that’s how I like it. If you want them cooked you can follow the same steps performed with the cauliflower, carrots and French beans.

With that the Vegetable Diwani Kadhai is ready! Yumm Yumm

Cooking Time: 2-5 Min

Serves: 3-4 people

A). Take 1 fist of washed and chopped coriander leaves and 1 fist of washed and chopped mint leaves and add them to a grinder.

B). Add 2 green chillies to the grinder.

C). Add juice of half a lemon to the grinder.

D). Add 1 tsp of cumin powder and salt as per taste to the grinder.

E). Grind them all to a fine paste.

F). Now add curd or yoghurt to paste, according to your desired consistency, and stir it in with a spoon. Mix everything with the spoon well. (Generally, I add 100 ml of curd but the amount can vary according to your liking).

Viola! The chutney is done under 2 mins!

Cooking Time: 30-45 Min

Serves: 3-4 people

A). Wash and peel 4 medium-sized carrots using a vegetable peeler and cut the tops of the carrots. Finely grate them using a Grater as shown in the picture.

B). Set a wok/kadhai/deep frying pan on medium heat, and add 3 tbsps of ghee or clarified butter and let it melt.

C). When the ghee has completely melted and become hot, add in the grated carrots, mix it well with the ghee with the help of a flat ladle, and cook it for 10 min on medium flame. 

D). After a while, the color of the carrots will change from dark orange to yellowish-orange, and they will be a bit mushy and cooked. Plus the amount of the carrots will be reduced or halved. When you reach this stage, add in opened cardamoms to let them release their flavor. Mix them all well. 

E). After a minute, add almonds, cranberries, and black currents. And mix them all well. 

F). After that, add the sugar and let it melt into the halwa. Stir continuously to avoid burning the sugar.

G). After the sugar has completely melted, add in 2 cups of any type of cow milk. 

H). I have used a 1:2 ratio of carrots to low-fat cow milk, but you can use a minimum 1:1 ratio. The more the milk quantity, the richer will be the texture of the final halwa, and the longer it will take to cook. NOTE: The milk must always be on a simmering boil. 

I). Once the milk starts reducing and the halwa starts to thicken, you need to stir it frequently to not let it stick on the pan or wok. This process might take about 30-45 minutes depending on the ratio of the carrots and milk.

J). Continue stirring it until all the milk has evaporated, and the halwa looks mushy and semi-solid consistency (as shown in the picture). Remove the pan from the heat.

The mouth-watering, sweet and rich Carrot Halwa is ready to melt in your mouth!

Cooking Time: 2-5 Min

Serves: 2-3 people

A). Take a ripe Alphonso Mango, peel it, and cut it into small cubes.

B). Divide the mango pieces into two parts.

C). Take the first part and grind it to a fine yellow paste in a grinder. Remove in a bowl and keep aside.

D). Take the second part and add curd/yoghurt and sugar to it. Grind it all to a smooth consistency. Remove in another bowl and keep aside.

Note: The mixture with curd must be lighter yellow in color than the previous mixture.

The preparation of Mango Lassi is done. Keep both the mixtures in the refrigerator and chill. We will follow further steps to serve the mango drink in the Plating section.

Cooking Time: 15-30 Min

Serves: 2-3 people

I suggest making the Beetroot Puris at the very end just before you serve them so that they may look plump like a balloon, crispy, warm, and fresh. If you make them at the very beginning before making the rest of the dishes, they may become hard and saggy and look a bit sad. They may also taste different. So make sure you make them at the very end.

A). Take a medium-sized beetroot and cut it into small cubes.

B). In a vessel, boil 1 glass of water. When the water is boiling, add the beetroots and cook them well for about 30 minutes until they become soft.

C). When the beetroots are well cooked, remove them from the stove and cool.

D). Cool down the beetroots, put them in a grinder and grind them to a fine paste.

NOTE: Don't throw away the red beetroot water which is left in the vessel. We will use it to knead the dough.

E). In a vessel or a large bowl take 2 cups of wheat flour and add salt and a pinch of carrom seeds to it.

