A Thaali is a 3 course(and above) Indian meal which features a combination of dishes that are wholesome, mix and match with each other in terms of texture and flavour, and are balanced. India being a country with a huge food culture and heritage there are a great number of thaalis which can be cooked, either within a single cuisine, or a mixture of cuisines that match well.
This is an attempt by me to bring here as many Thaali ideas as possible for you all to create. We all want an balanced meal which takes very little time to create, and this is just that. The Thaalis in this series will range from simple to complex, and festive to on the go.
The below Thaali took me under 60 mins to create. All the recipes mentioned here are also available separately. But here I am giving the whole process of how I went about creating it, and also giving the recipes side by side.
Do let me know in the comment section if I should create more Thaalis like this for you to try. This current one is a simple working day thaali, which one can create before leaving for work(can pack this as lunch as well), or once back home, or any day.
Planning goes a long way in creating a wholesome, and delicious meal. Please go though all recipes to check if you have all ingredients mentioned.
Elements of this Thaali:
*Korean Carrot Salad, *Cabbage Pulav, *One Pot Tadke wali Dal, *Green Apple Raita, *Pickle, and *Chaach(buttermilk)
Pre prep: All Vegetables were cut the previous day ( Julienne or Grate the carrot for salad. Chop the cabbage into strips, wash, drain, chop Onions, Capsicum, tomatoes, and store in fridge.)
Preperation and cooking:
STEP 1 : Wash the rice for the Pulav, add adequate water, and pressure cook. (details in recipe). (15 mins approx to cook)
STEP 2: Wash the dal, drain and rest for 10 minutes.(10 min approx)
STEP 3: Within the 10 minutes of the resting time for Dal, complete the carrot salad.
STEP 4: Start cooking the dal as per recipe.(20 mins from start to end)
STEP 5 : The pressure must have settled in the rice, open cooker and spread out the rice on a plate to cool.
STEP 6: Start cooking the pulav as per recipe.( 15 min approx)
STEP 7: While the cabbage is getting cooked(sauteing) grate the Green apple for Raita and complete the raita.
STEP 8: The cooled rice will now be ready to add to the Cabbage mix. Complete the Pulav
RECIPES FOLLOW:
1. Korean Carrot Salad:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7WF4ee9EX0Zm_T3nfXQwXlIqQKNpS9I7OXFTq9C4Qjkw8fH7NHDdPjiGQz68l6ecbMbowV173ISnjO_BbmXu3IFYJGsZsg7_k7qPbUlb6yGVqWbk8o0XOE63L_yQOoTsv2fmFny6Aurs/w640-h530/20210531_122713%257E3.jpg)
NOTES:
Ingredients:
Moong dal 1/2 cup washed and soaked for 15 minutes
Tomato 1 chopped
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves a few
Green chilli 1 chopped
Ginger -garlic paste 1/2 tsp
Salt as required
Oil for sauteing
Ghee 1 tsp
Lemon juice 1 tsp (optional)
STEPWISE RECIPE FOLLOWS:
1. Rinse and soak the Moong Dal for 15 minutes. Now in a small cooker heat some oil. To this add the mustard and cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle add the turmeric powder, followed by curry leaves, chopped tomatoes and green chilli. Saute this well until the tomatoes start turning a little tender. Add the ginger -garlic paste and fry for 10 seconds.
2. Now drain water from the dal and add the Moong dal to the cooker. Mix everything together nicely, and add 1.5 cups water. Close the cooker and allow 5 to 6 whistles to come. Put off the flame and wait for the pressure to release. Now open the cooker. The water must have been absorbed and dal cooked. The mixture may appear dry.
3. Add 1 cup water and stir everything well. Switch on the flame, add salt and stir again. cook for 1 minute. Switch off the flame, if using lemon juice(optional), add now, pour the ghee and its ready to serve.
NOTES:
1. This recipe can be followed with Tuvar dal(pigeon pea), Chana dal(Bengal gram) or the mix of all three grams together. The cook time will vary.
2. To make this dal in a pan instead of cooker. To pre cooked dal add all the above tempering ingredients and saute tomatoes in the tempering, and pour it into the dal.