Gujarati Thali & Panakam

Recipe: Gujarati Thali & Panakam

Gujarati Thali & Panakam is what I make to celebrate the festival of Ram Navmi. Thali is a platter of food. Panakam is a jaggery lemon drink.

What Is A Gujarati Thali?

As a matter of fact, different states of India have their own style of cuisine. Some dishes may overlap due to proximity to each other or due to kingdom or region it belonged to before Independence.  Firstly, what is a thali?  Thali is the hindi word for a platter. A thali can consist or anywhere between 5 to 5+ food items all served at one go. Gujarati denotes that the thali or platter has food specifically from the Gujarati Cuisine. A typical Indian meal is served all at one go. As such we don’t have starters, main, dessert all served at intervals.

Sharing Gujarati Thali & Panakam With Sunday Funday Group

For this weekend, Sneha suggested we share a meal platter or a sizzler platter. I do love sizzler platter, especially the vegetarian ones we get in India. However,  I cannot pass the opportunity to enlighten the members of this group with my community cuisine – Gujarati Cuisine. Undoubtedly, many make fun of our cuisine, stating that whereever there is a Gujarati, their cuisine follows them. And rightly so… do know the biggest Indian Store in the US is called Patel Brothers. A good host is known for the variety and quality of food she/he is able to serve her/his guests. I have lost count how many such elaborate meals I must have helped my mother in law prepare. Now, the number of items are less but still I try and make a full platter for festivals and celebrations.

What Does A Gujarati Thali Consist Of?

Depending on when the thali is served, an everyday meal can consist of 5 items. Elaborate meals that are usually served when we have guests over or during festivals may contain more items. A Gujarati Thali consists of :

• Shaak – refers to any vegetable or legume preparation either dry or with a gravy which is generally enjoyed with rotli, bhakri or puri.
• Rotli or Puri  – Rotli is roasted flatbread and puri or poori is deep fried. They usually are made of wheat flour.
• Dar or kadhi  – what is known in Hindi as dal.. we generally make dar using split pigeon pea, moong, moong dal. Kadhi is a yogurt based curry.
• Bhaat – that is rice. It can be plain or with vegetables.
• Farsan – farsan is a savoury snack item that is also served in a thali like dhokra, paan na bhajia, kachori, bateta vada, samosa, methi na gota, Dakor na Gota, khandvi, etc
• Mishtaan – is a sweet dish which is served with the food and not after the meal.

Gujarati Thali At A Restaurant

When one goes to a typical Gujarati restaurant for a thali, you’ll be bombarded with a huge variety of food. Hundreds of shaak or vegetable curries, dals and kadhi, khichdi and plain rice, bhakri, rotli, thepla and puri, a few farsans and a couple of sweet dishes. 

 

Gujarati Thali At Home

A thali prepared at home is much different from the ones you get at a restaurant. We determine the food items according to which sweet dish is going to be served. While many these days don’t follow that, I still do as it  is ingrained in me by my mum and mother in law.

 

For more details check out my previous post on Gujarati Thali.  Today I will be sharing an extension of the previous post.

 

 

Mithi Sev| Meethi Sev

Chana Nu Shaak | Brown Chickpea Curry

Methi Na Gota | Fresh Fenugreek Fritters

Green Chutney

Tuvar Ni Dar | lentil Curry

Sambharo | Cabbage Carrot Stir Fry

Banana Cucumber Raita

Posho Nu Shaak |Stri Fry Green Beans

Papad

Also known as poppadum. Store bought but I roast them at home. It is quite easy to roast them in the microwave oven for 50 seconds to 1 minute. Just keep and eye that they don’t get burned.

Rotli

Wheat based soft flat bread that is roasted on a skillet.

Bhaat

Plain rice.

 

 

 

Matar Posho Nu Shaak– Cooked just like posho nu shaak but here a mixture of peas and green beans are stir fried.

Green Chutney

Poori – deep fried flatbread.

Mukhwas – mouth freshner, usually eaten after a meal. Mine consists of roasted fennel seeds, sesame seeds and split coriander seeds.

Bhaat – plain rice.

Rasawaru Bateta Nu Shaak

Shrikhand – yogurt based sweet dish.

Arvi Paan Na Bhajia

Dhokla – steamed chickpea flour snack

Ugadela Moth | Sprouted Moth Beans Stir Fried

Kadhi – Yogurt based curry

Googra – sweet pastry stuffed with semolina, nuts and spices

 

 

Poori – deep fried flatbread. On frying it actually puffs up like a ball.

Panakam

Tuvar Ni Dar | Lentil Curry

Bhaat – plain rice.

Sheero | Sooji Ka Halwa – sweet made from semolina

Dhokla – steamed chickpea flour snack

Chana Nu Shaak | Brown Chickpea Cury

Papad –  Store bought but roasted at home. it is very easy to roast them in the microwave oven for about 50 seconds to 1 minute.

Cranberry Pickle

 

 

Matar Bateta Nu Shaak – Peas and Potato Curry

Tuvar Ni Dar | Lentil Curry

Bhaat – plain rice.

Idra – steamed snack made from rice and urad dal

Rotli – soft wheat flatbread

Karela Nu Shaak – stir fried bitter gourd.

Bharela Bhinda – stuffed okra

Gur Na Ladwa – sweet made from wheat flour, nuts, ghee,  jaggery and spices

Papad – bought from the store but roasted at home. Can deep fry them too if you want to.

Chaas – yogurt drink.

Chutney

Sambharo

Check Out Meal Platter Or Sizzler Platter By Members Of Sunday Funday

Culinary Cam: Calamari à la Plancha + Patatas Bravas
Mayuri’s Jikoni: Gujarati Thali & Panakam
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Mixed Grill Platter
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Steak Fajitas
Palatable Pastime: Teriyaki Shrimp Sizzler
Sneha’s Recipe: Vegetable & Paneer Sizzler
Cook with Renu : Waffle, Pancake, Brownie, and Fruit sizzler

What Is Panakam?

Panakam is an easy, cooling and refreshing drink that can be made within 5 minutes. The drink consists of fresh lemon juice, jaggery, cardamom, ginger powder and sometimes edible camphor is added. Though this drink originates from South India, I always make it on Ram Navmi Day as an offering to Lord Ram. Ram Navmi is when His birthday is celebrated.  On that day I make a platter or thali to offer. It is believed that Lord Ram is pleased when offered sooji ka halwa, poori, chana (brown chickpeas) and panakam.

 

Ingredients Required For Panakam

Water

Normal tap water or chilled water.

Jaggery

Any jaggery of your choice, white, light brown or dark. I prefer to use jaggery powder as it dissolves quicker than jaggery lumps.

Fresh Lemon Juice

Best to use fresh lemon juice rather than the bottled version.

Cardamom Powder

Need just a little. Freshly ground cardamom adds more flavour.

Ginger Powder

Don’t add too much. The drink should be slightly spicy and not too much.

Black Pepper Powder

Need a small amount.

Salt

I like to add a pinch to bring out the flavours of all the ingredients used to make panakam.

Edible Camphor 

Usually sold in Indian stores. I have not used any as I didn’t have it.

Tulsi Leaves

Need one or two. Any offering made to God should have tulsi leaves. I sometimes have to add dried ones as I am finding it difficult to grow tulsi at home in Canada.

 

Watch How To Make Panakam

 

 

 

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If you do try this recipe then please either

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