Rustic Village Thali

Rustic Village Thali is a set of dishes served in a Thali which have been prepared in a village in rustic surroundings.

For many years we have shifted to organic produce. The vendor who supplies our veggies and pulses and grains is an excellent cook, who cooks for college students every weekend. He has a farm away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is not a fancy farm with amenities, but the surroundings are lush green and he has a couple of these old cots to sit around.

Since many years he had been inviting us for a lunch, but somehow the plan always got postponed. It was my son who finally planned this visit and I must say it was one of the best lunch we could ever enjoy.

Freshly cooked food, with fresh produce straight from the farm, with big trees all around, birds chirping, it truly was heaven on earth. The complete family got together and cooked a delicious meal for us, on a ceramic stove. They got the wood from the farm. It was interesting to see how they lit the fire and then cooked the meal.

Let me tell you the meal that was cooked-
Palak Methi na Gota
Kadhi
Seasonal veggies with Muthiya
Palak ki Khichadi
Bajri ka Rotla
Chawal ka Papad
Lassan ki Chutney
Sukhadi

Let me briefly explain the dishes that we enjoyed –

Palak Methi na Gota

Palak Methi na Gota are pakoras made with both spinach and fenugreek. The original gotas are always with fenugreek, but for these gotas some spinach purée too was added, thus making them healthier and nutritious.

Kadhi
A kadhi is a curry made with chickpea flour and yoghurt, it is slow-cooked on fire, a probiotic, delicious soupy kadhi with a garlicky flavour.

Seasonal veggies with Muthia
Seasonal Veggies with muthia is a dish prepared with winter veggies where cauliflower, cabbage, spring onions are cooked. Fenugreek and wheat dumplings are added to these veggies to make the dish a complete healthy meal.

Palak ki Khichadi
Palak ki khichadi is a mish-mash of rice and lentils which is made nutritious with puréed spinach and tempered with fresh green garlic. A dollop of butter or some ghee is the highlight of this khichadi.

Bajre ka Rotla
Bajre ka Rotla is pearl millet bread. These rotlas are hand-tossed. Preparing these is an art by itself. I have tried to learn them, but I guess I truly need a lifetime to master them.

Chawal ka Papad
Papadums made with rice, roasted over charcoal. They make a delicious munch.

Lassan ki Chutney
Garlic and dried red chillies pounded together to make a delicious chutney, which has a good shelf life and has a sharp pungent taste.

Sukhadi
Sukhadi is an Indian Gujju sweet made with ghee, wheat flour and jaggery. The sweet is made in a jiffy and is very popular in Gujju homes and temples.

Since the meal was not cooked by me, I shall not be able to give the exact recipes. I have given appropriate links where you can find the closest recipes. The Rustic Village Thali is my Day 3 post under Thali’s and Spreads theme.