Sindhi Lunch Thali is a collection of recipes belonging to the Sindh region, which are generally served for a lunch meal.
Sindhi’s are a community that was uprooted and dispersed by partition. The community has spread all over the world, but one thing is for sure Sindhi’s love their food.
Sindhi food has a distinct flavour and has special cooking methods that enhance the flavour of the food. The traditional Sindhi food was never cooked in pressure cookers, it was always cooked in Degdas / Dekchis . The dishes would be cooked on coal and they would be cooked on the slow flame which gave the dishes their unique flavour. The Daag curries, where the onions are cooked till brown, the Seyal bhajis where onions are the base of the vegetables, and the Saaye Masale wari Bhajio, where Vegetables are cooked in fresh coriander paste are some of the cooking styles that we Sindhi’s follow.
Sindhi food has a variety of delicacies and its elaborate spread is a great culinary experience. Some of the dishes have become famous all over the globe. The Sindhi breakfast – Dal Pakwan, Koki Aaloo– has nitched its way into the global market. I have known people who simply love the Sindhi Kadhi Chawara. Truly some combinations are made in heaven and one such Sindhi combo is Sai Bhaji Bhuga Chawara.
We are beginning a month-long marathon today with the theme Thali and Platter Festival, you could read more about it in my introduction post , where I have spoken in detail about Thali’s in general. This week I shall be posting Everyday Thalis.
My today’s thali is a simple lunch thali. This is like our everyday meal. Well, let me make a correction, we normally do not eat any desserts in the afternoon, but I added this for those of you who have a sweet tooth! Not that it’s banned, we do have a sweet once in a while during lunchtime.
Today’s thali has Black-eyed beans, which are called Rahaa in Sindhi, these are made in Daag, which is onion and tomato gravy. The second dish is Guar Ji Bhaji, which is cluster beans. This is a dry preparation with onion, garlic, and tomatoes. The third dish is Methi Patata. Normally one gravy and one dry vegetable are made for a routine lunch, but at times we have children who fuss, so a third dish is prepared. Curd, Chutney, some kind of salad, papad are a must, be it lunch or dinner. Jaytoon is guava and this is one fruit which is in season is served for lunch. During summers Mangoes are mandatory.
So here is the menu –
Ras wara Rahan
( black-eyed peas in onion and tomato gravy, made in Sindhi style called Dag )
Guar JI Bhaji
( cluster beans, boiled and then sauteed with onion and garlic )
Methi Patata
( fresh fenugreek leaves cooked with potatoes and tomatoes )
Fulko
( Sindhi style chapati, smeared with ghee )
Salad
( onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, diced and combined with moong sprouts )
Dudh
( plain, simple yoghurt)
Dharan ji Chutney
( coriander chutney )
Jaytoon
( guava fruit )
China Grass
( milk-based agar agar pudding, a typical Sindhi dessert )
Here are some more Sindhi Thali’s that I have made-
Sindhi Thali with Protein-Rich Soybeans
The Sunday Lunch Kadhi Chawara
And for today I shall share the recipe for Guar Ji Bhaji.
Food was cooked on coal / wood through out the country before the cookers and stoves were available, I guess until two generations ago. My paternal grand mother never used a gas / electric or even a kerosene stove for her cooking. I am sure the rustic kitchen setting added extra flavor to her dishes which I can savor in my my imagination even today.
I make 3 to 4 side dishes but cannot imagine making three curries for a meal. 🙂 I had no idea that china grass is a typical dessert among you. The platter is an inviting one and looking forward to your other dishes this week.
Very informative post on Sindhi Cusine Vaishali. The whole plate looks way too good and you tagging this as simple thali ? All the dishes sound so delicious. Looking forward to your thalis
What a well written intro about Sindhi Food, Vaishali. Every post of yours is an eye opener in some way or the other. Love the write up and the pictures are stunning.
Such a detailed write up about sindhi food which is very informative for me. Awesome thali with so many dishes. I am thinking if this is everyday thali, how many items you will have for exotic thali? Looking forward to amazing thali from you.
I never leave without bookmarking a whole bunch of recipes from your place. I have noted down the coriander based recipes, since I have some to use up :-). What a beautiful platter Vaishali and I loved the detailed introduction to it, really informative for someone like me. I have to checkout the clusterbeans recipe also, I had assumed it was used only in South Indian recipes 😀
Traditionally and in olden days food was cooked in open vessels and on coal and it use to taste so yum. Now everything is changed, but still, we like this old flavours. whenever I do bbq here, I try to roast potatoes, sweet potatoes, and a few more veggies, so that I can make veggies later.
Your Sindhi lunch thali is so comforting and we too generally follow a similar pattern, except the fruit. Love each and every dish
Great info about Sindhi cuisine. I think coal and wood are part and parcel of our kitchens before the gas stove and all that right? I always wonder how they would be cooked patiently without modern amenities.
Love this Sindhi thali and the china grass is looking very interesting. Bookmarked that to try. That’s one filling and nutritious thali with veggies and beans.
What a superb way to start the BM!! Well, in my native, my grandparents used to cook using coal / firewood to make prasad on festival days. They were doing it til they passed on[like until 2 years back!]. We don’t do that now though. Anyways this is a wonderful thali and nice to know about the Sindi cuisine as well.