September is for 'Thaalis and Platters'
The months of April and September are meant for mega marathon, for our blogging group during which we post a specific theme based recipes. It is going be 'Thaalis and Platters' this time, which was originally set for the month of April but was postponed because of the covid situation. The below links are some of the mega marathons I participated in previously as a part of the blogging marathon group. Click on the below links to find 26 recipes under each category.
Indian Sweets and Snacks (Sep 2019)
Indian Biryani / Khichdi/Pulao (Apr 2019)
A - Z Indian Street Foods (Apr 2018)
A - Z Indian Rice Dishes (Sep 2016)
A - Z Andhra Recipes (Apr 2016)
Buffet on the Table (Sep 2015)
Fire up your Oven (Apr 2015)
Around the World in 30 days (Sep 2014)
Indian Food Odyssey (Apr 2014)
ABC Cooking (Sep 2013)
Now coming to the thaali theme. For those uninitiated, the word 'thaali' in Hindi refers to any metal plate that is made with either stainless steel, brass, bronze, copper, silver or even gold ones. Besides the culinary purposes, thaalis feature in religious ceremonies as well but the plates that have been used to eat in are never used for the latter. The two kinds are never intermingled.
The word 'thaali' is also used to describe a complete and balanced meal served in a big sized plate, which is what we are concerned about in this marathon. A thaali can contain from anywhere between ten to twenty dishes and usually contain breads / rice, lentil dishes, curries and other accompaniments, snacks, sweets and so on. Small cups are arranged along the rim of the plate to hold the wet dishes while bread / rice and the dry dishes are directly placed on the plate. There is always a balance of flavors in a typical thaali and it usually features local dishes.
Thaalis are typical to a restaurant setting than a home because of the wide variety of dishes presented in it and the difficulty that goes along with it in terms of preparation. I rarely order thaalis at restaurants as I can never do justice to the sheer number of items presented in it but my vote goes to the unlimited Rajasthani thaalis that I have eaten at Choki dhani near Indore and Rajdhaani in Bangalore.
A mini thaali would be an easier concept if trying to cook at home and if eating at home, it does not even matter if someone owns big sized plates and cups enough for the family. A traditional south Indian meal would look authentic on a banana leaf rather than a thaali / plate. And bronze plates and cups when it comes to some of the east and north Indian state meals. And those steel plates with lot of compartments would serve the purpose well and also there are less dishes to clean up later. 😉
My posts are going to be in the following order, each week with a specific theme.
Week 1 - Everyday mini thaalis
Week 2 - Breakfast platters
Week 3 - Regional thaalis
Week 4 - Indian bread platter
Week 5 - Platters
Hope you will join me in this month long virtual journey and enjoy it as much as we did savoring them at home.
Comments
Indian Sweets and Snacks (Sep 2019)
Indian Biryani / Khichdi/Pulao (Apr 2019)
A - Z Indian Street Foods (Apr 2018)
A - Z Indian Rice Dishes (Sep 2016)
A - Z Andhra Recipes (Apr 2016)
Buffet on the Table (Sep 2015)
Fire up your Oven (Apr 2015)
Around the World in 30 days (Sep 2014)
Indian Food Odyssey (Apr 2014)
ABC Cooking (Sep 2013)
Now coming to the thaali theme. For those uninitiated, the word 'thaali' in Hindi refers to any metal plate that is made with either stainless steel, brass, bronze, copper, silver or even gold ones. Besides the culinary purposes, thaalis feature in religious ceremonies as well but the plates that have been used to eat in are never used for the latter. The two kinds are never intermingled.
The word 'thaali' is also used to describe a complete and balanced meal served in a big sized plate, which is what we are concerned about in this marathon. A thaali can contain from anywhere between ten to twenty dishes and usually contain breads / rice, lentil dishes, curries and other accompaniments, snacks, sweets and so on. Small cups are arranged along the rim of the plate to hold the wet dishes while bread / rice and the dry dishes are directly placed on the plate. There is always a balance of flavors in a typical thaali and it usually features local dishes.
Thaalis are typical to a restaurant setting than a home because of the wide variety of dishes presented in it and the difficulty that goes along with it in terms of preparation. I rarely order thaalis at restaurants as I can never do justice to the sheer number of items presented in it but my vote goes to the unlimited Rajasthani thaalis that I have eaten at Choki dhani near Indore and Rajdhaani in Bangalore.
A mini thaali would be an easier concept if trying to cook at home and if eating at home, it does not even matter if someone owns big sized plates and cups enough for the family. A traditional south Indian meal would look authentic on a banana leaf rather than a thaali / plate. And bronze plates and cups when it comes to some of the east and north Indian state meals. And those steel plates with lot of compartments would serve the purpose well and also there are less dishes to clean up later. 😉
My posts are going to be in the following order, each week with a specific theme.
Week 1 - Everyday mini thaalis
Week 2 - Breakfast platters
Week 3 - Regional thaalis
Week 4 - Indian bread platter
Week 5 - Platters
Hope you will join me in this month long virtual journey and enjoy it as much as we did savoring them at home.
Comments
2 comments:
Looking forward to all the thalis and platters who have planned.
Suma, looking forward to the marathon , and your posts ! I am waiting for some authentic meals , so I can replicate them . All the best !
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