South Indian thali recipe | Indian vegetarian thali recipe | Lunch menu ideas


South Indian thali recipe | Indian vegetarian thali recipe | Lunch menu ideas


South Indian thali recipe | Satvik thali recipes | Lunch thali recipes | Indian veg thali with detailed step-by-step pictures and procedures.

As per Wikipedia, the term "Thali" refers to a round platter that is used to serve a variety of foods. It is an Indian-style full-course meal served on a metal plate. Each and every state and region has its own way of serving food on the thali. Usually, the thali comprises six flavors which include sweet, salt, bitter, sour, astringent, and spicy on a single plate. As per our Indian food custom and Ayurveda, a proper and balanced meal should be a perfect balance of all these six flavors.


South Indian thali recipe | Indian vegetarian thali recipe | Lunch menu ideas


In today's recipe post, we are going to learn how to make a simple and healthy Indian vegetarian thali with step by step procedure. It just takes one hour to make this delicious meal. Every day, I prepare 5 dishes for our lunch which include salad, rice, dal, dry curry/poriyal, and buttermilk.

This is my usual style of cooking for the past few months. You may think it takes a lot of time to prepare. But if you plan ahead this entire thali can be prepared within 1 hour. Alright, let me show you how to prepare this veg thali with minimal effort and kitchen utensils. This Indian thali recipe includes only South Indian recipes.


South Indian thali recipe | Indian vegetarian thali recipe | Lunch menu ideas


Recipe - South Indian thali | Satvik thali recipe | Lunch thali recipes | Indian veg thali


Prep time - 20 mins | Cook time - 40 min | Total time - 1 hour.
Cuisine - Indian.
Region - South Indian.
Course - Lunch/Dinner.
Diet - Vegetarian
Author - Pavithra.

Indian lunch menu ideas:


1. Rice
2. Karnataka style bele saaru recipe
3. Toor dal rasam 
4. Carrot cabbage stir fry
5. Spinach stir fry 
6. Raw mango pachadi
7. Curd/Yogurt

How to prepare Indian veg thali recipes with detailed step by step procedure:


1. Rice & Dal rasam: To start with, keep the pressure cooker with water on a medium flame. Let the cooker heats up and water comes to a boil. This takes around 5 mins.

Meanwhile, wash and rinse rice, and dal, separately and place them in a separate container. In dal container, add 1 roughly chopped tomato, a pinch of turmeric, 1 green chili, 1-inch ginger, a tsp of coconut oil. Place the container in the cooker and close it with a lid and let it cook for 15 mins.

(Detailed step by step dal rasam/bele saaru recipe with photos - Bele saaru/Dal rasam recipe

2. Chopping veggies: In the meantime, wash, peel the skin and chop the carrot, cabbage, spinach, and mango. The entire veggie chopping process should take around 15 minutes.

3. For Carrot Cabbage peas stir fry: Take a Kadai or pan and heat it on a medium flame. Pour a tbsp of oil into a pan. Temper it with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, urad & channa dal, hing, and throw in the chopped carrot, cabbage, and peas. Saute for few mins and add salt. Give it a nice mix and cover it with a lid. Let it cook on a medium flame for 10 to 15 mins.

Detailed step by step recipe with photos - Tricolor poriyal recipe

6. For Karnataka dal rasam, once the pressure is released from the cooker, open the lid and take out the dal container. Mash the dal using a wooden mathu/churner. Transfer the dal into a saucepan or Kadai. Add required salt and water and let it boil on a medium flame. The boiling takes around 10 mins.

7. Finally, temper the dal rasam/bele saaru with mustard and cumin seeds, curry leaves, etc. Then garnish it with cilantro and cover it with a lid.

8. For the Spinach stir fry: Take a Kadai or pan and heat it on a medium flame. Pour a tbsp of oil into a pan. Temper it with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chili, hing, and throw in the chopped spinach. Saute for a few mins and add salt. Give it a nice mix and cover it with a lid. Let it cook on a medium flame for 5 mins and garnish it with shredded coconut. Stir it for a minute and switch off the flame.

Detailed step by step recipe with photos- Click Spinach stir fry recipe

9. For raw mango pachadi: Wash, peel and chop the raw mango into 2-inch pieces. Boil the mango chunks along with water, and jaggery for 20 mins in a pressure cooker. Once it is cooked, heat oil in a pan over a medium flame. Temper mustard seeds, red chili, and pour the mango jaggery mixture. Let it cook for 10 mins and switch off the flame once it comes to a semi-solid consistency.

Detailed step by step recipe with photos- Click Raw mango pachadi recipe

10. Now it's time to serve all the dishes on a thali plate. Serve rice, spinach stir fry, carrot cabbage peas stir fry, mango pachadi, Karnataka bele saaru, and curd. You can also serve papad, pickle, sweets, etc.

Indian thali recipes with step by step pictures:


(Clickable Recipe URL links and images are given below).




South Indian thali recipe | Indian vegetarian thali recipe | Lunch menu ideas


South Indian thali recipe | Indian vegetarian thali recipe | Lunch menu ideas




South Indian thali recipe | Indian vegetarian thali recipe | Lunch menu ideas



South Indian thali recipe | Indian vegetarian thali recipe | Lunch menu ideas


Check out my other Indian thali recipes:








Do try this South Indian thali recipe and let me know how it turns up. Express your thoughts in the comment section below, I can't wait to hear from you! If you try any of my recipes, please mention @paviskitchen and share it on social media using the hashtag #paviskitchen on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook so that I can see your lovely picture.

If you like my creations, share them with your friends and family. Also, show your love and support by following me on social media. Thank you for viewing this recipe. See you soon with another interesting dish. Happy cooking and have a wonderful day!


South Indian thali recipe | Indian vegetarian thali recipe | Lunch menu ideas


Learn how to make South Indian vegetarian thali recipe| Indian Lunch Menu ideas at Pavi's Kitchen.