What's in a Gujarati Thali? 12 Dishes, Explained

In short: A Gujarati thali is a whole meal on one round plate: dal, kadhi, one or two shaak (vegetable dishes), a farsan (snack), rotli, rice, papad, pickle, salad and a sweet, all balanced between sweet, sour and spicy. Almost all of it is vegetarian.

What makes a Gujarati thali different from other Indian thalis is balance. A little jaggery in the dal, a touch of sugar in the kadhi, lemon in the shaak: sweet and sour sit alongside the spice rather than fighting it. Here is what you will find, katori by katori.

The dal and the kadhi

1. Gujarati dal: thin toor dal, sweet, sour and gently spicy, with jaggery, lemon, peanuts and a vaghar of mustard seeds, cumin and curry leaves. Try our Gujarati Dal.
2. Kadhi: buttermilk and gram flour simmered into a smooth, yellow curry, sweet and sour in Gujarat, sharper and spicier in Kathiyawad. See Gujarati Kadhi and Kathiyawadi Kadhi, and our guide to kadhi and khichdi.

The shaak (vegetable dishes)

3. Bharela shaak: stuffed vegetables, most famously Bharela Ringana (stuffed brinjal) and Bharela Bateka (stuffed potatoes), filled with a masala of peanuts, coconut and spices.
4. Sev tameta: a sweet, sour and spicy tomato curry topped with gram-flour sev. Our Sev Tameta is made without onion or garlic.
5. Undhiyu: the winter feast of mixed vegetables; read our guide to undhiyu.
6. Kathol: a dish of whole pulses, such as Mug Masala (whole green moong) or Desi Chana.

Breads, rice and khichdi

7. Rotli: thin, soft wheat flatbread, often with ghee. On festive days, puris; in Kathiyawad, thick bajra rotla.
8. Bhaat: plain rice, eaten with the dal or kadhi.
9. Khichdi: rice and dal cooked together; at supper it often replaces the rotli and rice. Our Vaghareli Khichadi is tempered with onion, garlic and curry leaves.

The small things that make it a thali

10. Farsan: a savoury snack: dhokla, khandvi, muthia or patra.
11. Papad, athanu (pickle) and kachumber (salad): crunch, sourness and freshness.
12. Mithai and chaas: a sweet (shrikhand, basundi or a warm Moong Dal Halwa) and a glass of spiced buttermilk to finish.

How can I make a Gujarati thali at home quickly?

Pick one dal or kadhi, one or two shaak and a rice or khichdi, heat the pouches (3–4 minutes each in boiling water), and add rotli, papad, pickle and salad. Our Gujarati range has everything above, and each pouch serves about two, so four pouches make a thali for four.

Questions people ask

Why is Gujarati food sweet?

Many Gujarati dishes add a little jaggery or sugar to balance sourness (lemon, tomato, kokum) and spice. The aim is balance, not sweetness.

Is Gujarati food vegetarian?

Traditional Gujarati food is overwhelmingly vegetarian, and many families also cook without onion and garlic. Everything we make is 100% vegetarian.

What is the difference between Gujarati and Kathiyawadi food?

Kathiyawadi food, from Saurashtra, is spicier and uses more garlic and red chilli, with bajra rotla and buttermilk; food from the rest of Gujarat is often milder and sweeter.

What is served in a Gujarati thali?

Dal, kadhi, one or two shaak, a farsan, rotli, rice or khichdi, papad, pickle, salad, a sweet and chaas.