Skip to content
North Indian-inspired vegetarian thali recipe

North Indian-inspired vegetarian thali recipe

4 ratings

This platter of vegetarian curries looks really impressive and each component is easy to make. Serve with a Heated Highball whisky cocktail to complement the spices in the food. See method

  • Serves 4
  • 30 mins to prepare and 1 hr to cook
  • 412 calories / serving
  • Vegetarian

Ingredients

For the simple lentil dhal

  • ½ tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped​
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
  • 4 tbsp mild curry paste
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 80g red lentils, rinsed
  • 450ml hot vegetable stock
  • Finely grated zest and juice ½ lime plus wedges to serve
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped coriander

For the creamy turmeric cauliflower curry

  • 300g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
  • 300g cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets
  • ½ tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed​
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 cinnamon stick​
  • 1 red chilli, finely sliced
  • 200g natural yogurt
  • 150ml hot vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp black onion seeds
  • coriander leaves, to serve

For the warming spinach curry

  • ½ tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, finely sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • Large thumb ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 200ml vegetable stock
  • 250g spinach
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

To serve

  • 4 paratha (optional)
  • 190g jar raita dip, to serve (optional)

For the Heated Highball

  • 35ml Laphroaig 10
  • 15ml lime juice
  • 15ml sugar syrup
  • 70ml ginger ale
Shop ingredients
If you don't have red lentils, you can try using green lentils instead

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    1735kj
    412kcal
    21%
  • Fat

    14g 20%
  • Saturates

    3g 16%
  • Sugars

    17g 19%
  • Salt

    2.3g 38%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 54.3g Protein 19.4g Fibre 9.9g

Perfect pairing...

Perfect pairing...

Senior Whisky Specialist, David Miles, says: Laphroaig 10 is all about the smoke, but go further and you might just find sweetness, some unexpected medicinal notes and hints of vanilla and coconut.

Buy now

Method

  1. For the lentil dhal, heat the oil in a medium lidded saucepan and fry the onions for 8-10 mins until tender and lightly golden, then add the garlic and ginger for another min. Stir in the curry paste and tomato paste for another 2-3 mins, then mix in the lentils. Pour in the stock, stir, and add the lid; gently simmer for 20-25 mins, stirring occasionally until the lentils are tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the lime zest, juice and coriander before serving with extra lime wedges.

  2. To make the turmeric cauliflower curry, cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for 8 mins, add the cauliflower for another 3-4 mins until just tender, then drain and set aside.

  3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion for 10 mins until tender and lightly golden. Add the garlic and spices for another min, then stir in the stock, followed by the yogurt. Serve garnished with the black onion seeds and coriander leaves.

  4. Meanwhile, for the spinach curry, heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion for 10 mins until tender and golden. Add the garlic and ginger for 1 min, then the spices and tomato purée for 1 min. Stir in the stock and spinach and let it wilt before stirring in the coriander.​ Serve the vegetarian thali with warmed paratha and a little raita dip, if using.

  5. Complete your meal with a great highball cocktail. Pour all measured ingredients into an ice-filled highball, then top with more ice and lengthen with ginger ale. Stir and garnish with a red chilli.

See more Curry recipes

You may also like

Be the first to comment

Before you comment please read our community guidelines.