Thali Time

Photo courtesy of ifood.tv

As far as ethnic foods go, Indian food is a more newly acquired taste for me. I grew up eating Chinese and Mexican, as most Americans do; but in the Midwest, Indian was less popular. It was not until I was in high school and college that I had my first curries. Then, when I studied abroad in Australia, I had the wonderful experience that is a thali.

This sampler platter is fantastic because it allows you to have a small taste of several different dishes, along with rice and naan. For me, this is especially good because I am always torn when I have to choose just one entree: do I get dal, chickpeas or something with a greater variety of vegetables? And of course, you get rice and naan to boot!

While on holiday in Singapore, we ate Indian food at least two times. We were staying in the Little India district, so it was certainly convenient and always delicious. On one occasion, we were at a restaurant with thali on the menu, which made me very excited.

I ordered the North Indian vegetarian thali, and I believe it is the first one I've had since being in Australia (fall 2007). It had cucumber salad, yogurt, yellow lentils, paneer and two additional vegetable curries, as well as a small dessert. I think it is truly one of the best ways to enjoy Indian food, and I highly recommend it!