Collection of south-Indian vegetarian thali ideas or meal plans along with recipes.
Jump to:
- What is thali
- South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #1
- South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #2
- South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #3
- South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #4
- South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #5
- South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #6
- South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #7
- South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #8
- South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #9
- South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #10
What is thali
Thali literally translates to a round plate used for serving meals. Traditionally a metal plate made of stainless steel, brass, or even silver is used for serving the meal. Different vegetables and meat in the form of curries and stir-fries, as well as lentils/dals, are served in small bowls and roti/flatbread along with rice is kept directly on the plate. Usually, the thali consists of both the main course and dessert and often includes salads and starters.
I absolutely love serving lunch or dinner to my family in the form of a thali. Whenever I can, I put together the regular dishes I cook as a thali. Here are some south-Indian vegetarian thali ideas for your inspiration. My typical thali is a combination of dal, vegetables/meat, rice, roti, salad, raita, and dessert. I think it's a beautiful way of presenting my day-to-day cooking.
Here are some everyday vegetarian thali ideas I put up regularly. This collection of South-Indian vegetarian thali ideas. However, some of these thalis include dishes that are not purely south-Indian. I hope you love them as much as we do and it inspires you to cook and serve a thali for your next meal.
South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #1
Starting from the top, clockwise: this thali consists of tomato rasam, cabbage palya, kadale kalu usli, steamed rice, dry fruits laddu, homemade yogurt, and homemade lemon pickle (placed in the center).
- Tomato rasam – Pigeon pea lentil or toor dal cooked with tomatoes and freshly ground spice mix
- Cabbage palya – finely shredded cabbage cooked with minimal spices and green moong
- Kadale kalu usli – healthy and easy stir fry made with brown chickpeas
- Steamed rice
- Dry fruits laddu – Sugar-free laddu made with dates, almonds and cashew
- Homemade yogurt – Making yogurt at home is the best option as it has all the good bacteria and probiotics intact
- Homemade lemon pickle – or nimbe hannina uppinakayi is a delicious accompaniment that is a regular part of lunch and dinner
South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #2
Starting for the top, clockwise: this thali consists of roasted broccoli, cabbage palya, radish sambar, steamed rice, coconut laddu, homemade yogurt, and homemade lemon pickle (placed in the center).
- Roasted broccoli with garlic – Simple and healthy dish that can be made with just 3 ingredients under 15 minutes
- Cabbage palya – finely shredded cabbage cooked with minimal spices and green moong
- Radish Sambar – Toor dal (pigeon pea lentil) cooked with freshly roasted spices and radish
- Steamed rice
- Coconut laddu – Two main ingredients and less than 30 minutes are all you need to make these delicious bites of goodness
- Homemade yogurt – Making yogurt at home is the best option as it has all the good bacteria and probiotics intact
- Homemade lemon pickle – or nimbe hannina uppinakayi is a delicious accompaniment that is a regular part of lunch and dinner
South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #3
Starting for the top, clockwise: this thali consists of beetroot raita, cabbage palya, sambar, steamed rice, rava laddu, and lemon rice.
- Beetroot Raita – yogurt-based accompaniment or condiment made with beetroots tastes very different and absolutely delicious
- Cabbage Palya – finely shredded cabbage cooked with minimal spices and green moong
- Sambar – Toor dal (pigeon pea lentil) cooked with freshly roasted spices and veggies of your choice
- Steamed rice
- Rava Laddu – (semolina laddu) Simple and quick sweet treats made with semolina, coconut and sugar, these little bites are ready in no time
- Lemon Rice – a simple flavourful dish where cooked rice is tossed with a simple tempering and a generous serving of lemon juice
South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #4
Starting from the top, clockwise: this thali consists of shavige payasa, ambode, vegetable pulao, and boondi raita.
- Shavige payasa – vermicelli pudding
- Ambode– Dill and bengal gram fritters
- Vegetable Pulao – Basmati rice cooked with vegetables and coriander-coconut masala base
- Boondi raita – whisked yogurt mixed with boondi or tiny fried gram flour balls
South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #5
Starting from the top, clockwise: this thali consists of Mysore rasam, beans palya, zucchini palya, kosambari, roti, hesaru bele payasa (moong dal kheer), rice (place in the center), and buttermilk (placed in the glass).
