Anatomy of a dish
Don’tTellAuntieinSydney’sSurryHillsservesa modern-stylethali,
incorporatinga varietyofregionalspecialities.It’s$30andfeatures
fourdeliciouscurries,alongside palak paneer, dhal, rice, naan and
a rainbow of condiments.Find
itTHECONDIMENTS
Thalifeaturesseveraldifferent
traditionalcondimentsranging
fromcreamy,palette-cleansing
raitas,tofruitychutneysandzesty
picklesinfusedwithmustardoil.
Eacharemeanttocomplement
andbalanceoneanotherin both
flavourandtexture– whereone
is spicyandcrunchy,theother
maybesmoothandrefreshing.THECURRIES
Thalialwaysfeaturesa selection
ofwarming,spice-fuelledcurries
thatdifferfromregiontoregion.
InnorthernpartsofIndia,likePunjab
orRajasthan,youmightfindthali
withrich,meat-basedcurriesthat
incorporateplentyofpulsesand
legumes,whileSouthernIndian
thalioftencomprisefragrantdhals
andcoconut-basedfishcurries.THERICEANDEXTRAS
Thecentreofthaliis alwaysreserved
forthemostvitalgrainin Indian
cuisine:rice(generallybasmati).
It canbecookedandservedsimply,
orinfusedwithspices,suchas
cinnamon,saffronorcurryleaves.
Somethaliaddnaan,a pillowy
Indian-styleflatbread,andcrisp
poppadomstoscoopanddipinto
leftoversauce.Whatwasoncereservedfor
royaltyhasnowbecomea
modern Indian favourite.Thali
T
halimeans“plate”inHindi,
yetthisvibrantdishis much
morecomplexthanitssimple
namewouldsuggest.Thali
is generallymadeupofseveralsmall
bowls,brimmingwithcolourfulcurries,
condimentsandrice.Thoughthese
differfromregiontoregion,you’ll
besuretofindsomeformofdhal,
chutney,pickleandyoghurtin
themix.Somesaythatthaliwas
originallyservedupasa feast
fortherich,whileothersbelieve
it wasdevisedtoimpressguests
andshowcasea host’scooking
skills.Regardlessofitsorigin,
a goodthalishouldfeaturea
diverserangeofflavoursand
textures,andincorporate
thesixfundamentaltastes
ofIndiancuisine:sweet,
sour,salty,pungent, bitter
and astringent.WORDS
GEORGIE
MEREDITH.
PHOTOGRAPHY
JOHN
PAUL
URIZAR.
STYLING LYNSEY FRYERS. FOOD PREP LISA FEATHERBY.