F). Now add the beetroot mixture into the flour mix.

G). Use the beetroot water to knead the dough using your fingers (See tips for kneading the dough below).

H). Take out small amounts of the dough and divide them into 3-4 small parts.

I). Take one part and roll it between your palms into small sphere balls gently. They need to be plain without cracks.

J). Put a few drops of of oil on your rolling board, place a dough ball, and flatten the ball using a rolling pin. Apply gentle pressure and start rolling the ball from the center to the edges evenly till you attain a flat circular Puri.

Note: It doesn't have to be too thick or too thin, just moderately thick so that it rises and puffs up like a balloon while frying.

K). Put some oil in a deep frying pan/wok/kadhai to fry the puris. Put the flame on medium and let it become super hot.

L). While the oil is getting heated up, roll out rest of the balls into puris.

M). When the oil is boiling hot, gently slide the puris into the oil from one side of the frying pan/wok/kadhai. It will sink completely into the oil. Do not disturb with the ladle till it comes up to the surface on it's own.

N). When it rises to the surfaces, with the help of the slotted ladle gently press it into the oil. Don't press too hard or else it will develop some holes and it won't puff.

O). After a while, the puri will puff like a balloon. Let it cook for a few seconds.

P). When one side is cooked, turn it over to the other side gently and let it cook. Make sure the puri is crisp and golden brown from both the sides.

Q). Remove it from the pan with the help of the slotted ladle, keep it on top of the pan/wok for a few seconds so that the excess oil drips off back into the wok/pan.

R). Repeat the same procedure with the rest of the puris.

Tips for Kneading the Dough

a). Add just a bit of beetroot water at a time as you begin to form the dough, making sure to not oversaturate or wet the mix.

b). Bring together everything with your fingers by adding little slashes of water at small intervals.

c). Continue kneading until you arrive at a consistent stiff and tight dough. It shouldn't be crumbly, wet, too dry, too hard or too soft.

With that we're done with the steaming hot Beetroot Puris! Now we're ready to plate everything.

1). Vegetable Diwani Kadhai

• Take out some Vegetable Diwani Kadhai in a small bowl.
• Make a swirl of fresh cream on top of the dish.
• Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and place it on a serving plate/thali.

2). Mint-Coriander Chutney

• Take 1-2 tbsps of the Mint-Coriander Chutney in the serving plate.
• Swirl it in the plate with the help of a spoon.

3). Carrot Halwa

• Take a small cylindric mould or a container made of metal or plastic.
• Grease it thoroughly with oil/ghee/melted butter/clarifies butter.
• Fill the mold with carrot halwa up to the brim.
• Invert it to the serving plate. And let it be like that for a minute.
• Pat gently on top of the inverted mold so that the halwa gets released down on the plate with gravity.
• Garnish it with some peeled almonds or other nuts.

4). Mango Lassi

• Take out both the mixtures from the fridge.
• Take a glass and put the mango slurry (without yoghurt) in the glass, till the glass is filled with 1/4 part of the mango slurry.
• After that, take the yoghurt-mango mixture and fill it in the glass up to the brim.
• The glass must have different colors and layers of yellow mango slurry and mango-yoghurt slurry.
• Top it up with some tutti frutti or nuts and dip in a straw.

5). Beetroot Puri

• Take out the Beetroot Puri fresh from the wok/frying pan after frying and directly place it on the serving plate.
• Note: If you keep the Puris siting out for too long they may get chewy and saggy, and their color and flavors might change.

That concludes the plating of the Royal Thali. We are all set to savor the dishes like a King now! You can make these dishes on special occasions or just when your tongues and tummies need a little flavor pampering. Thank me later :-P

Hope you enjoyed visualizing the recipes. Hope you try them out yourself as well. Also, do let me know how they come out. You can experiment with them with different ingredients that could go well along with them. If you have any suggestions or questions you can always leave a comment or ask me doubts. I'll be happy to jot down your tips or help you out! :)

Thankyou and Sayonara :'))