The Gujarati Thali
Thali in the Gujarati language means plate [થાળી, pronounced thaali, though the more widely used spelling thali is used here]. It is comprised of numerous components mingled to create a well-balanced meal. Different regions of India and even different households within Gujarat and abroad have their own variations on a thali. For the purposes of this post, I will focus on the Gujarati thali as I know and enjoy it. This representation is likely consistent with most Gujarati thalis and can be compared to the general structure of other regional thalis of India as well. A traditional Gujarati thali consists of pretty much any combination of these major components:
Shaak - spiced vegetables such as cauliflower, undhiyu (mixed vegetables), potatoes, green beans, etc.
Daal - lentil/legume stew of numerous varieties including moong/mung, toor/tuver (pigeon peas), and masoor (red lentils)
Bhaat - traditionally basmati rice but also brown rice or even quinoa
Rotli - flatbreads such as rotli made from wholewheat flour or other grains/seeds and theplaa (a spiced version)
Salad - sometimes raw vegetables or cooked in the form of sambhaaro (cabbage slaw)
Athaanu - pickles such as chhundo- shredded green mango preserved with chili and spices
Farsaan - such as dhoklaa (steamed savory rice/lentil cakes) or paapad (a lentil based cracker)
Mithaai - sweets or even just fresh fruit
Although it is certainly not necessary to have something from every single category on a thali, most are usually represented in some form. A more humble daily thali at home may consist of just 3 of these items, while a more elaborate version prepared for holidays or large events may include numerous items within each category. The separate items of a thali come together to become a balanced meal.
A thali is an explosion of flavors (sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter, astringent) and textures. The vast array of components somehow work together in beautiful harmony.
The documentary series Raja Rasoi aur Anya Kahaniyan (which can be viewed on Netflix) has an episode featuring Gujarati cuisine, and this segment of the documentary beautifully illustrates more on the traditional Gujarati thali:
“If somebody were to ask the question of why there are so many items in a Gujarati thali...why are there 25-30 items? It doesn’t mean there are choices. All the items are so balanced that they complement each other. They don’t supplement each other. It’s like different notes of a symphony. Different players in an orchestra. Each has a role to play. So while eating a thali, the person experiencing it becomes like a conductor. And it is up to him [her/them] what to have more of, what to have less of...which texture to increase, which texture to decrease. He [she/they] can eat each morsel and decide that. He [she/they] can decide exactly what he [she/they] wants on his [her/their] flatbread just by the amount he [she/they] dips it into the lentils or dips it into the chutney or dips it into the pickle. So this is very special about the format of a thali. Which is not experienced in a three course meal. Because in each one you will taste the same meal. So this is the unique thing about eating a thali- Gujarati thali.”
-Abhay Mangal Das (Restaurant Owner, Ahmedabad)
One of my very first solid foods (like many other Indian babies) was kichadi, a simple, savory rice and lentil porridge of sorts. My parents immigrated to the United States in the 1970s from Ahmedabad which is a very large metropolitan city in the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat. They eventually settled in a suburb just outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin where I was born and raised. Like many immigrants to the US, they brought their rich culinary traditions with them. My dad’s mom, ba, lived with us and from her we learned Gujarati culture through food, language, and Hindu religious traditions. Although I overall had a far different and more privileged upbringing compared to my parents, I spoke Gujarati as my first language and ate the very foods on which they were raised. On most weekdays, our table would be filled with traditional Gujarati foods prepared by both my mom and ba.
My brother and I would be far less enthusiastic about our typical Gujarati meal (compared to non-Indian meals) which usually consisted of daal, bhaat, SHAAK, ROTLI (#DBSR).
While I didn’t mind it too much, I often felt as if I were eating it paraane - as if I had to. I can’t exactly put my finger on why we didn’t really care for Gujarati food while growing up. Perhaps we had an aversion to vegetables in general or we sought to eat like our American friends in order to fit in. My true appreciation for home cooked meals and my culinary heritage came when I left suburbia to pursue undergraduate studies in Chicago. You can read more about this and my culinary journey here. I have since come to love Gujarati food and cook it quite often.
Gujarati food through the thali tradition is a celebration of fresh produce, and I truly appreciated this while traveling to India a couple of years after my ba passed away. My now wife Rachel and I spent a few weeks traveling in India prior to our wedding, and our travels took us to three major cities where our extended families live: Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Surat. One of the realities known to many NRIs (Indians living abroad) is the necessity of social visits when traveling to India. Immediately upon our arrival, we were met with numerous appeals of ghare aavjo which literally means “please come home.” The abundance of humility and generosity of our family members was touching as they were eager to host us if only for a few minutes of besvaanu, or simply sitting together. One such visit took us to a relative’s home in a small village in Gujarat called Kosamba. They lived on a quiet street far different from the hustle and bustle of the nearby metropolitan area of Surat. After sharing laughs and snacks made with utmost care, we joined our hosts on a tour of their humble home. Upstairs, we were led through a small wooden doorway leading to a balcony. As I surveyed the narrow street beneath us, I saw a woman draped in a colorful sari pushing a wooden cart that displayed the freshest selection of beans, eggplant, corn, grapes, and tomatoes. It was here that I truly recognized the role of fresh produce in Gujarati cuisine.
The farm-to-table concept of food is most certainly a daily reality of many regions of India.
My aunts residing in Mumbai often purchase their daily produce from daily visiting produce carts. I have memories of my ba meticulously eying the freshest tindora from their third floor apartment in Mumbai. We’d eat the morning-selected vegetable for lunch that very day prepared by her, and the final product was absolutely delicious time and time again. Everything she made was always comforting and blissful.
Despite its abundant use of fresh produce, Indian cuisine in general can unfortunately often be laden with fried foods and saturated fats in the form of ghee and other dairy products. At its core, traditional Gujarati cuisine is very plant-centered and seasonal in nature, as the items in a typical meal are chosen in line with the availability of produce in that season.
I aim to write recipes rooted in the healthful food traditions of India. Fresh, vibrant foods are not only delicious but nutritionally plentiful.
Nutritional powerhouse ingredients such as turmeric and ginger are certainly not strangers to a modern Western pantry, and they will be celebrated and used widely throughout the recipes to be featured on this site.