Thali offers variety, the spice of life

As my friend and I sat down in the Curry House dining room, we were surprised how empty it was on a Saturday night – until we looked behind the register to see that they were doing an absolutely booming business in takeout orders. To be fair, we would usually get takeout ourselves, but we were after something this evening that you can only order when you dine in: thali. 

Thali refers to the round platter on which the dish is served, topped with a number of bowls containing small portions of a selection of different dishes. If you like variety in your meal, it doesn’t get any better than this. The discovery of thali has solved my age-old problem at Indian restaurants of wanting to have so much more of the cuisine’s delicious offerings than I could ever afford or eat.

Our platter came with roti, an Indian flatbread a bit less decadent than naan, and rice, along with (to be clear these are my educated guesses): rice pudding, dahl (a lentil stew), navratan korma (vegetables in a nutty cream sauce), aloo gobi masala (potato and cauliflower in a cumin and turmeric sauce), chicken curry and achar (pickled, mustardy daikon radish).

My favorites were the navratan korma with its velvety, bright yellow sauce and still toothsome green beans and peas, the savory and aromatic aloo gobi, and rosewater-inflected rice pudding. Though perhaps unconventional, I included in all my bites, scooped up with roti, as a sweet counterpoint. 

The combinations of flavors were endless and all delicious, and I’m thankful we also ordered the Kashmiri naan – stuffed with coconut, dried fruit, and nuts – to make sure we didn’t run out of dipping bread and to add even more flavor to the party. Even without this addition, if you have a not-huge appetite, you could get away with dinner for two for under $20, which is almost unheard of today.

Thali provides a well-balanced meal, bursting with options of flavors and textures that can be combined or enjoyed on their own, and I wish more cuisines where every dish complements the others would adapt this model. It’s important in a world that pushes ever more towards homogeny to enjoy as much variety as you can. Food is always as good a place as any to start.