I am sure most Indians would have eaten a thali meal at some time or the other. There are so many different varieties of thali meals depending on the region. Here is a list of 13 different kinds of mouthwatering Thali meals from across India. As one person pointed out , Bengali thali has been left out by the writer ! Which would be your favorite thali among the list ?
Though I love Andhra Thali which is full of rice as mentioned Sambhar is not a Andhra delicasy. Instead it's CHARU or RASAM. I like to add Roti to the Thali on alternate days. I'm also a lover of Bengali food, Charchari, which is made with small Fish pieces. Another item I like is Punjabi Thali. Sarson Saag and Makkai Di roti.
Mouthwatering thalis, starting feel hungry just looking at the photos! Although I must point out that there are again different kinds of thalis in one state. A Maharashtrian thali, for example could be again a veg thali which is different in the plateau region, as in Pune and surroundings, a different one with totally different tastes and dishes in Vidarbha or Marathwada and different in Kolhapur, Konkan etc.
Even within Karnataka there are different food preferences and thalis- in Mangalore we get both vegetarian thali and fish thali and in the north Karnataka they have thali with Corn rotis, rice and vegetables whereas in places like Mandya and chitradurga they eat Ragi mudde , another delicacy of this region. From all the different thalis I have ever eaten 3 stand out - one is the thali served in Bangalore woodlands, actually on a banana leaf , which is very tasty comprising of many different veg preparations , chapatis, dosas and rice...Another one was @ Ahemedabad , a gujrato thali served in a restaurant called Sasuji and it was really something...I have uploaded a picture I took of the thali after it was served.Then there is a non vegetarian , fish thali served at Mangalore in a restaurant called Kudla, which is another great tasting Thali !
It's not uncommon to see variations in the same state. Hyderabadi Thali is a mixture of Muslim and Telangana preparations. In Rayalaseemawhere Bajra is abundantly available , most of the preparations are Bajra based. In coastal areas, most of the preparations are Fish and Dry fish based.
Owing to vastness of the country, it's difficult to know about the regional delicacies , unless one is a frequent traveller. In many cosmopolitan cities, most of the preparations from different states are available. For example Chennai is one such place, where you can get preparations from many states. And the respective states maintain these eateries.
usha manohar wrote:Bangalore probably has the maximum number of restaurants from all over India and abroad.There are Thalis available from all south Indian states - besides Bengali, Gujrati, Punjabi,Kashmiri and the north eastern states...
Most metro and cosmo cities now have places where you food from around the world. Pune too has very good quality restaurants and eateries where you get food from all the states of the country as well as continental, Chinese, Italian, Spanish etc. Current trend here now is thalis served in sterling silver utensils! Quite an in thing now.
Oh what a delicious thread, I have eaten all kind of Thalis starting from Kerala, Goan, Gujrati, Udupi, Hydrabadi, Marwari (Rajsthani), Punjabi, Bihari and Bengali besides also served in different states of the country. By the way, I am not a foodie but I live in an area where all kind of Thalis are available easily. If you search Rajauri Garden area of Delhi alone it has more than thousand place to eat on one single road and all of them are unique in their own way serving all kind of Indian, continental and specialties from every country of the world. Besides Delhi almost every thali listed in this thread is available in my city too.
Kalyani Nandurkar wrote:usha manohar wrote:Bangalore probably has the maximum number of restaurants from all over India and abroad.There are Thalis available from all south Indian states - besides Bengali, Gujrati, Punjabi,Kashmiri and the north eastern states...
Most metro and cosmo cities now have places where you food from around the world. Pune too has very good quality restaurants and eateries where you get food from all the states of the country as well as continental, Chinese, Italian, Spanish etc. Current trend here now is thalis served in sterling silver utensils! Quite an in thing now.
It is nice to keep to certain traditions otherwise they phase out in a matter of few years....In fact many old recipes that were considered too rustic and not fit to be served in elegant restaurants are now finding favor. I was reading a news report about Delhi at the Hotel Ashoka ,when they had a food festival authentic Mangalorean dishes like Kori rotti, Pathrode and a few more dishes were loved by many who probably had never heard of it.So, people would like to try out new dishes now whether Indian, Vietnamese or Mexican..
I too love the taste of various Indian thalis. But I have couple of reservations. One is that even before you have taken your seat the service starts. A large variety of items are put in your thali one after another in small measures. Soon you end up eating only two or three items and are stuffed out to enjoy the unlimited food on offer. The charges are therefore working out to very high compared what quantity one ends up eating.Recently I ate a Gujarati Marwari mix thali in Mumbai and it cost Rs 550/- Too costly. Also in most restaurants the moment you finish you have to vacate because people are waiting. So you end up feeling you had an assembly line like lunch. However filled thalis are very attractive to look at and are appeatising. @Kalyani wrote about Kashmiri Thali in Pune. I am hearing about it first time. Can she elaborate pl.
I too love the taste of various Indian thalis. But I have couple of reservations. One is that even before you have taken your seat the service starts. A large variety of items are put in your thali one after another in small measures. Soon you end up eating only two or three items and are stuffed out to enjoy the unlimited food on offer. The charges are therefore working out to very high compared what quantity one ends up eating.Recently I ate a Gujarati Marwari mix thali in Mumbai and it cost Rs 550/- Too costly. Also in most restaurants the moment you finish you have to vacate because people are waiting. So you end up feeling you had an assembly line like lunch. However filled thalis are very attractive to look at and are appeatising. @Kalyani wrote about Kashmiri Thali in Pune. I am hearing about it first time. Can she elaborate pl.
The Udupi Rice plate I used to eat for Re 1 (Way Back in South India, limited Rice but rasam and sambhar to demand) was available for Rs 5 in North India then. I remember having eaten 5 Idalies for Re1 during my training period in Bangalore way side restaurant. That plate is available for Rs 40 in Bangalore at same standard restaurant and Rs 100 for three pieces of Idly in better ones.
@kiran8