How to Create a Satisfying Meal: Go Thali

Exuberant Indian thali almost beats generous Turkish breakfast. Yes, you heard a Turkish breakfast fanatic saying that. Thali is a meal that includes variety of dishes served in small tins on a large tray and often (oh, danger!) refilled until you stop (or drop, whichever happens first) if you are eating out. When I lived in India, I was enamored with the thalis from Mumbai, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Despite the regional differences each thali includes a curry or two, a dish of fried vegetables, a pickle, a curd and a carbohydrate binding it all together - think a pile of rice, a stack of warm roti (Indian flat bread) or delicious dosa (a South Indian thin pancake made of fermented rice flour).

It was thali that came to my mind a while ago when I ate a dinner Ulli prepared. She never serves just one dish, she creates a variety of small plates to savor instead. And it is the variety, not the quantity, my friends, that satiates our senses and fills the stomach. You see the same idea in Turkish meze: if you dine in Istanbul, it is not uncommon to feast on the starters and never move to the main course because a few spoonfuls of this goodness and that greatness can be incredibly filling. But if meze is often an eclectic collection of flavors, thali is an curated selection of dishes meant to be a satisfying meal.

This idea of creating a variety within a meal has become critical in my meal planning since I started no grains, no sugar experiment. Given I don’t eat meat, my current diet does not leave many options. I quickly exhausted my repertoire of favorites that complied with the “no grains, no sugar” rule. Then I started working around the “good” ingredients including greens, beans and seasonal vegetables, ending up with the same meals over and over again. Not surprisingly, I started feeling deprived and developed craving. I felt my meals were not complete.

After that dinner at Ulli’s I realized I should focus on creating variety of ingredients, colors, tastes within a single meal to get a thorough satisfaction. And this is when the memories of Indian thali came to me.

Thali is a helpful way to think about meal planning. You don’t need to think of thali components as specific Indian dishes (e.g . curry), but you can view them as dishes that play a certain role in your meal. And once you understand that, you can easily build a satisfying meal with a bit of planning. So here is the thali anatomy for you including the key components:

• Dish with a multi-purpose ingredient. There is no thali without a curry or two. In many cases you cook the beans before you pair them with the gravy. What an excellent idea for your meal planning! To me beans are the ultimate multi-purpose ingredients. You have cooked a few cups of chickpeas? Congratulations, now you have endless possibilities in from of you: make a spicy sauce and fix a curry, stir in tahini and make hummus, combine with vegetables in a stew, toss with your favorite greens and here is your salad, roast with salt and spices for a snack or mash and make fritters. I always keep 2-3 cooked bean varieties in my fridge and freezer: I batch-cook them to use throughout the week. Whatever your favorite protein is, you can batch-cook it to create a shortcut for your weekday meals.

• Binder. In a traditional thali grain-based carbohydrate such as pilaf or flat bread plays the role of a binder: you use as a spoon or a sponge to eat other dishes on your tray. Grains are typically the cheapest source of nutrition, and no wonder they have been a backbone of all the traditional cuisines. You can stick to the tradition and use rice, bulgur, buckwheat, millet, quinoa or what not to make pilaf or enjoy bread made your favorite flour. But why not to experiment? Simply roasted or steamed vegetables can happily assume the role of a binder. If you prefer hands-free cooking and don’t mind waiting a bit, you can roast. If you are in a rush, you can steam. I often steam leafy greens or sliced starchy vegetables that have a good sauce carrying surface and use them as the binder in my meals.

• Fermented foods. In the traditional Indian thali you will find a chutney or pickle of a kind (could it be a spicy mango chutney every time, please?), a tiny bit with a big of flavor that stimulates your tastebuds, and hence the appetite, and hence the digestion. Adding a ferment to your meal is the easiest way to create variety without fuss: you can make your ferments in advance and store in the fridge for a long time. Cabbage, cucumbers, green apples, tomatoes, peppers and whatever the season brings is easy to ferment at home and to ensure supply of probiotics. I am a big fan of Russian-style cabbage that can be prepared within 3 days and refrigerated for weeks. Moroccan olives in a spicy tomato sauce is another personal favorite of mine.

• Sweet treat. Do you crave something sweet after food? I used not, as I was forgetting to include a sweet taste in my meals. That’s why traditional Indian thali often features a sweet treat: introducing a sweet taste brings completeness to a meal. Sweet treat is a relative term for me these days as I am experimenting with eating sugar-free. As a result everything tastes much sweeter to me than it used to. That’s why even carrots and almonds stewed with cinnamon with no sugar are as satisfying as a piece of helva or revani used to be. How you like your sweet treat is your choice, but do make sure to include a small sweet dish in your meal. Yes, a small one.

“Good for you, Olga,” you might think, “You have time to prepare more than one dish for your every meal.” It’s true: since I work with food, my kitchen is never far away, so I can cook all those healthy and varied meals to my heart’s content. But even I get tired of cooking: after cooking the whole day with my clients or creating recipes for this blog my only wish is stay away from the kitchen at least until the next day. That’s why I wanted to show you one of my favorite thali-style meals and walk your through its preparation to prove how easy and quick it is.

My thali menu (on the photo above):

• Gujarati black-eyed peas stew, adapted from here (I have no words to describe how heavenly it is; you must try it)
• Steamed collard greens
• Russian fermented cabbage and beets
• Moroccan-inspired carrot salad with almonds

What I have prepped before (on a day I batch-cook for the week):

• Cooked black-eyed peas (including the liquid they cooked in)
• Russian fermented cabbage with beets
• Slow-roasted carrots
• Washed collard greens (more on washing and storing greens here)

Here’s how my preparation process looks:

1. Prep your mise en place: Slice the carrots. Tear the collard greens in the bite size pieces. Separately chop green onions, mint and cilantro to use as a garnish. Gather the ingredients for the black-eye pea curry and the carrot salad. (5 min)
2. Cook: Put the water to boil for steaming the greens. Get the curry started, add the beans and let them cook. Toast the almonds in a dry pan, add the olive oil, cinnamon and ginger. Then add the carrots and stew for a few minutes. Place the greens in a steamer basket, season with salt and cook for 4-5 min. (15 min)
3. Serve: Dress the fermented cabbage with olive oil and chopped green onions. Garnish the curry with the chopped cilantro. Transfer the greens to the serving plate and season with olive oil and lemon juice. Garnish the Moroccan salad with orange blossom water and fresh mint. (5 min)

The outcome? A satisfaction guaranteed meal. Look at all the vibrant colors, varied textures and, I promise, satisfying flavors! I eat like that every day, and hands down you can too. I hope this post can inspire you to give thali a try, and you will get back here to share your experiences.