north indian thali recipe | easy & quick north indian veg thali for guest with detailed photo and video recipe. a bouquet of north indian dishes assembled and served in a traditional thali. it is perhaps one of the sought after complete and balanced meal for many indians. in this recipe i have shown, how to make quick and easy north indian thali in 40 minutes with all the basic ingredients from your kitchen.
i have been getting a lot of requests to make easy and simple thali recipes. as matter of fact, i haven’t posted many thali recipes in my blog, except south indian which was very long ago. most of the requests i have been getting are to reuse the utensils or reuse a base so that it is economical and thrifty. in this recipe, i have shown how to reuse a cooker to cook, rice, toor dal and even potatoes for a quick turnaround. in addition, i have reused the gravy base for paneer burji and dal tadka which makes it quick and easy. well, you may need not follow the same way and make it separately, but this hack saves a lot of time. especially when there are surprised guests at your home and you need something like yesterday, this thali recipe is a perfect choice.
furthermore, i would like to add some more tips, suggestions and variations to north indian thali recipe. firstly, in this recipe, i have shown instant pot electric cooker which has sufficient length to accommodate, dal, rice and also potatoes. but, it is not necessary to use it, and you may use a large pressure cooker for the same reason. secondly, i have prepared toor dal based dal tadka and i feel it is the best combo for jeera rice. you can mix and match with other lentils like channa dal, moong dal with other rice options like ghee rice, matar pulao. lastly, for an effective thali recipe, try to minimise the use of utensils and reuse the curry base. it not only saves your time but also gives you immense satisfaction.
finally, i request you to check my other lunch recipes collection with this post of north indian thali recipe. it mainly includes my other popular recipes like sambar, south indian thali, mysore rasam, ennai kathirikai, sabudana thalipeeth, oats khichdi, rasam, pav bhaji in cooker, vendakkai mor kulambu, pudina rice. further to these i would also like to mention my other recipe categories like,
north indian thali video recipe:
recipe card for north indian veg thali for guest recipe:
north indian thali recipe | easy & quick north indian veg thali for guest
Instructions
aloo jeera recipe:
- a simple and tasty dry sabzi recipe prepared in just 2 minutes. the flavour of cumin will make the sabzi lip-smacking. it is usually consumed with phulka, however, can also be eaten as a bite. this is a no onion and no garlic sabji recipe, so can be served during fasting. i have used boiled potatoes to prepare aloo jeera recipe. alternatively, you can add little water and cook potato along with jeera tempering.
paneer bhurji gravy recipe:
- crumbled paneer is cooked in tomato and onion based sauce. it is commonly served with roti, pav or bread. the gravy can be prepared with butter for rich flavour. i have used very fewer spices to keep the curry simple and tasty. however, you can add spices like pav bhaji masala to get the street flavour. this is the vegetarian alternative for popular egg bhurji recipe.
dal tadka recipe:
- a simple, tasty lentil-based curry recipe made with toor dal and aromatic spices. in addition, the ghee tempering will enhance the flavour of dal. it is indeed one of the staple food of many north indians. any north indian thali is incomplete without a spicy and tasty tempered dal dish. in this dal variation, i have prepared slightly watery consistency. however, you can prepare the dal in thicker consistency if you are looking to serve with roti.
boondi raita recipe:
- raita recipes are very popular in indian cuisine. it is considered as one of the best combinations for pulao and biryani. today i am sharing boondi raita as it is very easy to prepare and completes the thali. i have kept it very simple, however, you can add spices to the curd and also adjust the consistency of raita accordingly.
mango pickle:
- pickle recipes are one of the most common condiments used across india. it is generally served in thali as taste enhancer, but can also be served as one of the main side dish. in this thali i have used mango pickle, which is made with mustard oil, raw tender mangoes and unique blend of spice. personal tip on the usage of pickle is to use it when you focus your attention to jeera rice and dal tadka combo. you may very well use it with roti or phulka too.
jeera rice recipe:
- one of the flavoured rice prepared with basmati rice, cumin and ghee. it is typically served with dal and curries. the rice tastes great when prepared with good quality basmati rice. i have cooked the rice in the pressure cooker, add all the spices. however, you temper with cumin seeds with leftover rice.
phulka or roti:
- north indian's meal is always a combination of flavoured long-grained rice and traditional wheat or plain flour-based indian flatbread. most commonly, wheat is used for day to day breads, but for any particular occasion, you can use maida flour too. in this recipe, i have particularly shared phulka or puffed roti, as it helps to balance the meal. it is lite, and can easily be served with any choice of curries. personally i feel, phulka with paneer burji and aloo jeera is one tasty combination for any choice of meal.
how to make north indian thali with step by step photo:
aloo jeera recipe:
a simple and tasty dry sabzi recipe prepared in just 2 minutes. the flavour of cumin will make the sabzi lip-smacking. it is usually consumed with phulka, however, can also be eaten as a bite. this is a no onion and no garlic sabji recipe, so can be served during fasting. i have used boiled potatoes to prepare aloo jeera recipe. alternatively, you can add little water and cook potato along with jeera tempering.
paneer bhurji gravy recipe:
crumbled paneer is cooked in tomato and onion based sauce. it is commonly served with roti, pav or bread. the gravy can be prepared with butter for rich flavour. i have used very fewer spices to keep the curry simple and tasty. however, you can add spices like pav bhaji masala to get the street flavour. this is the vegetarian alternative for popular egg bhurji recipe.
dal tadka recipe:
a simple, tasty lentil-based curry recipe made with toor dal and aromatic spices. in addition, the ghee tempering will enhance the flavour of dal. it is indeed one of the staple food of many north indians. any north indian thali is incomplete without a spicy and tasty tempered dal dish. in this dal variation, i have prepared slightly watery consistency. however, you can prepare the dal in thicker consistency if you are looking to serve with roti.
boondi raita recipe:
raita recipes are very popular in indian cuisine. it is considered as one of the best combinations for pulao and biryani. today i am sharing boondi raita as it is very easy to prepare and completes the thali. i have kept it very simple, however, you can add spices to the curd and also adjust the consistency of raita accordingly.
mango pickle recipe:
pickle recipes are one of the most common condiments used across india. it is generally served in thali as taste enhancer, but can also be served as one of the main side dish. in this thali, i have used mango pickle, which is made with mustard oil, raw tender mangoes and unique blend of spice. personal tip on the usage of pickle is to use it when you focus your attention to jeera rice and dal tadka combo. you may very well use it with roti or phulka too.
jeera rice recipe:
one of the flavoured rice prepared with basmati rice, cumin and ghee. it is typically served with dal and curries. the rice tastes great when prepared with good quality basmati rice. i have cooked the rice in the pressure cooker, add all the spices. however, you temper with cumin seeds with leftover rice.
phulka or roti recipe:
north indian’s meal is always a combination of flavoured long-grained rice and traditional wheat or plain flour-based indian flatbread. most commonly, wheat is used for day to day breads, but for any particular occasion, you can use maida flour too. in this recipe, i have particularly shared phulka or puffed roti, as it helps to balance the meal. it is lite, and can easily be served with any choice of curries. personally i feel, phulka with paneer burji and aloo jeera is one tasty combination for any choice of meal.
notes:
- firstly, i have prepared a very simple thali with no sweet. you can add sweet to make thali complete.
- also, in place of phulka you can prepare poori or chapathi.
- additionally, assemble the thali just before serving as it tastes great when served hot.
- finally, in this north indian thali recipe, i have used electric cooker, however, you can also use the traditional pressure cooker. but ensure there is enough room to stack it up.