What are the dishes that come to your mind when you think about an Indian thali?
Paneer butter masala? Palak Paneer? Paneer Tikka masala? Dal Makni? Rajma? Chole? Parathas? Naan? Dal fry?
Well, almost all of these are from the state of Punjab. Punjabi food has become synonymous with Indian food.
And with a good reason. It’s absolutely fantastically tasty!
The flip side is that it’s rich. A lot of fat in the form of butter or ghee go into these dishes and it cannot be had on an everyday basis.
On an everyday basis, it can be roti or low fat parathas with simple side dishes.
This mini thali here is a balance of rich food and the simple ones. The parathas have been treated with ghee, but there isn’t much that’s gone into the side dishes. The dal is simple and plain and so is the chole. The salad provides a refreshing experience, so does the onion with lemon wedges. I have never tried eating the chillies (fried or not), so can’t comment on that!
Palak paneer is also not too rich, yet maintaining that oomph factor. You can dress it up a bit more by adding some cream.
Jeera rice is a good side for this meal. It’s mildly flavoured, so it can be enjoyed with curries without having a clash of flavours.
The Menu:
- Palak Paneer: Puréed spinach with cottage cheese curry
- Dal Tadka : A simple and easy moong dal preparation
- Chole: Chickpea cooked in a tomato based sauce. Pairs well with the Indian breads.
- Aloo paratha : Potato and onion stuffed whole wheat Indian bread.
- Jeera rice : Rice with a simple tadka of cumin seeds and some spices.
- Raita : Chopped onions and green chillies in yogurt. Decorated with a pinch of chilli powder
- Onions, chillies, lemon wedges : on the side
My Kitchen Trials 
there’s nothing mini about this mini-thali :) all my favourite items.. yummy
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Wow the tahli is awesome. Love what you have put together. The pics are stunning. I wish I could click like you.
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I keep on scrolling up and down – I cannot take my eyes away from these awesome photos and all the dishes are as equally delisious
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You put together a nice homely punjabi thali. Very well done. Palak paneer and that bowl of salad is calling out my name.. :) Everything looks good.. and nice pictures. delicious thali.
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That is a fantastic visual treat
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Yummy looking Punjabi platter,the first click is fantastic and very well captured…
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Another amazing thali Rajani.
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Rajani, it’s not a mini thali and pls you are not allowed to tempt us so much and not feed us that food..:)..everything looks fantastic..and inviting!
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Another lovely platter. The creamy palak paneer, the simple tadks dal and the chole all go so well together. With rich and filling.
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another beautiful spread by you… which one to choose – all are looking awesome!! excellent Rajani!!
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This is my fav food..and you have done a wonderful job…a typical meal which would be relished by every one.Super Duper Rajani..simply awesome.
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Omg, i dunno wat to choose, very delicious and complete Punjabi meal, great efforts Rajani, you always come up with fantastic thalis.
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Yummy Punjabi Platter. Seems as if I am in a restaurant.
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