- Mysore rasam – Pigeon pea lentil or toor dal cooked with tomatoes and freshly ground spice mix
- Beans palya – Beans cooked with mild spices and finished off with loads of coconut
- Zucchini palya – Juicy tender zucchini cooked with spices
- Kosambari – Carrot and split green gram Indian style salad
- Hesaru bele payasa – split green gram pudding to satisfy our sweet tooth
- Rice and roti
- Majjige or buttermilk
South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #6
This is a typical North-Karnataka thali. Starting from the top, clockwise: this thali consists of green moong usli, jhunaka, plain yogurt, jolada rotti, homemade butter, and badanekayi ennegayi.
- Green moong usli – boiled green mung beans cooked with light spices and finished with coconut
- Jhunaka – this is a dry gram flour curry, cooked with tamarind juice and spices
- Plain yogurt, onion, green chilli
- Jolada rotti – jowar / sorghum flour flatbread made the traditional way and served with homemade butter
- Homemade butter – Cream churned into soft, fresh butter
- Badanekayi ennegayi – baby eggplants stuffed with spicy mixture and cooked to perfection
South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #7
Starting from the top, clockwise: this thali consists of pepper rasam, beetroot palya, dill stir-fry, kachumber salad, rice, papad, and carrot halwa.
- Menasinna saaru – pepper rasam. Pigeon pea dal simmered with pepper and cumin
- Beetroot palya – Beets cooked with spices and finished with coconut
- Dill stir fry– Dill and lentils cooked together. Healthy and nutritious
- Kachumber salad. Chopped cucumber, tomatoes, onion in lemon juice, salt, chilli powder dressing
- Rice and papad
- Carrot Halwa – Our all-time favorite dessert
South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #8
Starting from the top, clockwise: this thali consists of green moong usli, balyekai palya, sauerkraut, shrikhand, majjige huli, and steamed rice (placed in the cener).
- Green Moong Usli – Healthy and simple dish made with green mung dal and finished with loads of coconut
- Balyekai Palya – or plantain stir-fry is a simple dish made with just a handful of ingredients and is ready in less than 20 minutes
- Sauerkraut – finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented
- Shrikhand – hung yogurt sweetened with sugar and flavoured with saffron and cardamom
- Majjige huli – yogurt-based bottle gourd curry (similar to the north Indian kadhi)
- Steamed rice
South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #9
Starting from the top, clockwise: this thali consists of Mysore rasam, steamed rice, beans palya, multi-layer paratha, rava laddu, plain yogurt, and bajji (placed in the center).
- Mysore rasam – Pigeon pea lentil or toor dal cooked with tomatoes and freshly ground spice mix
- Steamed rice
- Beans palya – Beans cooked with mild spices and finished off with loads of coconut
- Multi-Layer Paratha –Triangle paratha or multi-layer paratha is an easy flatbread and is made with just a few simple ingredients
- Rava laddu – (semolina laddu) Simple and quick sweet treats made with semolina, coconut, and sugar, these little bites are ready in no time
- Plain yogurt
- Bajji – batter fried assorted vegetables (here I have eggplant, capsicum, and onion)
South-Indian Vegetarian Thali #10
Starting from the top, clockwise: this thali consists of beans palya, kachumber salad, kalakand, steamed rice, Mysore rasam, and capsicum masala.
- Beans palya – Beans cooked with mild spices and finished off with loads of coconut
- Kachumber salad – chopped cucumber, tomatoes, onion in lemon juice, salt, chilli powder dressing
- Kalakand – cottage cheese milk fudge that tastes so good and at the same time has so many textures – soft, chewy, crumbly, nutty…
- Steamed rice
- Mysore rasam – Pigeon pea lentil or toor dal cooked with tomatoes and freshly ground spice mix
- Capsicum masala – a mix of red and green capsicum cooked in a coconut-peanut masala base
These are some south-Indian vegetarian thali ideas for your inspiration. I will keep updating my collection every time I make new thalis. Happy cooking!
